A tape measure is a long marked ribbon that rolls back into its case. Pull it out, read the number, let it snap back.
The builder's kind is steel with a hook on the end and a lock button, and the dressmaker's kind is soft cloth for measuring round things. The hook is deliberately loose by exactly its own thickness so it reads correctly whether you push or pull, which is a detail almost nobody knows. Metric on one edge, imperial on the other, is standard in Britain.
1nountape measureA flexible marked strip used for measuring length.
“Pass me the tape measure and hold that end.”
Practised in A Man Called Ove, Tools & DIY, Knitting & Sewing
First appears in chapter 7 of A Man Called Ove.
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