tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post5625939790212612139..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: cupboards and closetslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37784533846267887572020-12-07T20:44:47.677+00:002020-12-07T20:44:47.677+00:00Soup kitchens, which were a major component of Ame...Soup kitchens, which were a major component of American life in the depression, served watered down soup made from what ever the charitable organization could get that day or week. Serving manufactured soup wasn't an option, to expensive. Also as the place didn't come with lodging or even often a place to sit it literally was just a kitchen and a window or doorway out of which the soup was served. Geoff inKChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771631254353994126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-45374511164991579982019-05-06T14:45:32.719+01:002019-05-06T14:45:32.719+01:00BrE, Scot, mid 60s. Still having a great time work...BrE, Scot, mid 60s. Still having a great time working my way through old posts. I grew up calling a cupboard a press. When I moved to the Deep South (of the U.K.) 40-odd years ago (is this also AmE usage?), this was a sorce of great (and very persistent) hilarity to my cow orkers. Many years later, when I started work with the Civil Service, I was introduced to the key press: a small box on the wall (itself lockable) in which keys were kept securely.<br /><br />The free-standing piece of furniture with drawers below a small cupboard was known as a “tall boy”.<br /><br />My granny lived in what would now be called a one-bedroomed flat (is the -ed on bedroom typical BrE, or just local?). She called this a “room and kitchen”. The “kitchen” was what I would now call a living room. What I would now call a kitchen was the “scullery”. This usage persisted until at least the 1960s. I’ve never been sure if it was used throughout Scotland, or just for my bit of the south west.Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11739708937339128412014-04-16T18:11:49.834+01:002014-04-16T18:11:49.834+01:00Massachusetts- "But not yours, of course. I c...Massachusetts- "But not yours, of course. I cherish that. It is just so really, really extra cute and weird."<br /><br />This to me is a perfect example of sarcasm that straddles the American and British senses of the word.<br /><br />When it's said with twinkling eyes as I imagine you would, it makes for a wonderful inside joke.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02138260302522477243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65766552526086025772013-06-29T20:04:58.524+01:002013-06-29T20:04:58.524+01:00Of the built-in spaces in the kitchen, I refer to ...Of the built-in spaces in the kitchen, I refer to the ones on the floor (below the countertops) as cabinets, and the higher ones (above the countertops) as cupboards. I am American-raised with English grandparents. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11107739435136790051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72720944631840685652012-11-11T18:50:53.087+00:002012-11-11T18:50:53.087+00:00British English speaker here. Have lived in many f...British English speaker here. Have lived in many flats and houses from various periods (and viewed many more!) and I have never seen a house with what the OP or the photos in the comments would call a closet.<br /><br />The closest comparison I can think of is an en-suite bathroom or the cupboard under the stairs, in which case cupboard is just a synonym for closet. That's the only "small room connected to the main room" that we really have <br /><br />And yeah, when I picture the phrase "coming out of the closet", I've always imagined someone bursting out of a wardrobe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83898686070910527942012-10-18T04:00:45.168+01:002012-10-18T04:00:45.168+01:00In the St. Louis Mo area, we call cupboards, cabIn...In the St. Louis Mo area, we call cupboards, cabInets, sometimes we have a pantry. The refridgerater is the Fridge, but the part that makes/holds ice is an icebox or a freezer interchangeable to me, but usually the Freezer. <br />The Food Pantry is what we call the place people who need help go for some donated food.Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-49483459725952655612012-08-07T02:49:09.804+01:002012-08-07T02:49:09.804+01:00Harry Cambell
Box rooms are common in traditiona...Harry Cambell<br /><br /><i> Box rooms are common in traditional (Victorian, let's say) flats in Glasgow and Edinburgh, which often have everything from large walk-in cupboards to very small windowless bedrooms to something behind a full-sized door which turns our tro be no more than a shallow bookcase</i><br /><br />Our Victorian Edinburgh flat has three walk-in cupboards and three of those shallow behind-a-door cupboards — which we know as <i>'presses'</i>. The big 'cupboards' are really quite substantial, but too narrow for any sort of activity — which is why we call them <i>cupboards</i> rather than <i>rooms</i>. A fourth roomlet is used for storing food, so we call it a <i>'pantry'</i>, not a <i>'walk-in cupboard'</i>. We don't use the term <i>'box room'</i>.