Closets and Wardrobes

[Carol]

Carol earlier:
> > 
> > Since the British put their cups in dressers and their dresses in
cupboards, maybe the expression should be "coming out of the  cupboard"?
> > 
> > Carol, who puts her cups in the cupboard and her dresses (what few
she owns) in the closet, with the dresser reserved for underwear,
socks, and nightgowns)
> 
Potioncat responded:
> And do you keep trousers in a chest of drawers?
>
Carol again:
LOL. That was very drawl, erm, droll. I think the question should be
whether I keep my underwear ("drawers" to the Brits on the list) in a
chest of drawers. And, yes, I do. Well, actually, a dresser is a chest
of drawers with a mirror, right, at least in U.S. usage, so it makes
sense to keep your "drawers" there.

I looked up "drawer" to try to find more information and found this:

"2\dialect also dro\: a sliding box or receptacle opened by pulling
out and closed by pushing in 3\dialect also dro\plural : an article
of clothing (as underwear) for the lower body" (Merriam-Webster Online)

Defition 2 is dialect? Really? What else are we supposed to call that
"sliding box or receptacle" in a chest of drawers or dresser or desk?

Both uses appear to be derived from "drawer," Pronounced as two
syllables, "draw" plus "-er," meaning "one that draws." I suppose you
"draw out" a drawer in a dresser and "draw up" your drawers, meaning
underwear, as you put them on.

BTW, I don't think I've ever said "trousers" in my life. I say "pants"
(which I realize means underwear in British usage) or, if I want to be
more specific, "slacks" or "jeans."

Carol, thinking what a delightful thing the English language is, in
all its varieties