Trivet
Arcadian Rises
The other day I was browsing a few shops situated on the boardwalk on
Atlantic City. Of course, the merchandise consisted mostly of
souvenirs and other similarly useful objects.
One piece of cloth attracted my attention because I liked the design
with applique. It looked like two big pieces of cherries with stems on
a twig. Even after I read the label, "trivet" I still couldn't picture
any use for that piece of fabric. It was a nice piece of artisan
craft, but I did not find it able to fulfill a pure aesthetical role,
so I resisted the hoarding urge. OTOH, if I could have pictured any
utilitarian use for it, I would have bought it (i.e. hoard it) with no
compunction.
Looking up the dictionary I found out, to my surprise, that indeed,
trivets could be made of fabric, and they look something like dollies,
but there are no three legs (the "tri" in "trivet") attached to them.
John Lawler
Probably one of the differences is that fabric trivets are padded or
stuffed or made of something thick and ostensibly heat-absorbent
or, ideally, heat-reflective. "Doily" is, by contrast, a prototype of
a
dainty and usually thin piece of fabric, unsuited to thermodynamic
uses, though that last may be an American usage.
I agree, my prototype of a trivet is metal and stands above what
it's on. But the function of insulating the heated object and the
surface it rests on can be extended to less prototypical objects,
and frequently is.
-John Lawler http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler
"If it is true that words have meanings, why don't
we throw away words and keep just the meanings?"
-- Ludwig Wittgenstein
tony cooper
Another one of those definitions of a word that I have not known for
decades after knowing the other definition. To me, the function of a
trivet is to protect the surface of a table or counter from the heat
emanating from the object placed on the trivet.
A fabric trivet would not be as functional as a metal trivet unless it
was padded like an oven mitt or a pot holder. Your description does
not match this.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
MC
<768fd7f4-fe05-421b...@q12g2000prb.googlegroups.com>,
John Lawler <johnm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Looking up the dictionary I found out, to my surprise, that indeed,
> > trivets could be made of fabric, and they look something like dollies,
> > but there are no three legs (the "tri" in "trivet") attached to them.
>
> Probably one of the differences is that fabric trivets are padded or
> stuffed or made of something thick and ostensibly heat-absorbent
> or, ideally, heat-reflective. "Doily" is, by contrast, a prototype of
> a
> dainty and usually thin piece of fabric, unsuited to thermodynamic
> uses, though that last may be an American usage.
>
> I agree, my prototype of a trivet is metal and stands above what
> it's on. But the function of insulating the heated object and the
> surface it rests on can be extended to less prototypical objects,
> and frequently is.
This is one of those cases when Google Image Search can help more than a
dictionary: http://snipurl.com/27xxqj
The thing most of them have in common is their thickness.
--
"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones
John Dean
>
> Looking up the dictionary I found out, to my surprise, that indeed,
> trivets could be made of fabric, and they look something like dollies,
> but there are no three legs (the "tri" in "trivet") attached to them.
Which dictionary? OED makes no mention of fabric trivets, the key feature
being that, as the name suggests, they have three feet.
--
John Dean
Oxford
Mike Lyle
And, while it might work, it would seem a bit strange to use a cloth
"trivet" for steaming a pudding.
--
Mike.
Arcadian Rises
> Arcadian Rises wrote:
>
> > Looking up the dictionary I found out, to my surprise, that indeed,
> > trivets could be made of fabric, and they look something like dollies,
> > but there are no three legs (the "tri" in "trivet") attached to them.
>
> Which dictionary?
Actually, it was wiki that I first resorted to because I wanted to see
some pictures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivet
> OED makes no mention of fabric trivets, the key feature
> being that, as the name suggests, they have three feet.
That's what I thought before about trivet, it came as a surprise for
me too that there are fabric trivets.
Arcadian Rises
> In article
> <768fd7f4-fe05-421b-9980-c726ce335...@q12g2000prb.googlegroups.com>,
> John Lawler <johnmlaw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Looking up the dictionary I found out, to my surprise, that indeed,
> > > trivets could be made of fabric, and they look something like dollies,
> > > but there are no three legs (the "tri" in "trivet") attached to them.
>
> > Probably one of the differences is that fabric trivets are padded or
> > stuffed or made of something thick and ostensibly heat-absorbent
> > or, ideally, heat-reflective. "Doily" is, by contrast, a prototype of
> > a
> > dainty and usually thin piece of fabric, unsuited to thermodynamic
> > uses, though that last may be an American usage.
>
> > I agree, my prototype of a trivet is metal and stands above what
> > it's on. But the function of insulating the heated object and the
> > surface it rests on can be extended to less prototypical objects,
> > and frequently is.
>
> This is one of those cases when Google Image Search can help more than a
> dictionary:http://snipurl.com/27xxqj
Thank you. The one I saw yesterday somehow resembles the ones on the
first page, 4th row: the Victorian and the fabric ones.
>
> The thing most of them have in common is their thickness.
Not the ones I mentioned above. I believe they have a pure decorative
role, like the one I saw yesterday; I wouldn't have the heart to put a
hot pot on it.
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<john...@fraglineone.net> wrote:
The name has been transferred to other insulating thingies.
My understanding of a trivet was of a metal device until did a search
Google Images search, limited to UK sites, for:
fabric trivet site:.uk
That shows heat resistant items made of cloth, felt and wood as well as
metal. What shape would you like? A pig, an owl, a deer, a rose, an
embroidered square,...?
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)