General Chat

...or is it an age one ?
I was watching Breakfast TV earlier and it was mentioned that some say settee, some sofa and yet others call it a couch.

When I was young, we had a Put-U-Up, often referred to by that name, but I think in it's closed, seating mode, we called it a settee.
This was coastal Hampshire.

Settee - SW London

Settee here in Bedfordshire and the same when I was North London

Settee in Durham and in Liverpool

Edit: but I know my OH’s Durham family used to call it a couch. I could never get used to that.

Fwiw, my daughter has always called it a sofa (spent her formative years in Oz, but I never got used to sofa).

Gwyn, when we were first married many years ago we had a put-u-up and that is what we always called it.

I think I usually call it a sofa, sometimes settee, never couch. :-S

One of the problems with moving around a lot as a child - you adapt your vocabulary to suit the location!

Sofa, so good :-S

In Manchester we said sofa, couch or settee depending on how posh our visitors were.

Now we just say, 'Park your bum' :-D

Sofa. I think it depends on what the parents called it.

Given the choice I can't remember :-S ......think I say settee or sofa but very rarely couch:-D :-D

Mainly sofa here in Teesside, sometimes settee but never couch.

Think Island is right - it depends what your parents called it as you were growing up :-D

Kath. x

Think we said sofa when I was a kid in south east London

Sometime over the years it’s become the settee

Hubbies gran had a chaise longue type thing covered in heavy dark brocade, they called it the couch :-D

Thinking the word 'couch' came from the French 'coucher' I looked it up and found this very interesting article.

Sorry folks - here is a link:
www.nabru.co.uk/blog/sofa-couch-or-settee-the-history-of-where-each-word-comes-from/

As in....
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

Allez! Du balai! Mate ;-)

Settee, a la LG from Norf Lundun ;-)

OH says couch, from the North East.

We speak proper don't we MG :-D :-D

Not arf, LG. :-D :-D ;-)

My parents later bought a Studio Couch...... We still called it a settee.

It was a settee when I was young, in Surrey, but I tend to say sofa now.

Generally Settee and Hide-a-bed here, though some furniture companies advertise Sofa and Sofa Beds.

When I was young, in Lancashire ................. couch


How about Murphy Bed??? ;-)

That's a bed that folds up into the wall, with the Up position a panelled wall, firmly affixed pictures, or a settee with folding legs. Often used in a den or study for occasional visitors, or in a mini apartment

Settee in Northamptonshire.

Never heard of a "Murphy bed" and only seen them in films. Don't know of anyone who has ever had one.