Closets and Wardrobes

[Carol]

Potioncat wrote:
> > > 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. 
> 
> Geoff:
> Which was the point of my unacknowledged joke in message 36241. <sigh>

Carol again:
Sorry, Geoff. I went back to your post and caught the joke, which I
had mistaken for a straightforward comment before. Too subtle, I
guess. And you don't resort to emoticons, IIRC. 
> 
> Carol:
> > 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."
> 
> Geoff:
> Which I found leads to a lot of confusion when I'm reading material
from the US when the writers use "pants" for trousers and underwear
interchangeably.

Carol:
Well, no. we don't use "pants" for "underwear." It's "underpants" and
"underwear" that are used interchangeably. You may be thinking of
"panties" for women's underwear. (Men wear briefs or shorts, but
"shorts" is also used for short pants worn as an outer garment.)

Geoff: 
> The trouble is that slacks and jeans don't necessarily fit the bill.
They don't cover formal trousers for example. I never wear jeans but I
wear chinos quite a lot particularly in the winter; I am just
beginning to go into short-wearing mode at the moment - but more
formal trousers emerge on a Sunday.

Carol:
>From my perspective as a woman, "slacks" and "dress pants" are pretty
much synonymous. It might be different for men. Bear in mind, too,
that Tucson is a casual town. We don't have "casual Fridays" because
hardly anyone (except lawyers and a few other professional people)
dresses up to go to work. It's just too hot in summer (over 100
degrees, which I think is about 32 C. but I don't want to calculate it
right now) for a man to wear a suit and tie or a woman to wear a suit
and heels.

Geoff: 
> <exits stage left muttering lift/elevator, bonnet/hood,
sweater/jumper, dustbin/trash can trainers/sneakers until voice fades
in the distance>

Carol:
Re "bonnet" and "hood," I don't know which term came first, though the
automobile was invented in America, but it's possible that American
men thought that "bonnet" was too feminine and preferred "hood." As
for trunk, obviously they were thinking along the lines of steamer
trunks (the sort of thing that Harry takes to Hogwarts for six years),
not elephants. (I know you knew that and were joking about the
elephants. :-) )

Carol, whose next editing project is from a woman in Scotland, so I
may need to post more Britspeak questions here in the next few weeks