Questions > What would you call this?...

I was just wondering what word everyone here would use to refer to a flat round or square object that one sets one's drinking glass on. I know them as "coasters", but I have a feeling that's not the only word for them.

Thanks in advance!

Here in Australia we know them as coasters as well and I can't think of any other word for them, except maybe 'drink mats'? (Although if you said "drink mats" to me, I would say, "oh, you mean coasters?"!)

Thanks, MS. Anyone else have something to add?

i use the word coasters also :) i can't think of anything else :)

For larger coasters, they are called trivets around here (to put a hot pan on or something) so I wonder if a trivet can be smaller too? Trivet sounds kind of french.

Trivets does look kind of French indeed— but it doesn't mean anything to me (I am French). So it could be some old borrowing that had become obsolete in the original language... Fascinating that. Well, to me anyway. I'm not sure it really answers the original question...

..coasters!
a trivet - is bigger, sometimes with little nobby feet to raise it off the surfacr - for putting hot pans onto -

I'm not sure there is any other word for them - apart from 'drinks mat' but thats more specifically one of those cardboard ones -

Thanks, everyone! I just wanted to make sure I was making sense to people from all different English dialects. :-)