Many people use the terms interchangeably, but in the floor-covering industry there is a distinction. The following is how this difference is explained at Nourison University:
The difference between a rug and a carpet is purely a matter of size. Within the customary terminology of the industry, any piece less than 40 square feet is called a rug while anything larger is considered a carpet. Today, however, the term rug is most commonly used to distinguish an area rug from wall-to-wall carpeting or broadloom. (Courtesy of Nourison University)
Simple enough, but what then is a "Flying Carpet?"
Viktor Vasnetsov. The Flying Carpet (1880). Oil, canvas. On exhibit at the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum.
A flying carpet, or alternately a magic carpet, is technically a rug that has the ability to transport people standing on it to a distant location. In some instances it automatically transports its users, but most often it flies through the air.
There have been references to magic carpets throughout literature for more than two thousand years. They are most prevalent in stories originating in the Middle East, ancient Persia and India. They captured the imagination of Western audiences with the collection of stories called 1001 Arabian Nights.
Of course there have been many references to magic carpets in popular culture, ranging from Disney's 1992 animated film, Aladdin to the Super Mario Brothers 2 videogame. The Ministry of Magic made them illegal in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And who can forget the classic 1968 song from Steppenwolf, Magic Carpet Ride?
A very interesting article on the Secret History of the Flying Carpet can be found at museum.com.
Original Link: http://www.rugsdirectblog.com/rugsdirect/2007/08/difference-betw.html
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