Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 5 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
#16631 01/26/01 04:14 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
J
jmh Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
J
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
>In US a wardrobe is a collection of clothes

Here too, it has both meanings. I do not have separate cupboards but I do have a winter wardrobe and a summer wardrobe.

Armoire - You can buy armoirs in antique shops and the kind of places which sell smart French Furniture.

Pantry - I used to have a lovely country cottage with a large pantry - very useful too.

Some of the Victorian houses in Edinburgh have a "maid's room", it is a small room towards the back of the house with a separate staircase, next to the kitchen.


#16632 01/26/01 04:27 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
J
jmh Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
J
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
The Victorian/Georgian London houses that I lived in, tended to have a low built-in cupboard, either side of the fireplace, with shelves above, maybe not as grand as the ones in the picture but similar:

http://www.bookcases.co.uk/Alcove_Bookcases/alcove_bookcases.html



#16633 01/26/01 04:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
B
old hand
Offline
old hand
B
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
I must put in some western Canadian representation here...

Parlour - I don't know that I've ever actually SEEN one, just heard of them in Anne of Green Gables books
Closet - built-in place where you hang your clothes. It can also be used as an exaggeration for something small - like "my office was about the size of a closet!"
Cupboards - in the kitchen, where you keep food/dishes. I realize their "technical" name is probably cabinets but when I ask my husband to get me something, it's "in the top cupboard", never "cabinet".
Pantry - in my house this has degenerated into the closet (!) where we keep the canned goods, extra flour, wine, cat food...you can't actually walk into it (much to my chagrin, it isn't very big) but it serves the same purpose a real pantry would have. I know people who use "pantry" to refer to a large cupboard containing dry goods.

I have a friend out west whose childhood home had a series of "cold rooms" which extended from their basement, where they kept stuff like potatoes, I assume. They were exactly what they sounded like. Cold rooms. Lots of shelves. I've also heard "cold cellar" which I presume to mean the same thing.


#16634 01/26/01 05:43 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
In reply to:

The Victorian/Georgian London houses that I lived in, tended to have a low built-in cupboard, either side of the fireplace, with shelves above, maybe not as grand as the ones in the picture but similar:


similar-- but much less grand-- bookcases and shelves are often found in "prairie style" and "crafts" style houses in mid west and california -- but are not to common in NY--

Oh yes we all have some old Queen Anne (ornate 2 or 3 story wooden free standing) houses and some bungalows-- 1 to 1 and half stories-- 90% of living space on first floor-- steep roofs, with large open porches. some time one or two bedrooms upstairs, but rooms have sloped walls from roof.


#16635 01/26/01 10:12 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328
My house has a cold room off the basement, which we use to store potatoes and etc. We call it "The Cave." When I was little, I was afraid to go there by myself. It has a dirt floor, and I have always loved the earthy way it smells.


#16636 01/26/01 10:43 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
I'd say that it was on a "whim" but it doesn't even reach that level of consciousness!

Just adding my ha'penn'orth...

Yeah, that's about the size of it, Jo. I'd use both whilst and while, probably the latter slightly more. I'd say I've good logical reasons for changing over - e.g. whilst is used when the event concerned lasts a long time - but actually those reasons come after the fact.

Hmmm, then again!

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may feels like it has to be "while". Implication of a limited duration?

The cats looked on whilst the birds sang sweet songs
and
The cats looked on while the birds sang sweet songs
are both equally good; but the latter feels less correct somehow.
And there's an unlimited or indeterminate duration here.

Anybody think there's something in this?

Are you there, Bingley?




#16637 01/26/01 11:25 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
I'll take a survey of my co-workers here and my neighbors and find out how "folks" have developed over the last ten years (or so), but not only is there no shortage of the use of the term, it will be posted on the "props" thread as a distinct opposite to "peoples" (in inner-city lingo). Anyone know that difference? (post it there...)

I use "gotten" quite often (probably incorrectly) whilst I use "whilst" just for aural effect (almost never)


#16638 01/26/01 11:34 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 96
B
journeyman
Offline
journeyman
B
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 96
Regarding the closet/wardrobe etc. In the USA, yes, the more closets the house has the better it is. But what I saw in Europe this past summer, even the new houses are just rooms and no built in closets----just free standing and movable "kleider schrank" in each sleeping room. You know what? This makes sense as then the room can be rearranged to the style of each owner. And the house can be built faster, less costs, etc because the builder and designer doesn't have to design and build all the %#$@ little extras in each room!!!!!! I used to hate my 60 year old house with only 2 closets and since Europe, I am going European and SIMPLIFY my rooms!!!!!!
jrj

enthusiast


enthusiast
#16639 01/27/01 03:21 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Jo, we would tend to call those things built-in bookcases, or wall units, as opposed to cupboards.

Here also, cupboards are used for storing food in the kitchen. In French we use a "Frenchified" version of pantry to mean the same thing. The government is trying to make us say armoire instead.

We definitely put clothes in a closet (a garderobe/dress minder in French).


#16640 01/27/01 03:25 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
musick, I didn't see your post in <props> so I thought I'd respond here.

We often use folks when talking about our parents, as in "ya, my folks still live in the old neighbourhood."


Page 5 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 302 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5