tablen.

Brit.

/ˈteɪbl/, U.S.

/ˈteɪb(ə)l/

Forms: early Old English Middle English–1500s tabul, Old English tablu (rare), Old English tabole (rare), Old English tabula (rare), Old English–Middle English tabele, Old English–Middle English tabule, Middle English tabille, Middle English tabulle, Middle English tabyl, Middle English tabyle, Middle English–1500s tabel, Middle English–1500s tabell, Middle English–1500s tabelle, Middle English–1500s tabill, Middle English–1500s tabull, Middle English–1500s tabyll, Middle English–1500s tabylle, Middle English–1500s (1800s– nonstandard) tabil, Middle English– table, late Middle English tabes (plural, transmission error), late Middle English tablee (transmission error), 1600s tablle; Scottish pre-1700 taball, pre-1700 tabbill, pre-1700 tabble, pre-1700 tabel, pre-1700 tabell, pre-1700 tabil, pre-1700 tabile, pre-1700 tabill, pre-1700 tabille, pre-1700 tablie, pre-1700 tablle, pre-1700 tabul, pre-1700 tabule, pre-1700 tabull, pre-1700 tabyll, pre-1700 taibill, pre-1700 taible, pre-1700 teabell, pre-1700 teable, pre-1700 tebil, pre-1700 thabill, pre-1700 1700s– table, 1700s tebell, 1800s– teeble (Orkney), 1900s– tebill.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from French. Etymons: Latin tabula; French tabul, table.

Etymology: In Old English < classical Latin tabula (see below); subsequently reinforced by Anglo-Norman tabul, tabull, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French table (also Old French (Walloon, Picardy) taule ) piece of furniture with a flat raised top and one or more legs (c1050 with reference to such a piece of furniture on which food is served, end of the 12th cent. with reference to use for other purposes), (in plural) game of backgammon or a similar game (c1100), tablet of stone or other material bearing or intended to bear an inscription (c1170), board, plate, plank, slab (c1175), table on which the elements are placed for Holy Communion (c1175 in les tables des autex , plural), writing tablet (end of the 12th cent. in Anglo-Norman), any of the tablets on which certain specific collections of laws were inscribed, (hence) the laws themselves (end of the 12th cent. in les taules Moysi , plural), meal taken at a table, also the food and drink provided for this meal (both first half of the 13th cent.), penance or repentance as the salvation of a sinner (second quarter of the 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), list, register, tabulated arrangement (late 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman, apparently originally in table des matires table of contents; late 15th cent. with reference to a mathematical table (in this sense, frequently in plural)), board on which backgammon is played (13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), thin slab used to cover parts of a building (1321), board on which a picture is painted (1360 and 1644 in two apparently isolated attestations), either of the two dense bony layers of the skull (1377 in a translation of Lanfranc), (in palmistry) the space between the table line and the natural line (second half of the 14th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), cornice (a1419 or earlier in Anglo-Norman), index of a book (first half of the 15th cent.), gem cut with a large flat upper surface surrounded by small facets (second half of the 15th cent. in table de dyamant ), this surface itself (beginning of the 16th cent.), synopsis, conspectus (1631), tableland, plateau (1690), flat surface used in an industrial process (1723) < classical Latin tabula flat board, plank, door-panel, painted tablet, painting, board to play on, tablet of stone or metal, votive tablet, writing tablet, written tablet, piece of writing, document, deed, list, account, in post-classical Latin also flat piece of ground (5th cent.), communion table (9th cent. (c1093 in a British source) as tabula altaris , 1537 in a British source as tabula are , both literally ‘table of the altar’), sheet of lead (10th cent.; 1086, c1210 in British sources), piece of furniture on legs used for meals, etc. (frequently from c1080 in British sources), board for games such as chess, backgammon, or draughts, game played on such a board, astronomical table (from 12th cent. in British sources), dense bony layer of the skull (a1296 (in Lanfranc) or earlier), provision of food (from 1296 in British sources), upper horizontal surface of a gem (1387 in a British source in in tabula in table), coping, cornice (1447 in a British source in tabula lapidea , literally ‘stone table’), of uncertain origin; perhaps a loanword. Compare also taffel n.Compare Old Occitan, Occitan taula (late 12th cent.), Catalan taula (late 13th cent.), Spanish tabla (early 12th cent.), Portuguese tábua (13th cent. as taboa ), Italian tavola (early 13th cent. or earlier; beginning of the 12th cent. as †taula ). Compare tavel n.¹, which reflects an earlier independent borrowing of the Latin word, via an unattested vulgar Latin, post-classical Latin, or Romance form showing lenition of intervocalic -b- . For parallels in other Germanic languages in the semantic field of board games see tavel n.¹; for borrowing of the same Latin or Romance form in other senses in other Germanic languages compare Old Frisian tefle , tevle , tiōle (West Frisian tafel , (in compounds also) taffel ), Middle Dutch tāfel , tāfele , tāvel , tāvele (Dutch tafel ), Old Saxon tāfla (only in compounds; Middle Low German tāfel , tāfele , tāvel , taffel , taffele , also (influenced by the classical Latin word) tābel , tābele , tābule ), Old High German tavala , tavela (also, influenced by the classical Latin word, tabela , tabella , tabila ; Middle High German tavel , tavele , German Tafel ), Old Icelandic tafla , Old Swedish tafel (in the compound tafelsmidhe set of utensils for dining at table; Swedish taffel , †tafel ; < Middle Low German), and (with semantic differentiation) Old Danish tawlæ table, tablet, slab, plaque, list, tabular arrangement of words or figures (Danish tavle ) and (representing a later borrowing < Middle Low German) Danish taffel , †tafel table at which food is served, the food itself, meal (early 16th cent.). Several reflexes of classical Latin tabula in the Romance languages show lenition of intervocalic -b- to -v- (compare the Italian parallel) and frequently also subsequent vocalization of -v- ; compare the Old Occitan, Occitan, and Catalan parallels. Compare also Old French, Middle French (Walloon, Picardy, South-west), French (now regional) taule (see tole n.²); in northern French dialects this is the regular reflex of classical Latin tabula , showing both abovementioned developments; in south-western dialects it probably shows a borrowing < Occitan. With to keep a good table at sense 6b compare Middle French, French tenir bonne table (c1380). In sense 18 after Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French tables (French tables ); compare post-classical Latin tabulae , plural (1345), Old Icelandic tafla , (plural) töfl in same sense (see tavel n.¹). With to play at (the) tables at sense 18 compare Anglo-Norman and Old French juer as tables (c1100; Middle French, French jouer aux tables), post-classical Latin ludere ad tabulas (1345; earlier ad tabulam ludere (8th cent.)). In Old English usually a weak feminine (tabule), occasionally also a weak masculine (tabula), a strong feminine (tablu), or a strong masculine (tabul).

I. A flat slab or board.

* A flat piece of wood, stone, or other hard material.

a. A flat and comparatively thin piece of wood, stone, metal, or other solid material; a board, plate, slab, or tablet, esp. one forming a surface used for a particular purpose; (also) a natural formation of this kind, as a lamina of a slaty rock. Now only in specific uses in senses 2, 4, 3.In quot. OE: a wooden board struck to give a signal in a monastery.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > condition of being broad in relation to thickness > [noun] > slab or tablet

tilea725

tableeOE

breda1000

slabc1290

slay-bred14..

tablet?1440

society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > other implements > [noun] > gong

tableeOE

prayer gong1872

eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) v. xi. 416 Hæfdan hio mid him gehalgude fatu, & gehalgadne tabul [OE Corpus Oxf. gehalgodne tabulan, OE Corpus Cambr. gehalgode tablu, OE Cambr. Univ. Libr. gehalgode tabulan] on wigbedes gewrixle [L. tabulam altaris vice dedicatam].

OE Regularis Concordia (Tiber.) (1993) xxxii. 63 Tabula post capitulum pulsatur et obedientia agitur : tabule æfter capitule byþ gecnucod & hyrsumnys byþ gedon.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) : Song of Sol. viii. 9 If a wal she is, bilde wee vp on it siluerene pynaclis; if a dore she is, ioyne wee it with cedre tables.

1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) l. 1200 In tablys of marbyl, coryously wrout.

c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 39 He layed hym down befor þe ya[tt], & knokkid with his tables as lepre men duse.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 278/2 Table for an auter, table dautel.

1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. xx. 57 The inner part of the temple is altogether plastered and couered with great tables of Porphyre.

1672 J. Josselyn New-Englands Rarities 100 A fair Table curiously made up with Beads likewise, to wear before their Breast.

1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 75 I observed by the ways side several Rocks of black Stone..which were all divided into Tables, hardly thicker than blew Slates,..but joyned very close together.

1730 W. Warren in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 225 A Marble Table for y^e Side-board on a Mohogany Stand.

1734 Builder's Dict. II. at Marble Applying Colours on Marble, so as to make them penetrate its whole Substance, insomuch that if the Marble be slit into several parallel Tables or Planks, the same Image will be found on each.

1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 692/2 [The spinet] consists of a chest or belly..and a table of fir glued on slips of wood called summers, which bear on the sides.

1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. iii. 83 The dark, flat, solid tables of leafage.

1889 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 5th Ser. 27 409 Strata which..lie in their original horizontal position. These parts are called ‘tables’ by Suess.

†b. A piece of timber used as a float or raft after shipwreck. Frequently figurative: penance or repentance as the salvation of a sinner (with punning allusion to the Ten Commandments; cf. sense 2a). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > vessels of primitive construction > [noun] > raft > types of raft

tablea1393

drag?a1400

wharfa1680

kelek1684

catamaran1697

pipery1698

wood-flat1785

moki1835

mokihi1844

wanigan1848

pae-pae1958

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. l. 630 He..broghte him sauf upon a table, Which to the lond him hath upbore.

a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 293 Þerfor seiyth Ierome, Penitencia est secunda tabula post naufragium, Penaunce is the secunde table after naufragie.

c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lvii. 194 We saued vs on a table of wode.

1617 Janua Linguarum 6 Contrition of heart is a second table after shipwracke.

1651 J. Reading Guide to Holy City xxvi. 321 Now that he giveth thee this time, it is to lead thee to repentance (that second table of ship-wrackt souls).

