I am having difficulty to find the English word for this stuff. It is actually a plastic rope that is usually used to measure.
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1Are there markings of measurement on this "plastic rope"? I don't see any. How is it used to measure?– JayCommented Feb 23, 2016 at 6:44
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To me that looks like a ball of palm or bamboo ribbon "twine". Not for measuring but securing bundles.– TimRCommented Feb 23, 2016 at 12:55
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That is a bundle of plastic rope. Each rope could be extended to measure.– AmarCommented Feb 23, 2016 at 15:00
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Used to measure what? I ask, because some ropes are used to measure the depth of a body of water, and we would call then something different from something you use to measure other distances.– Alan CarmackCommented Oct 24, 2016 at 16:34
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It could be that the user wanted to say "tie", build, make or "wrap", online translation tools can do these tricks sometimes. That ball of shiny flat ribbon looks like raffia a material often used in crafts. asckreatif.blogspot.it/2013/09/membuat-bunga-dari-rafia.html– Mari-Lou ACommented Oct 24, 2016 at 16:43
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3 Answers
Most such flexible measuring instruments are called "tape measures" or "measuring tapes". There's a pretty wide variety of them, from the stiffish ones for carpentry or other craftsmanship that use a spring to wind themselves to the more cloth-like kind used for tailoring, which this seems likely to be. Assuming this line has markings on it for distance, that would seem to be the right name for it.
answered Feb 23, 2016 at 6:33
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1This is perhaps a better picture of a balled up measuring tape.– J.R. ♦Commented Feb 23, 2016 at 9:43
It might be difficult to find a word for it because I'd not look at that and think "measurement". I might think "twine" or "strap" or "string" (though one usually wouldn't use the word "string" for plastic).
As a technique, someone might use a piece of string to see how long something is. Then they might go measure that against something like a ruler or "yardstick". And as @NathanTuggy points out there are various kinds of measuring tape.
(At Ikea, they give out free paper rulers, for measuring furniture in the store.)
But there is no special type of unmarked measuring string that I know of with a name in English. Anything without marking would just be plain string or twine, and anything with markings would be a "measuring tape".
answered Feb 23, 2016 at 6:44
Not sure if this answers your question, but the 'stuff' in your picture is frequently used by gardeners and is commonly called "twine"
