I think of home fries as the cubed fried potatoes like you do, mostly eaten as a breakfast item. Hash browns they have at Perkins and are shredded potatoes which in my opinion they never brown up enough so I don't order them any longer. Hash browns are also the formed patties of shredded potatoes that McDonald's sells. But hash is definitely shredded.

If your significant other is a man, never send them to the store. They will mess it up on purpose so you don't send them again.