2. spec.

a. A tablet of stone or other material bearing or intended to bear an inscription or device, as the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed (cf. sense 2d), a memorial tablet fixed in a wall, a votive tablet, a noticeboard, etc. Now archaic.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written text > an inscription > [noun] > inscribed tablet, slab, or plate

tableOE

tabletc1350

titlea1382

tablature1578

aback1592

plate1668

breastplate1773

stela1776

stele1820

brass plate1836

palimpsest1876

plaque1922

OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xxxii.15 Moyses..hæfde him on handa twa stænene tabulan [L. tabulas lapideas]. Þa wæron mid Godes agenum fingre awritene.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 11 (MED) Efter þan drihten him bi-tahte twa stanene tables breode on hwulche godalmihti heofde iwriten þa ten laȝe.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3535 And gaf to tabeles of ston, And .x. bodeword writen ðor-on.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6541 Þe tables þat in hand he [sc. Moses] bare To pees he þam brak right þar.

?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 6 The table abouen his heued..on the whiche the tytle was writen in Ebreu, greu, & latyn.

1543 N. Heath Injunctions in W. H. Frere Use of Sarum II. 236 Certain prayers..conteyned in Tabylles sett in the grammer scole.

1598 J. Stow Suruay of London (1603) 292 Every usurer should wear a table on his breast the breadth of a paveline.

1611 Bible (King James) Exod. xxxiv. 28 And he wrote vpon the Tables the words of the couenant, the ten Commandements.

1641 J. Evelyn Mem. 4 Oct. Divers votive tables and relics.

1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic I. vi. 311 The last Laws of the Decemvirs engraved upon Tables of Brass.

1778 G. Stayley Moral Inq. Nat. Worth & Dignity of Man 10 So highly were these two words..revered by the Heathen Mythologists, that they caused them..to be written on a table of stone, and prefixed to the temple of Wisdom.

1892 S. Baring-Gould In Roar of Sea II. xxxiii. 200 The sand..cut the tables of Commandments in half, had blotted away the majority of inhibitions against marriage within blood relationship and marriage kinship.

a1930 R. Bridges Poet. Wks. (1936) 661 The stern forbiddances of those tables of stone that Moses fetch'd out of the thunder of Sinai.

2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 30 Dec. 27 In Wren's day, Church of England churches had a table or plaque on the East wall with the Ten Commandments.

b. A small portable tablet for writing upon, esp. for notes or memoranda; a writing tablet. Frequently in a pair (of) tables. Now chiefly historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > writing tablet > [noun]

wax-bredc960

tableOE

tabletc1300

writing tablea1451

writing tablet1601

codicil1640

tablette1711

pugillares1729

pugillaries1759

wax tablet1807

tabula1881

OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 43 Hi ða twegen getreowfæste wæron.., þas halgan martyrrace..on anum leadenum tabulan [L. in paginis plumbeis] ealle mid stafon agrofon, and hi ðæt gewrit mid twam sylfrenan inseglum on anre teage geinsegledon.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 1 Macc. xiv. 17 Thei wryten to hym in brasen tablis [L. in tabulis aereis].

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1876) VI. 257 (MED) Charles..bare a peyre of tables for to write ynne.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11087 Þam asked þan sir zachari Tables and a pontel tite.

c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 25 He took a peyre tables, and wroot in þe wax al his desir.

?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) i. xxviii. sig. Hiv Ye must search Angles of position agayne, and marke them in the table or slate.

a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) i. sig. C2 Draw your tables, and write what wise I speake.

1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iv. iii. 56 in Wks. II I saw one of you buy a paire of tables, e'en now.

1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. v. 66 These things are imprinted and formed in her as in a Table.

1789–96 J. Morse Amer. Geogr. II. 27 The old..manner of writing, before the use of paper of any kind, and waxen tables, was known.

1829 T. Skidmore Rights of Man to Property iv. 132 Where, is the table of wax? Where is the record in marble? Is title engraved on the surface of the earth?

1902 W. C. Smith Poet. Wks. i. iii. 381 They..write on tables messages that mean Nothing or anything—just as we wish.

1987 M. B. Garber Shakespeare's Ghost Writers vi. 150 The writing tables, then, must take the place of another kind of ‘table’ in Hamlet, the table at which one eats and drinks.

c. figurative. Frequently, and now chiefly, with allusion to 2 Corinthians 3:3.

ΚΠ

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. iii. 3 Writun..not in stoony tablis, but in fleischly tablis of herte [L. scripta..non in tabulis lapideis, sed in tabulis cordis carnalibus].

1526 Bible (Tyndale) 2 Cor. iii. 3 The pistle of Christ..written..not in tables of stone, but in flesshy tables of the herte.

1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 84 All these true notes of Immortalitie, In our Hearts Tables we shall written find.

1602 Ld. Mountjoy Let. 25 Feb. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. 268 I should..sooner and more easily..haue made this Countrey a rased table, wherein shee might haue written her owne lawes.

1692 R. Bentley Boyle Lect. i. 2 The mighty Volumes of visible Nature, and the everlasting Tables of Right Reason.

1708 M. Hole Pract. Expos. Church-catechism 342 Pref. Our great Creator hath given us a Law, engraven at first upon the Tables of the Heart.

1774 J. Wesley Let. 18 Jan. (1931) VI. 69 Let not mercy or truth forsake you whatever company you are in; but bind them about your neck and write them on the table of your heart!

1835 J. A. Heraud Descent into Hell (ed. 2) i. 243 Thy mission?—It is written on the Tables Of Prophecy.

1898 T. Hardy Wessex Poems 28 So may I live no junctive law fulfilling, And my heart's table bear no woman's name.

1944 B. H. Bronson Johnson Agonistes (1946) 121 Whatever preceded must have been written almost solely on the tables of memory.

1998 F. B. Hole Key Teachings ix. 96 He transforms, writing upon the fleshy table of the heart, Christ in His character, or moral features.

d. Ancient History. Any of the tablets on which certain specific collections of laws were inscribed; (hence) the laws themselves. Usually with the name of the lawgiver specified, as Moses, Solon, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > written law > [noun] > code of laws > ancient Greek or Roman

table1533

Justinianian code1700

1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Avi^v The first tabil of Moyses contenit the iii first commandis of god vritine in it.

1565 J. Rastell Replie Def. Truth ix. f. 160^v For the tables of Moyses comprehend in them nothing els, but the law of nature.

1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 97 Notwithstanding, the eight law of the thirtenth table of Solon sayeth thus, in these very words.

1773 J. Berridge Christian World Unmasked 24 To shorten man's duty..by shoving a commandment out of Moses's tables.

1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1790) VIII. xliv. 8 In the comparison of the tables of Solon with those of the Decemvirs, some casual resemblance may be found.

1828 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. III. iv. 65 I would diminish the number of capital offences, which is greater in England, I imagine, than the light and heavy put together in the tables of Solon or Numa.

1858 J. Martineau Stud. Christianity 123 The heathen..whose rebellion against the natural law, gross as it is, does not surpass your own offences against the tables of Moses.

1863 Reformed Presbyterian Mag. 1 Apr. 119 We..would freely permit him studiously to peruse the laws of Solon, the republic of Plato, the politics of Aristotle, the tables of Numa Pompilius [etc.].

1908 Man 8 183 An attempt at the Restoration of the tables of Solon.

1999 P. McLaren Schooling as Ritual Performance (ed. 3) v. 190 Teachers were seen to dispense both the wisdom of the tables of Moses and the tables of multiplication.

3. A board or other flat surface on which a picture is painted; the picture itself. Also figurative. Now archaic and rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > surface for painting or drawing

tablea1387

tablet1395

subjectile1845

excipient1855

support1892

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 399 Þe baner of þe cros wiþ a crucifix i-peynt in a table [L. in tabula depicti].

c1450 (?c1425) St. Elizabeth of Spalbeck in Anglia (1885) 8 110 A tabil, ful wele depeynte with an ymage of oure lorde crucifyed.

a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 19 Aftur the sentence of Arystotyl, the mynd of man fyrst of hyt selfe ys as a clene & pure tabul wher ys no thyng payntyd or carvyd.

1538 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 120 That he may also take the Phisionomie of her that he may ioine her sister and her in a faire table.

1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 63 The..parlours, bathes, librarie and pinacloth, where coat Armors escuchions, painted tables, and counterfeates of strangers were kept.

1606 H. Peacham Art of Drawing i. ii. 7 Cæsar..redeemed the tables of Aiax & Medea for 80 tal.

1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets xxiv. sig. C^v Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath steeld, Thy beauties forme in table of my heart.

1616 W. Cornwallis Essayes Certaine Paradoxes sig. F Whosoeuer shall behold the outward mortification of a pocky companion..shall see him wholy made a very picture and painted table of repentance.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 145/1 On this Frame [sc. an easel] Painters set their Cloth or Table while it is in working.

1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical vii. 74 My Picture, is not yet dry:..I will bring you this Table some Months hence.

1886 Catal. Albany's Bicentennial Loan Exhib. 119 This table was painted by a daughter of an English officer during the Revolution.

1916 C. M. Doughty Titans v. 125 A firebrand, in the painted table, wields The fiends iron other hand.

†a. The board on which chess, draughts, backgammon, or another similar game is played. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > [noun] > board

playing boarda1398

tablea1398

playing table1468

board1474

game board1826

pegboard1846

gaming board1932

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 250 A playinge borde þat men pleyeþ on at þe dys and oþere games, & þis manere of table is doubled and y-hight with dyuerse colours.

1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) i. iii. 14 Then the philosophre began..to shewe hym the maner of the table of the chesse borde.

c1475 in H. J. R. Murray Hist. Chess (1913) 607 This is a Jupertie that may neuer be mated out of the medyll of the table.

1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xxxii. f. 282^v I haue bought a pleyeng tabull: with .XII. poyntis on the one syde: and chekers on the other syde.

1563 R. Lever Philosophers Game sig. D.i There is in this kynde of playing to be considered, the table, þ^e men, the marking of them, the letting of them in araye, their marching, their lawes of taking, and the maner of triumphynge.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 67/2 Those men as break through the other and come to the opposite side of the table, are then made kings.

