meal paper?

[sky753]

Hello Everyone,

During meal, esp out here in China, soft papers are used to wipe month. What the proper name for the paper?

Regards

Sky

[Anglika]

Paper napkins OR paper serviettes

[sky753]

Paper napkins OR paper serviettes

Are they commonly used in daily English? Can I say " pass me two paper napkins, please."

[bhaisahab]

Are they commonly used in daily English? Can I say " pass me two paper napkins, please."

Yes, and yes.

[rlfwood]

A couple of asides:

I used to work with a teacher who was raised in Israel. He stoutly maintained that the cloth or paper item used at mealtimes was a "serviette", and that the word "napkin" only applied to sanitary pads.

In everyday American usage, I have never heard "serviette" (except from the colleague mentioned above) -- it's always been "napkin".

[bhaisahab]

"Serviette" is French and is used by some English speakers to try to appear "educated", when in fact it makes them appear to be the opposite of that.

[Barb_D]

A related question about "napkin" versus "nappies." The latter is diaper in BrE, right? Would you ever use the former?

[bhaisahab]

A related question about "napkin" versus "nappies." The latter is diaper in BrE, right? Would you ever use the former?

It's a while since my children were that sort of age, but then it was always "nappies", I have never heard "napkin" in that context.

[Barb_D]

I'm sorry - my question was poorly phrased. I mean to confirm that in BrE, "nappies" are what I would call "a diaper" in American English. I didn't mean to say "diapers in BrE."

[Anglika]

Correct -our babies have nappies, US babies have diapers [how smart they must be since diaper is an expensive form of weaving ]