Serviettes? Napkins?

Debrettes say Napkin! It is also derived from the French word Nappe..table cloth.

At boarding school they were always called napkins and we all had our own napkin ring ...we had to use our napkin for the whole week before it went to the laundry. I still have mine now!

I found some paper napkins/serviettes that, when folded, looked like a £20 note. They were quite fun to hand out!

I bought some of those for our Russian co-in-laws to take back home as a souvenir,Chewbacca

If Debrettes and PECS’s boarding school say napkins, it must be posh. Were your school napkins cloth PECS?

Napkins serviettes aren’t they different words for the same thing? Does anyone really care what they’re called?

How To Get On In Society by John Betjeman

Phone for the fish knives, Norman
As cook is a little unnerved;
You kiddies have crumpled the serviettes
And I must have things daintily served.

Are the requisites all in the toilet?
The frills round the cutlets can wait
Till the girl has replenished the cruets
And switched on the logs in the grate.

It's ever so close in the lounge dear,
But the vestibule's comfy for tea
And Howard is riding on horseback
So do come and take some with me

Now here is a fork for your pastries
And do use the couch for your feet;
I know that I wanted to ask you-
Is trifle sufficient for sweet?

Milk and then just as it comes dear?
I'm afraid the preserve's full of stones;
Beg pardon, I'm soiling the doileys
With afternoon tea-cakes and scones.

Thanks for that, MawBroon.

I love the topics that Betjeman chooses!

When my sons were young, they learned quite a few Betjeman poems off by heart, and got extra pocket money for doing so. The youngest can still recite them now.

That isn't one that they learned - I don't remember seeing it in the book that we had - but I might pass it on to DS2 now. I bet he would learn it in readiness for teaching it to his baby daughter when she is old enough

I was taught that serviettes were what waiters had over their arm when they served and table napkins where what they put across your knees when you sat down.

NFK yes! They were laundered once a week!
Just also wanted to say I don't really care what we call the things we use to prevent the gravy / jus/ sauce etc dripping on my frock/ dress/ costume. We use kitchen roll/ paper towel mostly!!

We three had napkin rings as christening presents. Who ever heard of a serviette ring?
I rest my case.

Recently I have seen the opinion that napkin is correct or posh, depending on your point of view and serviette is the opposite.

In my childhood it was a generational thing, my great aunt and grannie used napkins, or table napkins, my parents' generation spoke of serviettes. Feeling no doubt superior, as they were demonstrating a knowledge of French.

Babies wore nappies to my parents' generation, the older generation spoke either of nappies or napkins in that connection.

Napkin means a small piece of cloth,

Something similar seems to be happing with the word "dessert" which we are now told is incorrect, one should speak of "pudding" whether the dessert is a pudding or not! And " a sweet" instead of "pudding" is apparently quite beyond the pale. (Did I hear someone say "common"?)

Sorry if this really belongs in pendants' corner.

I suppose we're all quite lucky to be able to eat a dinner, have bits of cloth or paper to mop up spills, and then an 'afters', when some poor sods haven't even access to clean water.
On the basis of that, I really don't care what everything is called.

I heard that Prince Charles was once given some napkin rings as a present. He didn't know what they were. Really posh people don’t use napkins more than once, so no need to put them away tidily in a ring.

I have some lovely silver napkin rings that belonged to my great-aunt, engraved with her initials and other decorations.. They date from early last century, 1905 or thereabouts. She can’t have been really posh or she wouldn’t have needed them.

I love that Betjeman poem, a beautiful summary of many subtle English snobberies. Don’t use any of those terms if you want to be accepted in upper class circles!

Napkins and paper napkins in this house, Normally paper in the kitchen and linen in the dining room. No we are not posh, but I am a great believer in that if you have things they should be used and appreciated.

So, there’s posh and posher still. We had wooden napkin rings when I was little so I’m not sure what that says! Now of course I fold them into swans and such so don’t use rings. Linen napkins on the rare occasions when we entertain properly. Paper serviettes when the GC are here!

In the days of U and NON U serviettes were definitely NON. The thinking was that the lower classes would say serviette because they thought a French word would make them sound posh (shades of Delboy Trotter)

Which is why serviettes are paper. Cheaper.

It’s all The fault of the Mitford Girls, u or non u.
Things one simply mustn’t say, darling!
Serviette ( napkin)
Settee. (Sofa)
Toilet ( lavatory)
Well, I always say napkin, so phew, am u after all.

Serviette where I come from, kept in a serviette ring and that's what they were called too at my posh boarding school. I can't even say the word 'napkin'. Too twee. Not sure when I last put a serviette into use as living on my own I tend to grab the nearest available thing be it tea towel, tissue, kitchen roll or trouser leg . I do come up to scratch & issue guests with paper serviettes when required! (big/cheap packs from Ikea)

I call them napkins, but I really don't care if someone else calls them serviettes – or tom, dick and harry. Why would I?

Napkins are material; serviettes paper - but people now call them paper napkins. Nothing to do with class.

giulia Paper is a material too. I think you mean that napkins are fabric. Yes, of course they are – usually linen – but if someone wants to call them serviettes, that's fine with me.

Marmight has upset the posh/not posh theory. Where was your boarding school Marmight? Perhaps it’s a north/south thing - Norfolk sort of being both and out on a limb so I was brought up using both.

I wish Mr Betjeman was still alive. He’d know.

We had our own serviette rings at boardin g school too. Nowadays I tend to call them all napkins.
Recently on holiday I met an American woman and she referred to a napkin at th dinner table 5hen was covered in confusion and embarrassment. 'Oh no', she said, ' I meant to say serviette. I forgot you Brits call diapers napkins and call napkins serviettes'!!!!