Mar
10
Wow, some of you are really good! Barb, Brenda, Claire and Lynne knew what it was and had heard of “antimacassar” before. This one had me stumped……it is a small covering placed on the backs or arms of chairs to prevent wear or soiling. I would have just called it a doily! I did think it was interesting that I read in the 1800’s (Victorian times) the practice of oiling the hair became very popular and fashionable, and the oil used many times was called macassar oil. Due to the tendency for the oil to transfer from a gentleman’s hair to the back of the chair he was sitting on, the antimacassar was developed. The term became associated with the Victorian period. Antimacassars can sometimes still be found on the backs of airline seats.
And Brenda was correct, the children’s television show Big Comfy Couch had a character named Auntie Macassar.
This is probably one word that I’ll remember out of all the many I looked up recently!
Oh and I did email you (sis) Stacy about the song…..as Lynne commented on the last post, it is a song by the Bee Gees called “Words”. I might have sent you a link to it so let me know if you didn’t get it.
March 10th, 2007 at 11:03 am
I got the email, just wondering where the lyrics were from. I know you almost always do song lyrics and titles, although some of them don’t always jump right out at me!
Cool about the oil being named macassar, that makes total sense now. I learned something new today!
March 11th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I’d never heard of that word either. And I’m with you, I’d have just said doily. ;v)