1747 C. Cock Catal. Furnit. Duke of Chandos 17 A backgammon table and men, and a draught board.

1775 E. Hoyle Hoyle's Games Improved sig. I 1^v Backgammon... This Game is played by two Persons upon a Table divided into two Parts upon which there are twenty-four black and white Points.

1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod iv. ii. 437 The table for playing at goose is..divided into sixty-two small compartments arranged in a spiral form.

1837 F. M. Trollope Vicar of Wrexhill II. xiv. 290 Rosalind..invited him to play at chess with her. Without replying a word, he brought the table and set up the men before her.

b. Originally: each of the two folding leaves of a board for playing backgammon or a similar game; chiefly in plural denoting the board as a whole, esp. in a pair of tables. In later use chiefly: each half of each leaf of a backgammon board, forming together the four areas in which the pieces are moved. Cf. sense 18.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > board

tablerc1380

table1415

table-board1483

gammon boarda1790

1415 in F. A. Page-Turner Bedfordshire Wills (1914) 26 (MED) A paire of tablis wt þe mayne.

1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 376 A paire of Tabyls, tabelle.

1534 in Camden Misc. (1855) III. 39 One paire of tables of peerle,..withoute table men.

?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 76^v The Arte of dicing, and playing diuers kinde of games vpon tables.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Damier, a Chesse-boord; or, paire of Tables.

1657 tr. A. Thevet Prosopographia 11 in T. North tr. Plutarch Lives (new ed.) Necessitated to cast up the Cards, to shut the Tables, and to resign the Game.

1745 E. Hoyle Backgammon 22 Two Fours, two of them are to take your Adversary's Cinq Point in his Tables.

1779 Mackenzie in Mirror No. 11. ⁋13 [He] snatched up the tables and hit Douglas a blow on the head.

1868 H. T. Riley tr. in Memorials of London 395 A pair of tables, on the outside of which was painted a chequer-board, that is called a ‘quek’.

?1870 F. Hardy & J. R. Ware Mod. Hoyle 141 The object of the game is to bring the men round to your own ‘home’, or inner table.

1934 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 54 203/1 Transferring his men through his opponent's tables back to a home table, exactly as in backgammon.

1956 Islamic Q. 3 240 This may refer to the primitive form of the backgammon-board, similar to the variety of the game called medio emperador..which was played on a board of two tables.

1973 Daily Tel. 29 June (Colour Suppl.) 39/4 The board, I learnt, with 12 triangles or ‘points’ of alternate colours down each side, is divided into four ‘tables’ of six points each.

2002 J. Altman 1,001 Dreams 424 The game's object, to be the first player to remove all your pieces from the outer table to the inner table and then off the board altogether, may point to your desire to discover or resolve the secrets of your unconscious.

** A raised board at which people may sit.

a. A piece of furniture consisting of a raised flat top of wood, stone, or other solid material, supported on one or more legs, and providing a level surface for working at or on which to place things for various purposes.Frequently with modifying word indicating a specific use or design, as billiard, dining, dormant, folding, round, writing, work-table, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun]

boarda1000

beodc1000

throckOE

tablec1330

stool1519

taffel1552

magazine table1966

c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 2004 (MED) To sire Cressus þai nome sone..And to a table fast him bounde, And red gold quik þai melte, And nose and mouht ful þai helte.

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xix. l. 158 Crist..ouer-turnede in þe temple here tables and here stalles.

c1450 Brut (Egerton) 446 Next þaim, at the same table syttyng, þe Iustices.

?a1562 G. Cavendish Life Wolsey (1959) 151 My lordes great crosse of Syluer accustumably stode in the corner at the tables end.

1583 J. Dee Jrnl. in True & Faithful Relation Spirits (1659) i. 6 I had..set the shew-stone with the mystery in it, on the Table.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Table Round tables take away contention; one being as neere his meat as another.

1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 123 A long Table, and a square Table, or Seats about the Walls.

1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Toilet, a kind of Table-cloth, or Carpet of Silk, Sattins, Velvet or Tissue, spread upon a Table in a Bed-chamber.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 78 To make such necessary things as I found I most wanted, as particularly a Chair and a Table.

1782 Graham's Hist. John Cheap (new ed.) iii. 21 There was a very little taylor, sitting on a table..with his legs plet over other.

1853 W. Irving in Life & Letters (1864) IV. 131 I see you are in the midst of hocus pocus with moving tables [etc.].

1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 384/1 In the living room are unpainted chairs, a table, a bed, a long bare bench for a sofa, and an étagère.

1920 E. Wharton Age of Innocence ii. xxvii. 273 Wraps and furs lay in heaps on the chairs, a doctor's bag and overcoat were on the table.

1949 A. Huxley Ape & Essence 126 The Grand Inquisitor's Special Assistant..produces a very large consecrated bull's pizzle, which he lays on the table before him.

1999 M. Thorne Eight Minutes Idle (2001) xvii. 309 Alice is sitting on the table, her feet resting on a swivel-chair.

b. British Politics. The table which stands before the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons, on which the mace lies when the Speaker is in the chair, and at which the Clerk of the House and his or her assistants receive motions, questions to ministers, etc., and new members are sworn in. Hence: a similar table in the House of Lords or in other legislatures modelled on the British Parliament.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > English or British parliament > [noun] > place of > occupied by lower house > parts of

table?1572

treasury-bench1775

side gallery1778

ladies' gallery1815

ventilator1822

pairing desk1899

?1572 J. Hooker Order & Vsage Keeping of Parlements sig. G.j There is onely one Clark belonging to this house, his office is to sit next before the Speaker, at a Table vpon which he writeth and layeth his books.

1675 Grey's Debates (1769) III. 129 Mr Stockdale, and some others, setting their feet upon the mace, which lay below the table, in the usual place at Grand Committees.

1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (1710) i. ii. xiii. 100 The Mace, while the Speaker is in the Chair, is always upon the Table, except when sent upon any extraordinary Occasion into Westminster-Hall, and Court of Requests, to summon the Members to attend.

1771 London Evening Post 28 Feb. 3/1 Upon which Mr. Byng and Mr. Buller, seized him by the collar, and brought him up to the table.

1846 Ld. Campbell Lives Chancellors IV. cv. 56 He forthwith sent a letter to the Clerk, which was delivered to him at the table.

1885 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 312/1 Having first taken the oath himself, he [sc. the Speaker] is followed by other members, who come to the table to be sworn.

1958 Spectator 11 July 47/1 Mr. Gaitskell's head wagged up and down as if he wanted to punch a hole in the Table with his nose.

1992 H. Robertson On Hill 26 The Clerk sits at the head of the table.

2000 M. Kober-Smith Legal Lobbying App. iii. 81 The Chairman sits at the table next to the clerk, not in the Speaker's chair, and the mace is put under the table, not on top of it.

a. A table on which food is served, and at or around which people sit at a meal.Frequently without article when used following a preposition in an adverbial phrase; cf. at table at Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > dining table

meat-boardc1275

tablec1330

meat-table1381

dining table1553

board1606

dinner table1785

mahogany1837

trough1930

c1330 (?c1300) Amis & Amiloun (Auch.) (1937) l. 1582 (MED) He was ycharged al-so To eten at þe tables ende.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 975 With that word she gan the hous to dighte And tables for to sette and beddes make.

c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 100 He..carf biforn his fader at the table.

c1450 (a1449) J. Lydgate Diatorie (Lamb. 853) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 56 Be not gredi at þe table.

c1450 Brut (Egerton) 446 The Maire of London And hys Aldermen begone þe table in þe hall.

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 163 They are a very good dishe for the table.

a1600 Doctrynall Good Servauntes in E. F. Rimbault Anc. Poet. Tracts 16th Cent. (1842) 8 Ye servauntes that wayte upon the table.

1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 164 You doe consecrate your tables, by setting salt-sellers and images of Gods upon the boord.

1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 150 In their Hall where they Repast, at the upper End on the Table is placed a Death's Head.

1736 Compl. Family-piece i. ii. 101 Stove it well in good Gravy one Hour, and send it whole to Table.

1785 T. Holcroft tr. Comtesse de Genlis Tales Castle (ed. 2) I. 65 Just as the family were sitting down to table.

1806 B. McMahon Let. 26 Dec. in T. Jefferson Garden Bk. (1999) 329 The quarantine Corn, was with me fit for the table, in fifty days after sowing.

1842 S. Lover Handy Andy ii He shared in the hospitality of all the best tables in the county.

1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 19 The greening [of potatoes]..renders them unfit for table.

1888 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 810/1 This..was used to support the great bowl in which potatoes were then brought to table.

1905 E. Wharton House of Mirth i. xiv. 257 The man who built it came from a milieu where all the dishes are put on the table at once.

1963 E. David Omelette & Glass of Wine (1986) 88 They were..brought to table piled up in a tureen.

1996 Church Times 6 Dec. 16/5 Gone are the 'tweenies to run from kitchen to table with flaming pudding aloft.

2000 Guardian 3 June (Weekend Suppl.) 52/1 The breads, pickles, moutabal, taramasalata, muhammra and the hummus..were delivered to our table by a young man of rare charm.

b. Food and drink provided for a meal; the supply of food in a household, esp. as hospitality for a guest (frequently in to keep a good table and variants). Also: provision of food for meals; board (now rare).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > supply of food or provisions > [noun]

victualsa1375

substancec1384

repasta1393

kitchenc1400

tablec1405

stuff1436

acates1465

acatry1522

victualling1532

provision1555

achates1570

plate1577

avitaile1592

support1599

horn and corn1633

subsistence1640

cribbing1652

purvey1678

commissariat1811

ration1814

commissary1883

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §444 Pride of the table appeereth eek ful ofte, for certes riche men ben cleped to festes and poure folk been put awey and rebuked.

a1425 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Cambr. Ff.5.35) (1873) C. xvii. l. 322 [c1400 Hunterian Hus wone is to wende in pilgrymages, Ther poure men and prysouns beþ, and payeþ for here] table [c1400 Hunterian lyflode; Cambr, Trin. Cambr. fode].

1426–7 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 67 Also payd for Elymesfordes table ix dayes, euery day ij d.

c1475 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Harl. 642) (1790) 18 (MED) Domus Regis Hardeknoute may be called a fader noreshoure of familiaritie, whiche vsed for his own table never to be served with ony like metes of one meale in another.

