Spellings and different words between the two are fascinating. I am surprised to learn how many American words we use, because we generally use our historical English words, spellings and pronunciations, but not always.
So what do you call this? A roll of.... If you are American, possibly Scotch Tape. Scotch Tape was available here. I remember the non sticky start bit was a tartan pattern. If you are from the UK, possibly Sellotape. I initially grew up calling it Durex, as I learnt from my parents. But then Durex, here at least, became a synonym for a condom, so that fell out of favour. I now call it sticky tape.
What about the tape you use if you want to tape up a cardboard box to make it sturdy? For me it is packing tape. How about you?
Then there is this, painting edging tape. Not as sticky as packing tape as you don't want to rip paint off as you remove the tape, but it can at a pinch be used as packing tape.
What are your thoughts and memories?
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Sellotape
ReplyDeleteParcel tape
Masking tape
I remember on my early 1970s visit to my aunt and uncle in Sydney being quite shocked when they asked me to pass the durex from the sideboard.
Scotch tape, packing tape, and painting tape. The favorite in our household though is duct tape.
ReplyDeleteSticky tape, packing tape and masking tape. I cannot remember it being Durex though I know it was.
ReplyDeletesame - sticky tape, packing tape and masking tape. I've never heard durex used either.
DeleteI simply say "tape" for regular tape, packing tape for packing and painter's tape for painting.
ReplyDeleteScotch is the name of the company that first started selling transparent tape. It's become so associated with the tape that people in the U.S. routinely call it Scotch tape even when made by a different company!
ReplyDeleteScotch tape, duct tape, masking tape.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I'd go with Scotch Tape. Packing tape. Painting or Masking Tape. Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteNext: hoover, wettex, kleenex. Also "clayton's" anything.
ReplyDeletePS: that was I, on phone rather than computer. Autocorrect tried to impose capitals on all of those terms. Power of advertising and a trade name/ trademark.
DeleteIt’s fascinating how a simple household item can carry such a tangle of names and cultural shifts
ReplyDeleteSellotape, duct tape, masking tape.
ReplyDeleteScotch tape, packing tape and painter's tape. I love words and how different folks in the world use different words for the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind different brand names... but I object to mistakes in US spelling and grammar eg"gotten" . If I had to read students' essays, they had to check their spelling and grammar first.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am not keen on the past tense of "dive" being "dove".
Deleteagree with that, it's dived in my opinion.
DeleteI call it sticky tape, that's what it is, sticky. We always called it Durex tape once too.
ReplyDeleteThen Packinging tape.
And Masking tape.
Sellotape
ReplyDeleteParcel tape
Masking tape
I smiled at 'Durex.'
Tape or Scotch Tape (a brand name of 3M)
ReplyDeletePacking tape - or masking tape. Also Gaffers Tape, or Duck Tape.
Masking tape, or a more modern term, painters tape - often in Blue.
The differences in spelling and word usage in American English was an intentional change to set American English apart from British English. The United States was struggling to be a new country and not a former colony when this trend began.
Gaffer tape and duct tape are not the same, duct tape is smooth and grey (silver?) while gaffer tape has reinforcing threads throughout and is stronger, comes in the silvery grey and in black in assorted widths.
DeleteThat last one we call "masking tape" and there is a newer blue version that peels off easier to leave a cleaner edge. I have masking tape in several widths, with the skinny one being used along the edges of pages when the glue of the spine is old and failing, half my thesaurus is held together with the tape.
ReplyDeletePacking tape, that brown stuff is great for boxes, but one time when we moved the packers used it to seal lids to saucepans and the glue was terrible to get off when we unpacked at the new place.
Scotch tape, packaging tape, and masking tape for me, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteI find how words are use interesting. Like thongs verse flip flops.
ReplyDeleteScotch tape
ReplyDeletePacking tape
Masking tape