<br /><br />For me, <br />• a <i>room</i> has a door (possibly more) and can accommodate some activity<br />• a <i>cupboard</i> has a door (or two) and is free standing <br />And constructed like a cupboard:<br /> • a <i>unit</i> or <i>cupboard unit</i> is<br />attached to other constructions in a fitted kitchen<br />• a <i>wardrobe</i> is a cupboard used for clothes (even if built for a different purpose)<br />• a <i>dresser</i> is a cupboard with display shelves attached on top<br /><br />A <i>cupboard</i> can be vey big indeed, and pretty small — but not too small. I think the criterion is that it <b>stands</b> or <b>hangs</b> somewhere. If you can carry it around, I would say it's some sort of <i>box</i>. <br /><br /><i>Cupboard</i> could in the past mean the food that was stored in one. And we still speak of <i> cupboard love</i> — temporary affection which is conditional on receiving food or other favours.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47252710973064089302012-01-22T17:44:07.177+00:002012-01-22T17:44:07.177+00:00I am a South African who has been living in the Lo...I am a South African who has been living in the London and Essex area now for 8 years. Around here the term “box room” refers to the smallest room in the house. A lot of the time the room is built over the stairs and therefore not as big as the others. In some cases -like mine- there is an actual “box” in the room, because the floor of the box room is also the roof of the stairs, and has to be “lifted" in order for the roof to be high enough over the stairs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62200478763118365452011-08-28T13:25:31.288+01:002011-08-28T13:25:31.288+01:00I grew up in a Victorian farmhouse in NW England. ...I grew up in a Victorian farmhouse in NW England. We didn't have an attic but we did have a boxroom (1x2m) for Xmas decs and general tat. When my husband and I moved to Germany our apartment had a similar windowless room that I automatically called the boxroom. (Hubbie is Danish so he's no help in offering other regional alternatives.) We plumbed in the washing machine and for about three days I tried to call it "the utility" but I've since given up and we have a boxroom again.Karennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46455031076340461002010-11-23T22:56:53.420+00:002010-11-23T22:56:53.420+00:00But that you called it 'that kind of cupboard&...But that you called it 'that kind of cupboard' underscores the difference, as in my native dialect, I can't call any kind of closet a 'cupboard'. <br /><br />In UK houses with stairs, I think a cupboard below the stairs is fairly common--though these days they're often turned into a (BrE) <b>cloakroom</b> (in the 'toilet' sense)/AmE <b>half-bath</b>.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-43627133948222717722010-11-23T22:42:16.910+00:002010-11-23T22:42:16.910+00:00We had a closet in our (British, East Midlands) ho...We had a closet in our (British, East Midlands) house: it was the large cupboard by the front door in the hallway where coats and the burglar alarm were kept. I don't know if that's what everyone called it, or even if that kind of cupboard is a feature of most homes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-35799993131796445852009-11-16T16:50:50.108+00:002009-11-16T16:50:50.108+00:00Closeted did not have any gay associations when I ...Closeted did not have any gay associations when I was growing up. It meant something between sheltered and coddled. There is not a similar use for cupboard. Cupboards are just practical.Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34684701759211108912009-11-16T15:59:42.024+00:002009-11-16T15:59:42.024+00:00When I was four my family moved into a newly built...When I was four my family moved into a newly built council flat (apartment, actually a maisonette) on a council estate (housing project). It had a box room. This was a small windowless room intended for storage. As it was walk-in it was not a cupboard. I always held the opinion that my bedroom was also a box room, as it only just had room for a twin bed.AMNLnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-74321692362888754002009-10-03T22:28:00.960+01:002009-10-03T22:28:00.960+01:00As a Yank arriving in the North of England back in...As a Yank arriving in the North of England back in the mid 80s, I also found the term "boxroom" confusing - until I saw one (well, more than one as we were looking at houses to let). In each case it was a small <i>bed</i>room. And I do mean small - barely enough room for a single bed...<br /><br />btw - love this blog!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-29199259724073253012009-10-01T15:57:03.484+01:002009-10-01T15:57:03.484+01:00Thanks, Harry!Thanks, Harry!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18437269019462422462009-10-01T15:54:31.294+01:002009-10-01T15:54:31.294+01:00Interesting program(me) on Radio 4 about closets t...Interesting program(me) on Radio 4 about closets today. Listen "again" available for the next week at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mvfzzHarry Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01675794936870568336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67845840079792641952009-09-26T18:42:22.138+01:002009-09-26T18:42:22.138+01:00Just saw this in today's telly listings. No fu...Just saw this in today's telly listings. No further comment.