Strip/strap

[irmamar]

What's the difference between strip and strap?

Thanks.

[poli]

A strap is close to cinturrón in Spanish.

Strip is a long narrow sheet --maybe tirita in Spanish.
Strip has other meanings: It can be a street where there is a lot of action. (Like the strip in Las Vegas) The verb to strip means to violently rip away, and often to take clothes off for entertainment purposes.

[Perikles]

Yes, but also, a strip of (say) cloth could be something small but no designed, so you could tear some clothes by mistake and tear a strip of cloth off something.

A strap is however something made on purpose, from cloth or leather, rather like a belt, but used to support something, such as a broken arm.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by poli

A strap is close to cinturón in Spanish.

Strip is a long narrow sheet --maybe tirita in Spanish.
Strip has other meanings: It can be a street where there is a lot of action. (Like the strip in Las Vegas) The verb to strip means to violently rip away, and often to take clothes off for entertainment purposes.

Irma, a strip can be used as a strap to hold something.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by chileno

Irma, a strip can be used as a strap to hold something.

Yes, but you must say 'a strip of xxxx' whereas you can use 'strap' without specifying what it is made of.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Yes, but you must say 'a strip of xxxx' whereas you can use 'strap' without specifying what it is made of.

Duh!
I forgot to add "of something" cloth, leather etc.

[hermit]

In carpentry, NAmE, if a strip of wood is of the right size it may be used as a length of "strapping" (also called "furring strip" in the trade).

[irmamar]

Sorry, I had to have said that I was referring to cloths. So, a strip is always "of something" and I guess it has no shape. I could take an old bedsheet and cut strips from it to use them to clean the windows. Then I would have "strips of cotton".

Otherwise, I could take a beautiful cloth and sew it to get a strap, which I could use as a belt, for instance.

Am I wrong?

Hermit, I'm so sorry, I don't understand you

Thanks.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Sorry, I had to have said that I was referring to cloths. So, a strip is always "of something" and I guess it has no shape. I could take an old bedsheet and cut strips from it to use them to clean the windows. Then I would have "strips of cotton".

Otherwise, I could take a beautiful cloth and sew it to get a strap, which I could use as a belt, for instance.

Am I wrong?

No, not wrong, you are quite correct, except that a strip has a small width compared with length. This would not be the best shape to clean the windows. (How would I know? )

[irmamar]

Then, a strip is very narrow, isn't it? Too narrow to clean the windows then.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Then, a strip is very narrow, isn't it? Too narrow to clean the windows then.

Yes, you would tear cloth into pieces, or squares, or rags, to clean windows. If you were locked in a room high up in a building and wanted to escape through a window, you could tear bed sheets into strips and tie them all together to make a rope.

[irmamar]

OK, I can see the difference. Thank you!

[hermit]

Hi Irmamar, To clarify my example, what I was getting at is that
a strip is thin and narrow, and a strap is, too. The difference, generally,
is that straps are more substantial no matter what the material...

[Perikles]

Of course, neither a strip or a strap should be confused with a strop, which is a strip of leather, or wood covered with leather, used for sharpening a razor. Fortunately, streps and strups don't exist, as far as I know.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Of course, neither a strip or a strap should be confused with a strop, which is a strip of leather, or wood covered with leather, used for sharpening a razor. Fortunately, streps and strups don't exist, as far as I know.

[irmamar]

The definition of "rein" (one of a pair of long straps used to control a horse) puzzles me. Why straps instead of strips?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

The definition of "rein" (one of a pair of long straps used to control a horse) puzzles me. Why straps instead of strips?

Because reins are made of leather. These pieces of leather are carefully made to be of the same thickness and width, so they are specifically designed, with stitching down the sides so that it does not tear. Because something is made carefully like this, it is a strap, not a strip. It suggests a strength for a particular purpose, thus made carefully. A strip is usually something torn and unprocessed. If you tear a piece of cloth into long and thin pieces, you make strips, possibly with jagged edges.

[irmamar]

Thanks.

Anyway, I think these two words will always baffle me.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by irmamar

The definition of "rein" (one of a pair of long straps used to control a horse) puzzles me. Why straps instead of strips?

Think of strips = tiras and straps = amarras? Althought not quite...

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

What's the difference between strip and strap?

Thanks.

After the definition of the words in the Tomisimo dictionary are completely the same.