[OJFord]

But just say USA then? If you say anything else (however big a component of it the USA is) it just sounds pointedly like 'not just the USA but those others too'.

I don't talk about 'the former British Empire' or 'the Commonwealth' or something when I mean the UK. (Or in the other direction, 'GB' or 'England' pointedly exclude Northern Ireland or Wales & Scotland too. The St George flag (of England) has football hooliganism associations somewhat as a consequence of that.)