1534 N. Udall Floures for Latine Spekynge gathered oute of Terence f. 182^v Tenne poundes I recken nowe as gyuen or payde for her table.

1565 in J. Fraser Polichron. (1905) 141 He kept noblemens children with him for table and lodging.

1572 J. Higgins Huloets Dict. (rev. ed.) Tt iij^v Whiche kepeth a good table.

1602 2nd Pt. Returne from Pernassus (Arb.) ii. v. 30 My father..keepes an open table for all kinde of dogges.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Tenir bonne table, to keepe a good table, to fare well.

1672 Sir C. Lyttelton in E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) I. 97 The King allows mee..10^li a weeke for a table.

1706 Wooden World Diss. (1708) 19 [He] believes a Kittisol a nobler Piece of Magnificence, than a good Table.

1722 B. Star tr. Mlle. de St. Phale i. 4 My Mother..entertained thoughts of placing me in a Convent, paying for my Table.

1757 A. Mitchell Let. 19 Apr. in Mem. & Papers Sir A. Mitchell (1850) I. viii. 242 My table is plain, hospitable, and frugal.

1840 M. Callcott Hist. Spain (new ed.) II. xviii. 372 His table was plain.

1856 Daily News 9 Jan. 3/5 Sums varying from 2l. 2s. to 1l. 5s. a day, table and lodging.

1882 Harper's Mag. Sept. 598 Boarding at four dollars a week, and not a very good table at that.

1915 W. S. Churchill Let. 1 Dec. in W. S. Churchill & C. S. Churchill Speaking for Themselves (1999) vi. 124 Keep a good table: keep sufficient servants & your maid; entertain with discrimination, have a little amusement from time to time.

1934 D. Sargent Thomas More iii. 62 He was being paid..lavishly for his table and lodging, but with no provision for his family left in London.

1966 A. Higgins Langrishe, go Down xxii. 166 A thin coarse table of potatoes, cabbage, soda bread, eggs always, gammon, tea with lemon.

1994 D. Healy Goat's Song (1995) 132 ‘I'll say this for you,’ Matti would say, ‘The Northern Protestant knows how to ate. The Prod keeps a good table.’

†c. A movable board placed on trestles or supports for the serving and eating of a meal. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > trestle table > board or plank of

table1440

table-board1538

taffel board1552

table plank1626

trestle-board1856

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 485 (MED) Table, mete boord that ys borne a-wey whan mete ys doon: Cillaba.

1570 B. Googe tr. T. Kirchmeyer Popish Kingdome iv. f. 56 The table taken vp they rise, and all the youth apace.

a1599 Adam Bel 569 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) II. 162 Take vp the table, anone he bad: For I may eate no more.

1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 i. iv. vi. 358 Dinner being ended, and the table taken vp.

7. Christian Church.

a. The table on which the elements are placed for Holy Communion; = communion table n. Also in extended use: Holy Communion itself. Frequently with distinguishing word, as the Lord's table, the holy table.Often, esp. in Britain in the late 16th and 17th centuries, used in deliberate opposition to altar with the implication that the rite of Communion is not regarded as a sacrifice. Cf. altar n. 2c.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > [noun]

massOE

servicelOE

sacrament?c1225

table1340

commoningc1384

the Lord's Supperc1384

Eucharista1400

oblation?a1425

communion1440

sacrifice?1504

Lord's Table1533

Maundy1533

the Supper?1548

unbloody sacrifice1548

mystery1549

communication1550

banquet1563

liturgy1564

table service1593

synaxis1625

mysteriousness1650

second service1655

nagmaal1833

ordinance1854

table prayer1858

society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > altar > [noun] > communion table

altarOE

God's boarda1200

boardc1200

communion table1549

table1550

communion board1553

altela1555

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 236 Godes table is þe wyeued. Þe coupe is þe chalis.

c1450 (c1400) Bk. Vices & Virtues (Huntington) (1942) 261 Þe prestes of cristenedome..seruen at Goddis table and seruen hym of his cuppe and of his bred and of his wyne.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. x. 21 Ye cannot be parte takers off the lordes table, and off the table off devyls.

1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Svpper of the Lorde f. cxxj Not suffering them to bee partakers of the Lordes table, untill he knowe them to bee reconciled.

1550 in Acts Privy Council (1891) III. 170 That it was convenyent to take downe the aultars as thinges abused, and in liewe of them to sett up tables as thinges moste meete for the Supper of the Lorde, and most agreable to the first constitution.

1552 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16279) Administr. Lordes Supper sig. M.vi The Table hauyng at the Communion tyme a fayre white lynnen clothe vpon it.

1616 J. Boys Wks. (1629) 844 Is not..the denying of the cup a notorious lurching at the Lord's Table?

1641 R. Dey Two Looks over Lincolne 3 The Bishop of Lincolnes Crosier..metamorphosed the holy Altar, into an holy Table, name and thing in appearance, yet an holy Altar still, in reverence, adoration, place and situation.

1650 J. Lamont Diary (1830) 15 Both Durie and his lady was debarred from the tabel, because of ther malignancie.

a1711 T. Ken Edmund viii, in Wks. (1721) II. 203 Just in the midst was th' Holy Table plac'd, Where it the Past'ral Chair directly fac'd.

a1751 P. Doddridge Hymns (1755) 152 My God, and is thy Table spread?

1846 C. Anderson in H. Anderson Life & Lett. C. Anderson (1854) xi. 425 There were sixteen of us..sitting down..at the table of the Lord.

1890 W. W. How Holy Communion ii. 66 You will now have some little space of time for private prayer and meditation,..before you go up to the Holy Table.

1902 T. M. Lindsay Church & Ministry in Early Cent. vi. 254 After the celebration the faithful, who all remained in the church, came forward to the ‘Table’.

1950 Times 12 May 3/2 Two but not more than two candlesticks might lawfully be upon the holy table.

2004 Church Times 25 June 18/4 The existence of such a retable made it necessary for the clergy to celebrate the communion service in front of the holy table, facing away from the people.

b. Originally Scottish. In Presbyterian, and later also Methodist, churches: those assembled at the communion table, the communicants; esp. each of a number of groups of communicants to whom the sacrament is administered by turns; (hence) each dispensing of the sacrament. to fence the tables: see fence v. 9.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > [noun] > each dispensing of

table1596

1596 in D. H. Fleming Reg. Christian Congregation St. Andrews (1890) II. 815 Robert Williamsoun, Jhone Hagy,..Patrik Littiljhone and Thomas Craig, to servie the taball with bred and wyne.

1678 in J. B. Craven Hist. Church in Orkney (1893) II. ix. 69 After sermon there were thirteen long tables served.

1709 W. Steuart Coll. & Observ. Church Scotl. ii. iv. §21 While the tables are dissolving and filling, there be always singing of some portion of a psalm.

a1732 T. Boston Memoirs (1776) x. 287 I communicated at the fourth table.

a1805 A. Carlyle Autobiogr. (1860) 212 It is the custom for elders to serve tables in sets and by turns.

1840 R. McCheyne in Mem. v. 133 At the last table every head seemed bent like a bulrush while A. B. spoke.

1870 Queen Victoria in D. Duff Victoria in Highlands (1968) 256 Our Scotch servants sat..all below, as everyone does who intends taking the sacrament at the ‘first table’.

1901 R. De B. Trotter Galloway Gossip Eighty Years Ago 8 There wus usually three services at the tables, an three sermons till them by three different ministers.

1960 G. R. Cragg Church & Age of Reason vi. 87 Each successive ‘table’—and there might be thirty in all—was admonished by one of the participating ministers.

1961 T. S. Garrett Christian Worship vii. 144 The Methodist practice of Communion by ‘tables’ is recommended, ie, a whole row of communicants remaining kneeling till all have communicated, as a sign of the corporateness of the act.

1980 Oxf. Diocesan Mag. May 6/1 It is usual [in the Methodist Church]..for the sacrament to be administered to groups of about twelve communicants at a time, usually referred to as tables.

a. A company of people at a table; spec. a group of people seated at a table for a meal. Cf. earlier Round Table n. 1c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating in specific conditions > [noun] > eating in company > group eating together

messa1450

table1508

tea-table1712

mess1858

1508 W. Dunbar Goldyn Targe (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems (1998) I. 187 Thare was Bacus, the gladder of the table.

1532 T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere iii. p. clxxvii Lyke a iugler that conuayeth his galles so craftely, that all the table spyeth them.

1565 T. Stapleton tr. Bede Hist. Church Eng. v. iv. f. 157 She..came to the table, shewed her selfe very officious in caruinge..to the bysshope and all the hole table.

1583 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (ed. 4) II. 1187/2 The Lord Cromwell..sent for the poore man to come vnto him, and before all the table most louingly and friendly, calling him by his name, tooke him by the hand, and asked how he did.

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 186 Your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roare.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iii. iv. 88 I drinke to th'generall ioy o'th' whole Table .

1659 J. Evelyn Char. Eng. 40 We salute the whole Table with a single glass onely.

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 75. ⁋15 He..carries me the first dish, in defiance of the frowns and whispers of the table.

1862 Mrs. Stoddard Morgesons (1889) xiii. 68 The whole table stared as we seated ourselves.

1890 A. Conan Doyle White Company ix King Arthur and all his table could not have done more.

1896 K. P. Wormerley tr. H. de Balzac Comédie Humaine XXIV. v. 183 The whole table was startled, every one paused, fork in air..awaiting the conclusion of that horrible silence.

1945 H. Wernher My Indian Family 33 There is a prolonged burst of applause along the whole table.

1973 L. Hellmann Pentimento (1979) 557 Arthur was shouting to a silent table that Goethe was an old German ass.

1994 M. Van Walleghen Tall Birds Stalking (2000) 66 The whole table gets suddenly busy with their salads.

b. An official body of people who transact business seated around a table; = board n. 8b. Now chiefly in plural with the and capital initial: the Presbyterian committees formed in early 1638 to resist the policies of Charles I, and which later in the year framed the National Covenant (Scottish (now historical)). Cf. council-table n.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > tribunal or board of assessors or adjudicators

tablea1572

tribunal1916

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of body or spec. bodies > [noun] > board

tablea1572

board1623

council1682

supervisory board1839

management board1948

board-room1959

a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 409 Ledingtoun..spak secreitlie to the quene in hir eare; what it wes, the tabill hard nocht.

