Of matchboxes and things

[Rudolph C Troike]

Noun compounds in English have various sources, and some are simply
base-generated on the templatic model. A matchbox follows the pattern "X
_for_ Y", thus "a box FOR matches". Ergo, a matchbox could be filled with
buttons once emptied of its original contents, and matches could be put
into a different container which would be a "box OF matches", but not a
matchbox.
        I used to be delighted daily in Austin, Texas, to drive in to The
University and pass successively two signs: Kitchen Apartments and
Bachelor Apartments.

        Rudy