Plenty of people collect tea towels and there is probably a collector’s term ending in -ology which relates to it, but what about a collective noun. Could it be something like a ‘wipe of tea towels?’.

Wikipedia provides some historical information about the humble tea towel (English) or dish towel (American). By definition, it is a cloth which is used to dry dishes, cutlery, etc., after they have been washed. In 18th century England, a tea towel was a special linen drying cloth used by the mistress of the house to dry her precious and expensive china tea things. Servants were considered too ham-fisted to be trusted with such a delicate job, although housemaids were charged with hand-hemming the woven linen when their main duties were completed. Here’s no surprise – Wikipedia goes on to say that tea towels have been mass-produced since the Industrial Revolution. The picture depicts various nautical knots used for a variety of purposes. It’s really hard to sit here and not say “get knotted.”

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