1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 8 I myselfe can testifie with how good contentment of all the table you did serue so many yeares.

1638 R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1841) I. 106 The Tables in Edinburgh wrote to them, that thirty-nine presbytries already had chosen their commissioners.

1640 in J. Nicholson Minute Bk. War Comm. Covenanters Kirkcudbright 2 Sept. (1855) 40 For the foirsaid ryot,..and for the upbraiding of the table, by saying that he was committit to ward without ane fault.

1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 149 In despight of the Kings Proclamation, [they] erected Four Tables, one of the Nobility, another of the Gentry, a third of the Burroughs, a fourth of the Ministers; these four were to prepare and digest what was to be propounded at the General Table.

1673 in O. Airy Essex Papers (1890) I. 96 There were then two elections in being, one made by y^e Lord Mayor in y^e presence & w^th y^e consent of a Table of Aldermen & Sheriffs, & another by y^e Lord Mayor singly, in y^e presence of a Table of Aldermen & Sheriffs.

1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. iii. 156 Committees of dexterous men have been appointed out of the Table to do the business of it.

1754 D. Hume Hist. Great Brit. I. 229 By an edict of the tables, whose authority was supreme, a lay-elder, from each parish, was ordered to attend the presbytery.

1890 D. O. Hunter Blair tr. A. Bellesheim Hist. Catholic Church Scotl. IV. 5 The National Covenant..was framed by four committees called the Tables.

1928 J. Buchan Montrose 80 The Committee of the Tables asked for the withdrawal of the obnoxious canons and service book.

2002 A. Woolrych Brit. in Revol. iv. 99 By 6 February the holding committee knew enough to summon the Tables back to Edinburgh.

a. A table on which a game of cards, dice, or other gambling game is played; a gaming table; (also) the group of players at such a table.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > [noun] > player of games of chance > party of

table1750

school1819

gambling school1935

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > [noun] > table

ordinary table1578

gaming table1598

whimsy-board1702

gaming board?1716

play-table1717

green table1724

gambling table1769

table1770

1511 H. Watson tr. St. Bernardino Chirche of Euyll Men & Women sig. Bij^v As afore the alter of our aduersarye there is a lytell wyndowe for to put the relyques in in lykewyse shall we haue a sachell tyed to the tables for to put the dyce and ye table men therin.

1607 R. C. tr. H. Estienne World of Wonders xxxvii. 298 In stead of giuing thanks, they make the dice trowle vpon the tables: one desires to play at dice, or cards.

1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester 7 Rooks are in continual motion, walking from one Table to another, till they can discover some unexperienc'd young Gentleman, Casheer or Apprentice, that is come to this School of Virtue.

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 15. ⁋11 I perpetually embarrassed my partner, and soon perceived the contempt of the whole table gathering upon me.

1770 S. Foote Lame Lover ii. 50 Lady Cicily..has six tables every Sunday.

1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey III. v. xiii. 259 The plan will be for two to bank against the table.

1878 W. Collins Haunted Hotel I. iii. 21 A gambler at every ‘table’ on the Continent.

1914 S. Lewis Our Mr. Wrenn xv. 199 Mr. Wrenn felt that Tom was hoping he would lead a club. He played one, and the whole table said: ‘That's right. Fine!’

1963 Times 21 Aug. 7/4 Last year gamblers left behind on the tables of France's 156 registered..casinos a total of more than 1,400m. francs.

1999 J. Arnott Long Firm ii. 68 Went out to the Colony to play the tables for a bit... Can't even remember how much I lost.

b. Bridge. The hand of the declarer's partner, which is displayed face up on the table, and played by the declarer; the dummy.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > bridge > [noun] > types of hand > dummy hand

dummy1886

table1959

1959 Listener 7 May 808/2 The lead of the Queen from the table allows East's K 9 x to be smothered.

1960 T. Reese Play Bridge with Reese 127 I play low from table.

1987 Independent 13 Nov. 12/2 To lead a low diamond from the table would fail.

1998 Eng. Bridge Aug. 27/1 West started with a heart to queen and ace and Mossop immediately led a club towards table.

10. A table used for playing a tabletop ball game such as billiards, snooker, table tennis, etc.Recorded earliest in billiard-table n. at billiards n. Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1641 in Notes & Queries (1915) 11 227 A billiard table and three bearers.

1664 in G. S. Thomson Life in Noble Househ. (1937) xii. 238 (modernized text) For the billiards, the port and balls and other appurtenances to the table.

1734 R. Seymour Compl. Gamester (ed. 5) iii. 73 Of Billiards. There is belonging to the Table an Ivory Port,..two small Ivory Balls and two Sticks (called Masts).

1838 Times 23 July 2/3 (advt.) There is a new table, with cues, ball, pool balls, &c., gass [sic] fittings, and every requisite.

1903 Month Aug. 161 A charming billiard-room with a long pocketless table.

a1969 J. Kerouac Visions of Cody (1992) 67 The casual visitors who dropped in for a game of snookers [sic] after supper when all the tables were busy in an atmosphere of smoke.

2001 Birmingham Business Jrnl. (Nexis) 4 Feb. 1 The participants were looking for regulation tables and the proper amount of space to play [table tennis].

11. A table on which a surgeon performs an operation; an operating table; (also) a table or slab on which a body is laid for post-mortem examination or dissection (cf. slab n.¹ 3e).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > other surgical equipment > [noun] > operating table

table1706

operating table1850

operation table1896

1706 tr. L. Verduc Manner curing Fractures xvi. 91 in tr. A. Belloste Hosp. Surgeon (ed. 2) The inside of the Patient's Hand must be spread upon a Table, drawing every Finger one after another to reduce the Tenders to their natural Situation.

1754 S. Sharp Crit. Enq. Surg. (ed. 3) v. 215 In England, we seat ourselves in a Chair of a suitable height to the Table on which the Patient lies.

1823 Lancet 9 Nov. 204/1 A boy..was placed on the table to be cut for stone.

1885 E. Owen Surg. Dis. Children xx. 287 The child lying flat upon the table, and anæsthetised, the surgeon stands on the left side.

1917 T. S. Eliot Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock in Prufrock & Other Observ. 9 The evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table.

1977 P. D. James Death of Expert Witness iv. 226 As for the cause of death..well, you'll have to wait till I get her on the table.

1998 M. Reaves Voodoo Child (1999) iii. 33 Maybe if he's lucky we can get a neuro to run a skull series before he croaks on the table.

12. Chiefly Australian and New Zealand. A table with ridged lateral slats on which shorn fleeces are processed. Cf. wool table n. at wool n. Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > shearing-shed > table

rolling table1749

table screen1800

table1829

wool table1865

1829 Amer. Farmer 23 Oct. 249/2 Two assorters only are employed at the same table, or four at two tables, placed sufficiently near to each other to enable the workmen to throw the wool in the same baskets.

1865 M. A. Barker Let. 1 Dec. in Station Life N.Z. (1870) v. 33 Armfulls of rolled-up fleeces [were] laid on the tables before the wool-sorters who..pronounced..to which bin they belonged.

1922 W. Perry Sheep Farming 122 The fribby bits that fall on the board, when shaken from the fleece, should be swept under the table and left there until there is sufficient to make a bale.

1981 R. Pinney Early N. Otago Runs 23 The Benmore classing was a big job, as some 3,000 fleeces came over four tables each day.

1998 S. Dingo Dingo xv. 183 He collected his first fleece off the floor and delivered it to the table to be tidied up, classed and bagged.

13. A table around which parties sit to discuss points at issue; a meeting place for formal discussions held to settle a dispute; the negotiating table.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > conferring or consulting > place for

speech-housec1050

palaver-court1735

palaver-room1735

palaver house1789

baraza1863

cenacle1889

conference table1928

table1946

rap centre1969

1946 Times 1 Mar. 5/3 Sir Archibald Clark Kerr..endeavours to bring the Dutch and the Indonesians together round the same table to discuss the constitutional issue.

1955 Times 14 June 3/3 Once workpeople became convinced that threats yielded better results than reasoned negotiations round the table the whole system of collective bargaining would collapse.

1990 Maclean's 2 Apr. 22/1 We decided in 1987 to get Quebec back to the table.

1998 New Republic 27 Apr. 4/1 They cannot charge me with failing to come to the table with them.

II. A schematic arrangement of information.

14.

a. A systematic arrangement of numbers, words, symbols, etc., in a definite and compact form so as to show clearly some set of facts or relations; esp. an arrangement in rows and columns, typically occupying a single page or sheet. Formerly occasionally: †an orderly arrangement of particulars, a list (obsolete).correction-, life-, multiplication, performance, periodic, times, truth-table, etc.: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > list > [noun]

tableOE

scorec1325

billa1340

calendar?a1400

legendc1400

librarya1450

Ragmanc1450

Ragman rollc1450

cataloguea1464

repertory1542

scrowa1545

bedroll?1552

roll1565

file1566

state1582

inventory1589

brief1600

series1601

counter-roll1603

list1604

muster roll1605

cense1615

pinax1625

repertoirec1626

diagram1631

recensiona1638

repertorium1667

vocabulary1694

albe1697

enumeration1725

screed1748

album1753

tableau1792

roll-call1833

shopping list1923

laundry list1958

remainder list1977

the world > relative properties > number > graph or diagram > [noun] > table

tableOE

time1863

multiplication table1881

operations table1940

simplex tableau1952

tableau1952

society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > tabular form

tableOE

tabling?c1450

tablement1551

chart1792

tableau1792

tabulation1837

plan1855

OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. ii. 144 Þæra geara getæl hæfð seo tabule þe we amearkian willað.

c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 20 The remenaunt of auges, sek hem in the table of auges folwynge.

a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 13 In this table men mowe knowe..what day schal be Ester day.

c1425 Concordance Wycliffite Bible in Speculum (1968) 43 270 (MED) Mannes mynde..is greetly releeued bi tablis maad bi lettre aftir þe ordre of þe a, b, c.

c1440 Astron. Cal. (Ashm. 391) (MED) Than foloweþ a noþer table of all mouable feestes.

a1500 (?1397) G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Digby 72) (1872) ii. Suppl. §45. 56 So many ȝeris, monythis, & dayes entere in-to thy tabelis of thy mene mote.

