![]() ![]() If anyone has any knowledge of the term, or anything remotely like it, please let me know at 16, 2017 at 10:05 pm She grew up in Detroit in the 1950s, and her grandmother used the term “dufo” or “dufoo” for a couch. While we’re on the subject, I recently received another “couch” question from a reader which is driving me slowly nuts. The term “Chesterfield” is also used for a type of long single-breasted coat, often sporting a velvet collar. It was named after the Earl of Chesterfield (a now obsolete title) in 19th century England, but the name is probably more evidence of clever marketing than any actual connection to nobility. “Settee,” yet another antiquated word for “couch,” is just a jocular form of “settle,” which as a noun used to mean “a place to sit.” The term “davenport” apparently comes from the name of a furniture manufacturer.Īll of which brings us to “chesterfield,” meaning a style of couch with upright arms, one of which may be adjustable to allow the user to recline comfortably. “Divan,” a term for “couch” your grandmother might have used, comes from the Persian “devan,” which originally meant “assembly of rulers,” but in English came to mean the padded platform upon which the leaders sat. “Sofa” comes from the Arabic “soffa,” which meant a raised part of the floor covered with carpets and pillows for seating. It’s a tribute to the natural human need to lounge that there are so many names for what we often call simply a “couch.” The term “couch” itself comes from the French “coucher,” meaning “to lay in place,” reflecting the original sense of a couch as a place for sleeping, not just sitting. ![]() How in the world can a trapezoidal monstrosity with a two-story “great room” rightly be called a “classic Cape Cod”? What makes a humdrum 1960s split-level eligible for the label “Colonial”? The ornate pillars some doofus erected in the rumpus room? The Early American foosball table? Mostly we just quietly make fun of the homeowners’ taste, but lately I’ve begun to wonder at the agents’ grasp of architectural taxonomy. ![]() Here at Go Figure Farm, we often spend Sunday morning watching a local real estate “showcase” on TV. I am wondering if you can tell me where the word “chesterfield” and, for that matter, “sofa” and “couch” originated. On the other, I am finding it particularly hilarious for my own personal use with friends. On the one hand, hearing my mom use it is like listening to a nail on a blackboard. I now find myself in a fascinating love/hate relationship with word. to stare (Cantonese) 3.Dear Word Detective: I’ve recently bought a new house and am getting ready to move my furniture, which has given my mom occasion to use (and even write out) the word “chesterfield” about a million times. to chop (verb) to set someone up (pronoun) allĪ piece of cloth for putting together man's hair in the past hatġ. (adjective) (of someone's face) pale (because of scared or sick) Zhi, the name of a river and a city in China (adjective) outside (verb) to pay (salary) to carry (in a vehicle) (slang) (of the expression, " 車!") it is a response to show disagreement or disapproval (noun) Chinese surname (of familiar generation) great-grand kiss (of fashion arrangement, color, couple, etc.) 2. Harrow-like implement for pulverizing soil unload (the goods in containers) (slang) to solve (problem, etc.) To destroy others' things/ events to ruin to spoil stab (verb) to choke someone's neck with handġ. bowtie (slang) Relationship (of dating couples) (Precautionary measures) the signals of typhoon in force ![]() To be depressed as a result of sadness or angerĪ male who serves a female whole-heartedly without winning her heart a status between friend and boyfriend (Cantonese) (preposition) by or being (used before a verb in a passive voice) The fine hair on body, especially on calves and arms get full (of house) or get over (limited capacity) number of runs (slang) to call (for a group of gang) (noun) (of transportation schedules of bus, flights etc.) 1. hot and stale (of physically condition) suffocated and compressed (in chest) In rhetorical question, it is used as an interrogative word (interjection) 1. Sin 3 sai 1 gwaa 1 pei 4 Ī feeble attempt to deceive somebody into a trap that is very easy to see throughġ. To have something to do with to have a bearing on to be related / connected to (noun) (skin) pockmark (adjective) full of pockmarks or scars To benefit from being associated with someoneĬannot be fixed irremediable beyond repairīarely enough marginally making it just about getting by To agree or to say yes immediately without any hestitation to leap at the chance or offer (that one has eagerly been waiting for / has always wished for) ![]()
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