skydog757
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Terms Which Have Disappeared
- Thread starter KILO NOVEMBER
- Start date
Bruce Wayne
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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I sometimes say "out the wazoo" as in talking out their wazoo.
KILO NOVEMBER
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,025
- Location
- Hurricane Coast Florida
My father's mother referred to what I would call a "sofa" or "couch" as a "davenport". I don't hear that term these days. According to this web site (http://furniture.about.com/od/furnitureglossary/g/Davenport.htm) the name comes from the name of the company which manufactured a popular line of furniture, particularly this sort of multi-person seating item.
Upgrade
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 126
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- California
Apparently a davenport in the US is a sofa, but a davenport in the UK is a writing desk.
KILO NOVEMBER
One Too Many
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The Irish writer George Bernard Shaw once said: 'England and America are two countries divided by a common language'
GHT
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 9,346
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- New Forest
Maybe, but it always amuses me, when watching an old black & white American movie, when a character, probably played by James Cagney, says: "Can't you speak the King's English?"
I just checked, couch's are designed to seat two to three people and sofa's seat four or more. Now for the confusing part, there are small sofa's called love seats. Confused yet, Couch's are designed to sleep on. Don't know about you, but I have not been able to stretch out on a couch designed for even three people since I was a kid! Just measured my Victorian sofa, it's 6'4" (1.9 meters) I can easily put my head on the pillow and stretch out!
- Messages
- 12,473
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- Germany
Right! On buying a living room-couch, I always look first on the length. I got actual 1,90 m.
I think, their could be sitting easily five "N-size people". So, it's a classic pracitcal sofa. I see no sense in buying one of these popular small, unpractical "Couchs".
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GHT
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 9,346
- Location
- New Forest
Here's what Wiki has to say about it:
The term couch is used in North America and Australia, whilst the term sofa is generally used in the United Kingdom. The word originated in Middle English from the Old French noun couche, which derived from the verb meaning "to lie down". It originally denoted an item of furniture for lying or sleeping on, somewhat like a chaise longue, but now refers to sofas in general.
Other terms which can be synonymous with the above definition are settee, chesterfield, divan, davenport, lounge, and canapé. The word sofa is from Turkish derived from the Arabic word suffa for "wool", originating in the Aramaic word sippa for "mat". The word settee comes from the Old English word, "setl", which was used to describe long benches with high backs and arms, but is now generally used to describe upholstered seating.
Just to add further confusion, the word settee still has much currency in the UK, although used far less, most know what it is. And for what it's worth, I don't have any individual armchairs, just two settees, one two seater, the other seats three.
KILO NOVEMBER
One Too Many
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- 1,025
- Location
- Hurricane Coast Florida
Cagney may have said it, but what came immediately to mind was the character "Slip" Mahoney of Bowery Boys fame. I think there's a good possibility (snarky comment here) that 1960's U.S. stand-up comic Norm Crosby was his illegitimate son.
Leo Gorcey played Slip and the group, in various configurations and under different names, appeared in movies from the late 1930's to the late 1950's. When I was a lad back in the 1960's, one local television station ran a Bowery Boys movie every Saturday afternoon.
I offer some of Slip's fracturing of English:
- "A word to the wise is deficient."
- "I'm sorry we was so enforced in our work we didn't observe your intrusion."
- "Alright, you did your talk and now it's my turn. You're not holding me here as an accomplishment to the crime because I never accomplished anything in my life, so what's the charge? Fragrancy? No, couldn't be, cuz I ain't fragrant. And foithermore, as a taxpayer, I demand that I be deliberated this very instant to consume my place among the respected citizenry of this town. And another thing - if my name is slenderized or dilapidated in any way, I'm gonna sue. I'll take this case right to Extreme Court of the United States! "
GHT
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
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- New Forest
Priceless! Mrs Malaprop rules.
LizzieMaine
Bartender
- Messages
- 33,055
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- Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
Radio comedian Ed Gardner, best known as "Archie the manager" on "Duffy's Tavern," was well-known for his malaprops, and the absolute authenticity of his New York accent. Thirty years later, some of the same writers who created those malaprops passed them on unchanged to Archie Bunker on television.
- Messages
- 12,473
- Location
- Germany
German "Liebreiz" (grace/charme).
Not more used, in general, neither in my generation, nor the older. That speak is long gone.
Not more used, in general, neither in my generation, nor the older. That speak is long gone.
Bruce Wayne
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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Do you go to the grocery store or the supermarket?
MisterCairo
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 7,005
- Location
- Gads Hill, Ontario
I heard all of those on Saturday...
MisterCairo
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 7,005
- Location
- Gads Hill, Ontario
In Ontario, Canada, couch and sofa are pretty much interchangeable. I have never seen either referenced in print or verbally as being defined as an item with specific seating capacity (two, three, etc.), the terms are just thrown around. Two seaters are often called love seats (for reasons that should be obvious), those with fold-out beds are always called sofa-beds, and chesterfield, though in declining usage, is usually for larger (three seater) and often formal-looking items.
Not scientific, just the observations of someone who was born and raised here!
- Messages
- 12,473
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- Germany
I was a big fan of the Bowery Boys when that's what they were (as opposed to the East Side Kids, etc.). In fact, I have on my bulletin board a picture of Huntz Hall, right next to a picture of his son, Gary, who was until recently the dean of Washington Cathedral. I understand he was not especially well liked by the local crowd around here. I did not know that until I noticed a letter to the editor of the Washington Post when he commented on an unkind remark about actress Ann B. Davis who was a very active member of the Episcopal Church and a member of a religious community. The original rather churlish comment was also extended to his father, Huntz Hall. I also have a poster of Max Raabe and the Oesch family, who probably nobody has every heard of in these parts.
I've never heard a complete episode of Duffy's Tavern but it was the one radio program I heard mentioned the most when I was little. I personally like Fibber McGee and Molly more than all the others but the others are good, too. I get a special chuckle out of the beginning of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," because he is "The man with the action-packed expense account."
I keep wondering how, in German, "auf" translates to "on."
I've never heard a complete episode of Duffy's Tavern but it was the one radio program I heard mentioned the most when I was little. I personally like Fibber McGee and Molly more than all the others but the others are good, too. I get a special chuckle out of the beginning of "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," because he is "The man with the action-packed expense account."
I keep wondering how, in German, "auf" translates to "on."
LizzieMaine
Bartender
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- Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
We either went to "the store" or "upstreet." Or "to get groceries." We never said "Grocery Store" or "Supermarket."