<br /><br />11:25 Diddy Dick & Dom <br />Children's fun with the entertaining duo who live in a pink cupboard.Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85042536449690159752009-09-22T11:47:53.661+01:002009-09-22T11:47:53.661+01:00To British me, a cupboard is anywhere with doors t...To British me, a cupboard is anywhere with doors that you store stuff. A wardrobe can also be called a cupboard (however a kitchen cupboard cannot be called a wardrobe). <br /><br />A cupboard that was built in would be called a built in wardrobe or cupboard (I guess this is a closet to you?). But most likely I wouldn't specify the difference unless it was to mean that one as opposed to a free-standing wardrobe.<br /><br />Also, pantry and larder to me mean the same thing: somewhere (theoretically cool) to keep non-perishable food.Amerellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04487382029026839423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54200861387158396862009-09-12T07:42:46.161+01:002009-09-12T07:42:46.161+01:00---"I don't know how they would differ fr...---"I don't know how they would differ from pantries, which I've only physically seen in Australia, where housing spreads out to American dimensions."-----<br /><br />There was one in every small pre-1950s semi I lived in in the UK.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05952564820382472228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50369603054344370872009-09-12T07:39:59.179+01:002009-09-12T07:39:59.179+01:00----"This is a relatively shallow, floor-to-c...----"This is a relatively shallow, floor-to-ceiling cupboard in the hall. But I'm not sure if this is standard terminology, or just a family quirk."------<br /><br />We used to have them in the bathroom and called them airing cupboards. They'd have the lagged hotwater heater at the bottom and then shelves on top for sheets and towels.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05952564820382472228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85763622294638649592009-09-12T07:31:06.308+01:002009-09-12T07:31:06.308+01:00What you are referring to as closets I know as fit...What you are referring to as closets I know as fitted wardrobes. A highly sensible idea and much cheaper in a new build (I've got two in my Lankan house).<br /><br />Fairly common in Spain and France; I've never come across one in the UK, but the minuscule size of UK houses is a matter of national shame.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05952564820382472228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-92058515035847025862009-09-11T19:07:55.464+01:002009-09-11T19:07:55.464+01:00As many others have said, the boxroom is just the ...As many others have said, the boxroom is just the smallest, pokiest room of the house - in my parents' house this was for years used as a place to do the ironing and keep miscellaneous stuff we couldn't be bothered hefting into the attic, until my sister and I reached an age where we demanded our own rooms. We tossed for it, and I won the right to stay in the bedroom while she had to move into the boxroom. I know that's entirely irrelevant to the conversation, but it was the best moment of my life.<br /><br />An icebox to me is the part of the fridge also known as the freezer compartment - that little box in the top, not large enough to freeze a cat. I assumed this was the correct term, but now I think about it my parents did tell me a lot of lies when I was young.Jethednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-50036323073587882022009-09-11T18:51:31.809+01:002009-09-11T18:51:31.809+01:00I would strongly refute that Brightonians speak E...I would strongly refute that Brightonians speak Estuary! Why most of 'em ain't never even seen the river.<br /><br />But that aside, Carys- your 'pantry' sounds a lot like a utility room to me.Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-48877117445121366832009-09-10T19:20:37.039+01:002009-09-10T19:20:37.039+01:00I've heard the space under the stairs referred...I've heard the space under the stairs referred to as the Harry Potter room. <br /><br />I'd agree that most multi-story U.S. houses have stacked staircases, so the only triangular space is in the basement (lowest level) and it's too full of spiders and dust to be useful or have a name.flatlanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14711270206823934186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-75313681747467215772009-09-10T10:51:16.422+01:002009-09-10T10:51:16.422+01:00This is your article on bungalows: http://separate...This is your article on bungalows: http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2007/04/bungalows-and-ranch-style-houses.html<br /><br />The picture is very similar to our house. Ours was built around 1915. The closet is actually a tiny little hallway connecting the two bedrooms. I guess you could call it "walk-in," but really, unless it's empty, you can't.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14376545097377854998noreply@blogger.com