Why

[Leslie]

are they called teatowels?

and I'm asking cause I don't know the answer

 

[HomeLAN]

I'll go you one better. WTF is a teatowel?

 

[Liliandra]

It's a towel for drying dishes, english in origin, though I'm not sure why on earth they call it that.

 

[MrBishop]

Two reasons...
1) They're used to dry tea sets
2) Some people wrap them around teapots kinda like tea-cozies.

 

[Leslie]

I'm half asleep this morning, suffering from early morning stares, and tell kid #2 to wash his hands. He does, then starts moaning about how to dry them. I said, go get a teatowel! Then the oldest pipes up (I think just to piss me off) and asks why they're called teatowels.

Once I woke up and thought about it, I realized I really didn't know lol. I have since found something along the lines of what Bish said...they used to have towels just to polish the tea service with. So...I guess that's it?

 

[PT]

I'm thinking something more along the lines of being used to strain tea. A tea towel, or at least as I know them is not just the size of the towel, but the type of material as well. As I know them it's almost like a sheet type material, just a little thicker.

 

[chcr]

Oh good! Now I know what they are and why they're called that. How useful.

 

[tonksy]

well...here's my two cents. the british call dinner tea. my mother used tea towels to dry dishes with after dinner. tea towel

 

[greenfreak]

We call them dish towels. This is the first time I'm hearing them called tea towels.

 

[PT]

I've always thought of tea towels and dish towels as two different things. Tea towels are usually larger, and square. Dish towels are rectangular, and more of a terry cloth.

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

I don't care about a tea towel, which I have never heard of before this minute. I just don't wanna end up using the pee towel.

 

[Leslie]

I've always thought of tea towels and dish towels as two different things. Tea towels are usually larger, and square. Dish towels are rectangular, and more of a terry cloth.

That's interesting. They're all teatowels to me, but yours makes way more sense.

 

[Nixy]

That's interesting. They're all teatowels to me, but yours makes way more sense.

We call them "Cup Towels"

 

[Leslie]

really?

 

[Nixy]

really?

yes

 

[Leslie]

Haven't heard that one before.

Huh. Is it a Newfie thing?

*runs away*

 

[Inkara1]

What about cheesecloth? It's not a dairy product...

 

[BeardofPants]

Over here, tea towels are used to dry the dishes with, and dish cloths are used to wipe benches down.

 

[Lopan]

I think they are called tea towels because you are supposed to use them to line the tea tray so you dont get any marks from the tea pot. Since no one except your nan uses a teapot anymore, who knows? We use them to dry plates.