1553 R. Eden in tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India Pref. sig. aaviij^v The most parte of Globes and mappes are made after Ptolomeus Tables.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary To Rdr. sig. ¶5 A briefe Table expressing the value of the small Coynes most commonly spent.

1675 J. Gregory Let. in S. P. Rigaud & S. J. Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men 17th Cent. (1841) (modernized text) II. 268 A table of logarithms, from the first chiliad, true to more places than any yet attempted.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 421. ¶ 8 A Table of the principal Contents in each Paper.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson Introd. sig. d^v I know of none but literal mistakes, some of which are corrected in the table of Errata.

1799 G. Pearson Transl. Table Chem. Nomencl. (ed. 2) (title page) To which are subjoined, tables of single elective attraction, tables of chemical symbols, [etc.].

1849 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 12 191 There is a very extensive though not exact coincidence of the..relative density of population and excess of crime..a coincidence which will appear no less marked in the summary Table I.

1851 C. Cist Sketches & Statistics Cincinnati 34 Comparative mortality table. The proportion of deaths of population, in the cities and large towns of the old and new world.

1894 Naturalist 241 Statistical tables of rainfall and temperature.

1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials vii. 214 The tables give the compositional range and mechanical properties of a few important..heat-resisting steels.

2005 Isis 96 425/1 Medieval astronomy consisted primarily of compiling and using tables.

†b. Originally: a concordance or index to a book. In later use usually: = table of contents at content n.¹ 2b. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > [noun] > indexing > index

tablea1464

finder1588

index1660

calendar1830

a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 121 He was eke þe first begynner of þe concordauns, whech is a tabil onto þe Bibil.

?1550 in H. Llwyd tr. Pope John XXI Treasury of Healthe sig. g.v^v The table of this boke.

1583 (title) The Newe Testament..with a Table or Concordance, Englished by L. Tomson.

1614 J. Selden Titles of Honor Pref. B iij Out of the Title, Table, and Contents of the Chapters..the Summe and Method discouer themselues.

1660 J. Moore Arithm. ii. 5 All decimal Arithmetick is brought to that scale or degree..as appears by the Table in the beginning of my other Book.

1671 Philos. Trans. 1670 (Royal Soc.) 5 2084/1 An Alphabetical Table of the chief things contained in this Fifth Volume for..1670.

1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) I. 393 A Table to the First Volume.

1824 J. Johnson Typographia I. 317 The Work contains three Prologues and a Table, which occupy nine leaves.

c. In plural. The common arithmetical tables, as the multiplication tables and those of money, weights, and measures, esp. as learnt at school.times tables: see times table n. (b) at time n., int., and conj. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > mathematical instruments > [noun] > table

compute manual1483

tariff1591

sexagenary table1594

table of multiplication1594

long measure1623

scale of numbers1630

Rudolphine Tables1635

multiplication table1657

chiliad1675

sexagesimal table1685

nautical card1700

pence table1706

numeration tablea1743

tablebook1755

ready reckoner1757

calculator1784

tables1828

times table1902

log tablec1935

a1690 S. Jeake Λογιστικηλογία (1696) 22 To learn by heart the Table commonly called Multiplication Table.]

1828 M. R. Mitford Our Village III. 125 She is going to be a governess..and it's to be hoped the little ladies will take kindly to their tables.

1893 K. Grahame Pagan Papers (1894) 127 He had ‘gone into tables’, and had been endowed with a new slate.

1956 Times 13 July 12/4 I never trusted schools to teach my children their tables.

1976 Evening Post (Bristol) 23 Apr. 6/4 Children..still learn tables, but they are taught to understand what they mean first.

2000 P. Bird Help your Child to learn at Primary School (ed. 2) iv. 57 Learning tables is important today too, but not all schools teach children their tables by rote.

d. A list of rivals or competitors showing their positions relative to one another, arranged in descending order of ranking; a league table.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > league or division

Football League1889

table1896

premier league1898

division1899

1896 Times 23 Mar. 11/ A club that has only an insignificant position in that measure of consistency the League table.

1897 Times 14 Aug. 8/4 Essex were deprived by their defeat at Leyton yesterday of the first position in the county championship table.

1951 Sport 6 Apr. 10/4 Mr. Drake has been the guiding light behind a remarkable revival that has taken the club soaring up the table.

1972 G. Green Great Moments in Sport: Soccer v. 62 Around Christmas, they had begun to catch a tide of success as they crept slowly up the table.

1984 Financial Times (Nexis) 5 Nov. 6 (headline) BOC chief again tops earnings table.

1991 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. 28/6 Widnes scrum-half David Hulme said: ‘It's nice to be top of the table again.’

2001 Times 17 Dec. i. (Sports Daily section) 3/1 Leeds..would roll over Leicester City..and strengthen their position near the top of the table.

†15. A statement of particulars or details in a concise form; a synopsis, a conspectus. Obsolete.In quot. 1583: a sketch, a plan, a model.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > intention > planning > [noun] > a plan

redeeOE

devicec1290

casta1300

went1303

ordinancec1385

intentc1386

imaginationa1393

drifta1535

draught1535

forecast1535

platform1547

ground-plat?a1560

table1560

convoy1565

design1565

plat1574

ground-plota1586

plot1587

reach1587

theory1593

game1595

projectment1611

projecting1616

navation1628

approach1633

plan1635

systema1648

sophism1657

manage1667

brouillon1678

speculationa1684

sketch1697

to take measures1698

method1704

scheme1704

lines1760

outline1760

measure1767

restorative1821

ground plan1834

strategy1834

programme1837

ticket1842

project1849

outline plan1850

layout1867

draft1879

dart1882

lurk1916

schema1939

lick1955

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > [noun] > synoptical statement

abstract1436

titling1465

capitulation1523

aphorism1528

argument1535

table1560

analysis1588

the brief1601

abstractive1611

synopsis1611

method1614

synopsy1616

modela1626

scheme1652

syllabus1653

précis1760

summing up1795

aperçu1828

conspectus1839

vidimus1884

auto-abstract1892

standfirst1972

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > [noun] > outline or sketch in words

outdraughtc1300

minute1443

draught?1504

plat1525

plot1548

table1560

scheme1652

schizzo1686

outline1760

profile1783

abbozzo1846

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cclx^v (margin) The Protestauntes answer to the table of outlawery.

1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum iii. ix. 118 This being as a proiect or table of a common wealth truely laide before you.

1594 Briefe Notes Benefits Obseruation Fish-daies (?1627) In this briefe Table is set downe the punishment appointed for the Offenders.

a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Old Law (1656) ii. 18 He bought a Table indeed, Only to learn to die by't.

16. A map, esp. an ancient (usually Roman) itinerary map. Now rare except in Peutinger Table at Peutinger n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > map > [noun] > other types of map

mappa mundia1387

mappemondea1393

table1610

Mercator's chart1645

Peutingerian tablea1657

Mercator1694

hemisphere1706

Peutinger1731

road map1741

geological map1798

route map1816

ordnance map1828

outline map1836

contour map1862

index map1869

hypsographical map1881

soil map1898

wheel-map1899

strip map1903

distribution map1947

worm's-eye map1964

topo1970

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 106 A chorographicall table or mappe of Britaine [L. Chorographicam Britanniae tabellam].

a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 179 The old name of it in the Peutingerian Military Table, Burolevum, confirms his reading the Name by V.

1710 T. Hearne in J. Leland Itinerary I. Pref. p. iv Vegetius mentions the Itinerary Tables or Mapps, in which the several Stations of the Roman Souldiers were represented.

1822 J. L. Burckhardt Trav. Syria & Holy Land Pref. 10 It is worthy of remark that the distance of eighty-three Roman miles from Aila to Petra, in the Table (called Theodosian or Peutinger,) when compared with the distance on the map, gives a rate of about 7/10 of a Roman mile to the geographical mile in direct distance.

1945 Geografiska Annaler 27 332 Thus, the Itinerarium Antonini which belongs to the class of itineraria scripta..already shows new material, not included in the Table of Peutinger.

17. Computing. A collection of data organized in a notional set of rows and columns; spec. one stored in memory in the form of a series of records each of which has a unique key stored with it.

ΚΠ

1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 157 Operations such as division, square root, table look-up, etc., where the required time cannot be predicted.

1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xvi. 254 A table in a memory usually consists of a number of records, each consisting of a pair of data.

1980 C. S. French Computer Sci. xxvi. 205 Accessing most tables..involves using keys. A key is a data item which is associated with the data and which can be used to locate or identify other data.

1986 What Micro? Apr. 52/1 Paradox stores database in what are termed tables. Each row in the table corresponds to an entry in the database.

2005 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) May 42/1 We can route these ‘softwires’..anywhere we want to by storing the substitutions in a database (a look-up table) and by using the original address to retrieve them.

III. Extended uses (chiefly technical uses of branch I.*).

18. In plural. The game of backgammon; (also, esp. in early use) a similar game; any board game played with dice. Frequently in to play at (the) tables. Formerly also: †the pieces used in playing such a game (obsolete). Cf. sense 4. Now historical.The common name of the game until the middle of the 18th cent. In later use, esp. in to play at tables, often associated with sense 4b.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a company or body of persons > [noun] > at table

tablesc1325

tableful1535

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun]

tablesc1325

backgammon1647

gammon1699

backgame1718

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 3965 (MED) Þe kniȝtes atyled hom..to prouy hor bachelerye, Some wiþ launce & some wiþ suerd wiþoute vileynie, Wiþ pleynde atte tables oþer atte chekere.

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 1227 (MED) His harp, his croude was rike; His tables, his ches he bare.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 28338 (MED) I ha me liked..Til idel gammes, chess and tablis.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 11150 Som plaied with deeȝ at tables [a1450 Lamb. & tables].

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §793 Now comth hasardrie with hise apurtenances, as tables and Rafles, of which comth deceite.

1472 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 25 John Coke..suffers me[n] to play in his hous at the tablez for mony by nyghtez.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cxlix^v A proclamacion..against al vnlawfull games..in all places, Tables, Dice, Cardes, and Boules, wer taken and brent.

