MSGID: 1:153/716.0 efbb3c35   
   REPLY: 1:153/7715.0 ef88f5a0   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Dallas!  Recently you wrote in a message to Anton Shepelev:   
      
   AS>  Its ceasing to rain prompted our closing our umbrellas.   
      
   AS>  Or should it be folding or furling?   
      
   DH>  All three terms are functionally synonymous, although   
   DH>  the two you suggest are more formal, imo. And to be more   
   DH>  pedantic, one folds a newspaper, but furls an umbrella. :-)   
      
      
               Also being pedantic, I think of the businessman in London who   
   never opens his neatly furled umbrella because it would require so much time &   
   effort to restore the thing to its original condition whereas many people   
   around these parts don't seem to bother trying.  The examples in my GAGE   
   CANADIAN DICTIONARY suggest to me that "furl" is more formal, because they   
   pertain to flags & sails as well... and there are prescribed rituals   
   associated with all of the above.   
      
               Since I'm not familiar with the rituals involving flags & sails   
   but I am the sort of person who enjoys reading dictionaries in order to get   
   down to the nitty gritty, I see that my CANADIAN OXFORD defines "furl" as   
   meaning "roll up and secure".  That's enough input for neophytes like me.  WRT   
   umbrellas what folks do in other places may depend on how heavily, how often,   
   and for how long it's likely to rain.  On the basis of our experience with   
   tents I don't roll up & secure an umbrella for more than a short time unless I   
   know it's dry....  :-Q   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/120 123 18/0 90/1 116/116 120/340 601 123/0 25 50 131 150   
   SEEN-BY: 123/170 755 135/300 138/146 153/250 757 7715 154/10 30 40   
   SEEN-BY: 154/50 700 203/0 221/0 6 226/30 227/114 702 229/101 424 426   
   SEEN-BY: 229/664 1014 240/1120 1634 1895 2100 5138 5832 5853 8001   
   SEEN-BY: 240/8002 8005 249/206 317 261/38 280/5003 313/41 317/3 320/219   
   SEEN-BY: 322/757 331/313 333/808 335/206 364 370 342/200 382/147 640/1384   
   SEEN-BY: 2454/119 3634/0 12 15 27 50 4500/1 5020/1042   
   PATH: 153/7715 3634/12 154/10 221/6 335/364 240/1120 5832 229/426