Question for the native English speakers:

[meganl@mas.to]

Question for the native English speakers:

To you, what is the difference between 'drapes' and 'curtains'? #Language

[smellsofbikes@mastodon.social]

@meganL curtains have a mechanism for retracting them. Drapes just hang and if you want to move them, you have a hook on the side that you manually pull them to.

[dillyd@turtleisland.social]

@smellsofbikes @meganL
Interesting. I think of drapes as the ones that have the mechanism. I also see drapes as an older word, that my mother used growing up to refer to the ones in the living room and family room. I haven't heard the word in a long time, and I hear/read "curtains" nowadays.

[smellsofbikes@mastodon.social]

@dillyd @meganL I'm only saying what I did because that's my personal usage and I have both in my living room

[dillyd@turtleisland.social]

@smellsofbikes @meganL same! I'm fascinated by individual and regional differences in word usage.

[gustavinobevilacqua@mastodon.cisti.org]

@dillyd @smellsofbikes @meganL

In Italian we generally call them "tende" (plural of "tenda", but the singular is mainly used for the camping tent), but for the thin ones is familiarly used the diminutive "tendine", while for the thick ones the augmentative "tendoni" (masculine).

And Merry Christmas to people thinking Italian is easy 😄