1595 W. Jones tr. G. B. Nenna Nennio f. 26 Others sitting still, plaied at chesse, and at tables.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Renette, a game at Tables of some resemblance with our Doublets, or Queenes Game.

1628 J. Earle Micro-cosmogr. xxi. sig. E2 At tables he reaches not beyond doublets.

1665 S. Pepys Diary 21 Sept. (1972) VI. 236 After losing a Crowne betting at tables, we walked home.

1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 10 Tables & Draughts are allowed, yet must they not play at them for Money.

1753 in S. Richardson Corr. (1804) III. 68 I must now as they say at Tables, endeavour to play a good back game.

1808 W. Scott Marmion i. xxiii. 44 Full well at tables can he play, And sweep at bowls the stake away.

1855 H. W. Herbert Wager of Battle ix. 106 Gayly-dressed, long-haired boys..playing at tables on a board covered with a scarlet cloth.

1979 ‘E. Peters’ One Corpse too Many x. 153 We'll offer you beds with pleasure, and a game of tables if you've a mind for it.

1996 P. Griffiths Youth & Authority iv. 205 Young nocturnal trippers were found in alehouses..playing cards, tables, and other games.

19. Anatomy. Either of the two (outer and inner) dense bony layers of the skull, which are separated by the diploë.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > parts of skull > [noun] > tabulate structure of

tablea1400

tablature1615

tablet1826

tabula1842

tabling1891

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 108 Þe brayn panne is maad of ij. smeþe liȝt tablis [L. ex duabus tabulis planis], þat oon is aboue, þe toþir is byneþe.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 163^v (MED) Som men shaueþ & foileþ and pilleþ þe first table of þe brayn pan.

1543 B. Traheron tr. J. de Vigo Most Excellent Wks. Chirurg. i. i. f. 3 ^v/1 The bone named Cranium, or the fyrst table of the bones of the heade.

1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate 4 If a fracture happen in Cranium, with contusion and depression of both the tables thereof.

1678 J. Browne Compl. Disc. Wounds xxxiii. 171 The lower Table of the Cranium was rent and lacerated, without any apparent or evident sign of Rupture or Laceration.

1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. xxxviii. 21 A surgeon..declared there was a dangerous depression of the first table of the skull.

1825 Lancet 8 Oct. 101/1 The external table is tough, firm, &c.; the internal is glassy.

1855 R. Owen Lect. Compar. Anat. Invertebr. Animals (ed. 2) i. ii These air-chambers between the outer table and the immediate covering of the brain.

1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) viii. 241 Extending back above the notch at the margin of the skull table is a row of three small bones—intertemporal, supratemporal, and tabular—which tend to be reduced and lost in most later tetrapods.

2007 Jrnl. Clin. Neurosci. 14 470/1 Osteomas may be located in the inner or outer table of the skull.

20.

a. A flat plate, board, or similar, forming part of a mechanism, apparatus, or instrument; spec. †(a) the face of a clock or watch (obsolete); †(b) a part of a seed drill (obsolete); (c) Engineering a flat metal surface of a machine tool on which the work is supported (now the most common use); †(d) Weaving the bar or board to which the tails of the harness of a draw loom are attached (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of > dial or markings on dial

tablea1400

dial1440

watch1588

punctilio1596

dial platea1652

recliner1652

dial piece1658

face1659

horary circle1664

night dial1670

horizontal dial1674

hour-stroke1674

hour-plate1690

clock face1764

niche1822

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [noun] > weaving > method of > figure weaving > loom > parts of or attachments for

tablea1400

simple1731

draw-boy1811

card1829

needle1829

witch1829

machine card1832

Jacquard apparatus1841

Jacquard1851

griff1860

dobby1878

lappet1894

witch top1897

trap-board1900

necking cord1910

the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > other parts of plough

plough-line1384

plough-strake1395

cleat1419

weigh-tree1578

spindle1616

pole wedge1733

table1763

throat1771

brace1808

wang1808

wing-bar1844

sill1877

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 307 Whanne þis instrument is hoot, it schal be putt vpon a mannes haunche, & a table bitwixe maad of iren, & þis table schal be coold.

a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe i. §14. l. 3 Than is there a large pyn..that goth thorugh the hole that halt the tables of the clymates and the riet in the wombe of the moder.

a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) iv. iv. 326 To fit the Table with Divisions suitable to the Hours.

a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) iv. vi. 341 The Wheels, and the Ballance, and the Case, and Table.

1763 J. Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. I. 332 M. Duhamel's drill is fastened to the fore-carriage of a common plough. The hind part consists of a plank..at least three inches thick, which is called the table.

1766 Compl. Farmer at Drill The pin g n is rested against the axle-tree..and the other..is placed near the table of the drill.

1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 238 By turning the wheel, the table E is drawn between the cylinders, the counterpoise F rising accordingly.

1856 A. Ure Dict. Arts I. 379 A box or frame of pulleys, over which the cords of the harness pass, and are then made fast to a piece of wood,..which the weavers call a table.

a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 341/1 The table a, with stuff, slides up to the bit, and is raised and lowered by a hand-wheel.

1963 V. Austin Workshop Theory (1969) vii. 94 On an anvil..all the cutting with a chisel should be done on the table to prevent damage to the chisel edge.

1985 U.S. Patent 4,510,980 1/2 A table assembly for a multipurpose tool... A pair of pinion gears..are driven by a crank having a locking mechanism so that the table can be displaced relative to the carriage.

1997 A. G. Weygers Compl. Mod. Blacksmith 240 Place the block on the table of the drill press and put the tapered rod in the drill chuck to test the setup.

2001 L. Eichhorn et al. Classroom Man. Automotive Brake Syst. (ed. 2) vi. 186 The outer part is called the table (or sometimes the rim) and is curved to match the curvature of the drum.

b. A flat surface used in an industrial process; (Glass-making) a metal plate with a raised rim on to which molten glass is poured in the making of plate glass.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > work-benches, seats, etc. > [noun] > metal table

table1728

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Table of Glass is now in its last Perfection, and needs nothing farther but to be heated over again. When taken out, they lay it on a Table of Copper.

1765 R. Jones New Treat. Artific. Fireworks ii. 31 The mealing table..represented in Plate 1.

1807 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 3) II. 508 The plate glass is poured melted upon a table covered with a sheet of copper. The plate, as cast, is about an inch thick; but it is ground down to the proper..thinness, and then polished.

1859 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 22 Apr. 361/2 A stationary bottom plate or moulding table, which is fixed at a clay-tight distance from the aforesaid channel.

1971 Materials & Technol. II. vi. 383 The glass was cast or ladled from a pot on to an iron table... This method is still used for the manufacture of special sizes of plate glass.

1977 D. Lavender One Man's West (ed. 3) v. 67 The remaining pulp was washed over electro-silvered copper plates set in tables on a gradual slope.

c. Woodworking and Shipbuilding. = coak n. 2. Cf. table v. 5, tabling n. 7.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > [noun] > wooden structures or wooden parts of > means of fitting together > types of joint > projecting part of joint

tenon14..

tenora1485

rabbet1678

dovetail1691

relish1703

teaze-tenon1703

coak1794

table1794

tusk tenon1825

tonguing1841

tongue1842

pin1847

cog1858

stub-tenon1875

cross-tongue1876

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 23 The edges of the coaks and tables, after they are sunk and cleared, are chamfered.

?1812 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) V. 511/2 The tables have their full depth in the axis of the joining.

1891 N.E.D. at Coak sb. By the Thames shipbuilders called ‘table’, the operation being ‘tabling’.

1958 C. F. Tweney & L. E. C. Hughes Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 171 Coak, a projection on one of the mating surfaces of a scarfed joint, fitting into a corresponding recess in the other surface. Also called table.

d. The upper part of the soundboard of an organ, situated above the soundboard bars and grooves and perforated with holes for admitting air to the pipes. Also: †the top board of the bellows (obsolete).In quot. 1852: the soundboard bars.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [noun] > soundboard > parts of

stock-board1850

table1852

groove-board1880

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [noun] > bellows > parts of

under-board1781

rib1811

bellows-spring1852

bellows-tail1852

feeder1852

side rib1852

table1852

1852 tr. J. J. Seidel Organ & its Constr. 52 These partitions are called grooves, and the ledges..by which they are separated, tables.

1880 C. A. Edwards Organs ii. ii. 49 The top of the sound-board, technically called the table.

1881 W. E. Dickson Pract. Organ-building vi. 72 Organ-bellows..consist of three main boards, namely, the middle board, the top board or table [etc.].

1905 G. A. Audsley Art Organ-building II. xxiv. 200 The wind-chest proper consists of the frame, the table, the sliders and bearers, the upper-boards, and the rack-boards.

1996 S. Bicknell Hist. Eng. Organ (1998) ii. 31 (caption) The grid and table of an organ soundboard discovered in 1977 in a house at Wetheringsett in Suffolk.

21. Architecture.

a. Any horizontal projecting course or moulding, as a cornice or string course. Usually with modifying word.base-, bench-, corbel-, earth-, grass-, ground-, water-: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > string-course or -moulding

curstable1278

tablec1400

ledgement1435

wreath1677

cordon1706

tablette1723

belt1730

string1809

string-course1825

belt course1830

tablet1830

string-moulding1833

rope border1855

stringing course1861

racecourse1883

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 789 Ande eft a ful huge heȝt hit haled vpon lofte, Of harde hewen ston vp to þetablez [MS reads tableȝ].

c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 1003 Þe calsydoyne..In þe þryd table con purly pale.

a1525 (?1430) Coventry Leet Bk. 136 That the said priour & Couent shull make within ther Garden aftur the town wall a bank of Erthe..in height vnto the tabull of the said wall Except ij fette.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 472/1 The Foot Table, is a Square Corner standing out at the bottom, or middle sides of the Gable end.

1845 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 4) I. 357 The word table, when used separately without any adjunctive term to point out its position, appears to have signified the cornice, but it is very usually associated with other epithets which define its situation, as base-table, earth-table, or ground-table, bench-table, corbel-table, &c.

