Re: Cloakroom

Mark Reed wrote:
>
>Hm.  While "basin" is not part of my native vocabulary, I always
>understood it to be synonymous with "sink".  Is there a difference
>between the two referents other than their locations?
>
They may be synonyms now, though "basin" does seem to be falling into
disuse. In olden times, my parents/grandparents & I called the thing in the
bathroom the "wash basin". The sink was in the kitchen.....

I now associate "basin" with the old fashioned (pre-plumbing) "wash sets",
now antique/collectible-- a large ceramic flat-bottomed bowl/basin (ca. 18+
in. diam), plus a large pitcher, and sometimes a little covered tray for the
toothbrush or combs, all usually in a matching pattern. Less fancy ones were
made of porcellanized metal. The set sat, of course, on the "wash-stand" or
commode, which also had a little cupboard for the chamber pot....
(And of course a basin is also a largish depression in the land).

I've seen older houses (and hotels) that have a separate spigot for drinking
water (untreated or "hard"), vs. hot and cold for washing supplying "soft"
water, which can taste very salty.

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