“Turn an old wagon wheel into a chandelier, hang it from the ceiling,
Move the mirror from the chifforobe into the
hall where its more appealin’”
A chifforobe is a closet-like piece of furniture
that combines a long space for hanging clothes (that is, awardrobe or armoire)
with a chest of drawers.[1]Typically
the wardrobe section runs down one side of the piece, while the drawers occupy
the other side.[2]It may have two enclosing doors or
have the drawer fronts exposed and a separate door for the hanging space.[3][2]
Chifforobes were first
advertised in the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue, which described them as
"a modern invention, having been in use only a short time."[citation needed] The term itself is a portmanteauof the words chiffonier and wardrobe.[4]
The word is used in the United States, primarily in the southern portion of the country,[5] in Puerto Rico,[6]and in Cuba.
Its use has been attested as far apart as Georgia and Vermont.[3] In
those references, it was used as a water closet or poty.[3] The
word has been used in Texas,
but is not as common as itssynonyms such as bureau or dresser.[2]
The word is usually pronounced shif-uh-rohb or shif-rohb.
Alternative spellings include: chiffarobe,chifforobe, chifferobe, chiffrobe, chifrobe, and shifferobe.
