Re: [YAEUT] Lexical variation survey

In a message dated 5/5/2008 13:08:36 PM Central Daylight Time,
rfmilly@MSN.COM writes:


> > >> 22. a piece of furniture that seats 3 people:
> > >> couch, chesterfield, davenport, divan, settee, sofa
> davenport is old but interchangeable with couch, sofa; chesterfield is a
> specific type-- usually with buttoned upholstery and nowadays often leather.
> Divan would have been hoity-toity. A settee only seats 2 adults, also called
> a loveseat. (I wonder if "couch" might originally have been for reclining?)
> Also: hassock = footstool = ottoman = pouf (poof?). As an avid fan of
> "Antiques Roadshow" I've learned a lot of very specific terms for all sorts
> of furniture.
>
Now that you mention it, when I was growing up we called that piece of
furniture a davenport.

stevo   </HTML>

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