[LMB] Cryoburn question (was Boooooooring)

[Andrew Barton]

On Jan 3, 2011, at 10:26 AM, Peter Granzeau wrote:

>> I have to admit that I am not one of the vast majority who think coffins are a good thing.   Well, they're better than caskets, which are a way for mortuaries to charge more.
> 
> What's the difference between a coffin and a casket (in mortuary terms)?

It's another of the differences between US and British English.  The word casket doesn't normally have a mortuary sense at all outside the US.  For US English Google gave me several different answers, but here's one that's apparently authoritative:
http://friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org/2008/01/30/coffins-and-caskets/

Short version: a casket is rectangular while a coffin is coffin-shaped.

Andrew