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Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Tuesday September 2, 2008
tapete, noun:
tablecloth; rug
Curiously, the same word tapete can refer to a tablecloth and a rug. The type of tablecloth referred to is sometimes of lace, or embroidered material:
Tenemos un tapete de encaje precioso.
We have a beautiful lace tablecloth.
Particularly in Mexico, un tapete refers to a rug:
sobre los tapete persas
on the Persian rugs
In Spanish, when you metaphorically put something on the table to be discussed or decided, you ‘put it on the tablecloth’: poner algo sobre el tapete.
Han vuelto a poner sobre el tapete una vieja cuestión.
They’ve raised an old question, They’ve put an old question on the table.
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