1999 J. S. Curl Dict. Archit. 654/1 Table, any horizontal moulding.

†b. A flat, typically rectangular, vertical surface, sunk into or projecting beyond the surrounding surface; a panel. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > other elements > [noun] > panel

table1651

panel1693

1651 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 87. 1327 Two thirds of his main Mast was shot away.., all the Sailes much torne, three or four Beames, the Table, and great capsting in peeces.

1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vi. Explan. Terms 113 In Plate 6. s is the Table.

a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 36 A Table plain'd in the side of the natural Rock.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Generality of Architects..use Tables or Pannels, either in Relievo or Creux, in the Dyes of Pedestals.

1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 594 Table, projecting or raised.

1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 1039 s.v. When the surface is rough, frosted, or vermiculated, from being broken with the hammer, it is called a rusticated table.

22. Palmistry. Also more fully the table of the hand. The space between the table line and the natural line. Cf. quadrangle n. 1b. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination by natural phenomena > palmistry > [noun] > specific area of the hand

tablea1440

quadranglec1450

a1440 Old Palmistry (Digby) 26 (MED) Yf this lyne of the table entur be twen the shewer and the myddul fyngur, it tokenyth in a manne perile of deth of yron.

c1450 J. Metham Palmistry (Garrett) in Wks. (1916) 86 (MED) The fourthe lyne ys the tabyl lyne, for that parte off the hand ys clepyd the tabyl, the qwyche ys be-twene the myd lyne and the tabyl lyne.

1556 T. Hill tr. B. Cocles Brief Epitomye Phisiognomie sig. E.iiii ^v The table in the hande small or narrowe, and the fyngers greate, suche a person is geuen to wryte wel or perfitlye.

1571 T. Hill Contempl. Mankinde xxxviii. 169^v Such a person, which hath the Table in the hande large, and the fingers slender and long, is iudged to be subtill in a naturall facultie.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. ii. 153 If any man in Italy haue a fayrer table which dooth offer to sweare vpon a booke, I shall haue good fortune.

1625 J. Shirley Love Tricks (1631) v. i. 63 In this table Lies your story; 'tis no fable, Not a line within your hand But I easily vnderstand.

1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 87 This space is called the Table of the hand, which hath on the one side the Mensal Line, on the other the middle Natural Line.

1711 ‘Dr. Saman’ tr. Aristotle's Last Legacy 21 The Table Line is in the middle or Table of the Hand.

1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward II. i. 13 You shall in a brief space be menaced with mighty danger; which I infer from this bright blood-red line cutting the table-line transversely, and intimating stroke of sword.

1883 H. Frith & E. Heron-Allen Chiromancy 138 The Quadrangle..is sometimes called the table of the Hand.

1932 Bk. of Fate & Fortune i. iii. 182 This is the rectangular space, also called the Table of the hand, situate between the heart and head lines.

23.

†a. A plot of ground for planting; a bed. Cf. tablemeal adv. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > cultivated land > plot of cultivated land

acreOE

plotlOE

inhook1214

table?1440

culturea1475

labouragec1475

land1731

lazy-bed1743

ladang1783

shamba1840

tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 810 Mark out thi tablis [gloss beddis; c1450 Bodl. tables, gloss beddes] vchon bi hym selue.

tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) ii. l. 99 The tablis for thi vynys maystow make..as thee list, or as thi londe Wol axe.

b. A flat elevated tract of land; a tableland, a plateau; a flat mountain top. Also: (with the and capital initial) (a name for) Table Mountain, at Cape Town, South Africa (see table mountain n. 1).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > plateau

table1587

tableland1672

terrace1674

plateau1743

plat1788

table plain1812

platform1813

table-ground1823

mesa1840

1587 W. Harrison Descr. Eng. i. i. 1/2 Albeit the continent hereof..lieth as it were a long table betweene the two seas.

1607 in R. Raven-Hart Before Van Riebeeck (1967) 35 Parte of the table to the northward of the sugar lofe.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 13 The ascent to the Sugar-loafe and Table [sc. Table Mountain in South Africa], two Hils so named.

1731 G. Medley tr. P. Kolb Present State Cape Good-Hope II. 14 'Tis an usual Saying among Sailors approaching the Cape, as soon as they discover this cloud, The Table is cover'd, or The Cloth is laid on the Table; intimating, that they must prepare immediately for a Storm.

1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey I. 155 A valley..nearly..filled up from side to side by a level table of land.

1888 J. D. Whitney Names & Places iii. iv. 181 The flat summits of mountains are sometimes called ‘tables’, and especially in California, where there are several ‘Table Mountains’..capped usually with horizontal or table-like masses of basalt.

1908 Bull. Amer. Geogr. Soc. 40 395 Beyond it a high gravel reach extended a fifth of a mile to Grewingk, a square rocky table 250 feet high, surrounded by cliffs.

1979 M. Matshoba Call me not Man 110 The top of the Table was covered in clouds. ‘They call that cloud the tablecloth.’

1997 Farming News (Nexis) 19 Sept. 35 Healabhal Bheag, the highest of MacLeod's Tables, dominates the Orbost skyline.

c. A flat hedge bank. Now English regional and rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [noun] > ridge on which hedge is

table1664

floor-bank1744

hedge-bank1776

tabling1843

1664 J. Evelyn Sylva xix. 44 If you have ground fit for whole Copses of this Wood, cast it into double dikes, making every foss neer three foot wide; two and half in depth; then leaving four foot at least of ground for the earth..and two Tables of Sets on each side.

1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Quick Double Ditches..will be done for eight Pence the Pole, and the Husbandman get as good wages as with the single ditch (for though the Labour about them is more, yet the making the table is sav'd,)..and the Hedges being low, they will make better Wages at Hedging.

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 574 The hedger lays them, with the grass side downwards, upon the edges of the set-sods,..pushing them under and as if to support the thorn roots with them. These..are called the table.

1905 E. Smith in Eng. Dial. Dict. VI. 2/2 [Warwicks.] The two rows of quick in a double hedge are called the top and bottom table, the latter being nearest the ditch.

24. Originally: †a reredos; a retable (obsolete). Later: a frontal for an altar. Cf. tabula n. 2. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > altar > parts of altar > [noun] > frontal

tablement1446

table1447

tabula1845

1447–8 in E. Hobhouse Church-wardens' Accts. (1890) 88 (MED) To John Slyette vor makyng of ij banarys, and a clothe afore the tabylle, and mendyng of j awbe, xiiij d.

?1474 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 146 (MED) Item, j tabulle of alebasture þe storyus of þe passyon of owr lord, þe wych Tabulle Mastres Jane Stonor has yeft unto þe chapelle of Stonor.

1508 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 43 ix elne wellus to be ane table abone the altar for the mortstand.

1511 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 532 Foure howsouris, ane of purpour satin,..tua of quhet dammes..and the ferd of gray dammes..to be reformit and maid in vestimentis, tabulis, and altar pendis for the chapellis of Striveling and the Abbay.

1881 T. E. Bridgett Hist. Holy Eucharist in Great Brit. II. ix. 104 In addition to this was a cross of solid gold, and a table or frontal for the high altar, with three images of silver gilt.

1909 Rep. & Papers Assoc. Archit. Societies 30 i. 305 The high altar is first scheduled, it had an upper frontal or table of alabaster, above which was a reredos.

25.

a. A large flat sheet of glass; spec. one of the circular sheets in which crown glass is manufactured.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > other shapes or forms of glass

table1482

cleft1688

tablet1688

glass fibre1824

glass wool1879

angel hair1888

glass brick1909

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > flat circular piece

table1728

1482 in J. P. Collier Househ. Bks. John Duke of Norfolk & Thomas Earl of Surrey (1844) 157 xij, white tabuls, and xiij. of colours, vj. blewe, v. grene and ij. purpil.

1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick xvii. i. 356 Make also another table of Glass the same way.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 385/2 A Table is a broad peece of Glass neere a yard, some more, square, it is also called a Tablet.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Number of Tables anneal'd at a time.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Ratcliff Crown Glass..: Of this there are 24 Tables to the Case, the Tables being of a circular Form, about three Foot six Inches in Diameter.

1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 420 The glass is bought by the crate, which consists of twelve tables.

1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 144 The ‘table’ of crown glass is from four to five feet across.

1914 J. W. Clarke Mod. Plumbing Pract. I. xxxix. 225 Unless the diamond cuts well, and the glazier has a light hand, it is difficult to cut up a table of crown glass without breaking it into irregular-shaped pieces.

1990 S. Minter Greatest Glass House 138 Repeal of the tax in 1845 (just after the start of the construction of the Palm House) saw the price per table of crown glass fall from about 6 shillings to 2 shillings.

1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 130/1 Crown glass, sheet glass cut from a hand-blown circular table of glass.

†b. A small cake of some drug or confection; = tablet n. 3. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines of specific form > pills, tablets, etc. > [noun] > tablet or lozenge

trochiskc1400

tablet?a1425

pastille1451

lozenge1530

table1580

troche1597

tessel1657

tabella1684

tablette1725

trochus1748

tabulate1834

lozenger1860

tabule1893

the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > drop, lozenge, or comfit

comfit1334

pastille1451

table1580

confect1587

violet tables1620

sugar-pluma1668

plum1694

nonpareil1697

rose drop1727

lemon-drop1807

drop1818

jujube1835

pear drop1852

pandrop1877

conversation lozenge1905

cushion1906

fruit drop1907

1580 J. Frampton tr. N. Monardes Dial. Yron in Ioyfull Newes (new ed.) f. 162 Then take a smal table of rosade of a sweete smel.

1621 T. Venner Treat. Tobacco (1650) 410 Tables made with an Ounce or two of fine sugar dissolved in Fennell water.

c. Mineralogy and Chemistry. A crystal of tabular or short prismatic form; (also) a tabular surface of a crystal. Cf. sense 26.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal habit > [noun] > table

table1701

1701 N. Grew Cosmol. Sacra i. iii. 17 The Principles of Bodies, are Regularly Figur'd... A Rhomboid, may be resolved into Wedges and Cubes. And a Cube, may be resolved into Tables and Prismes.

1794 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) I. 362 Crystallized in rhomboidal tables.

1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. (1862) III. 542 The acid benzoate of potash..in colourless, pearly tables,..sparingly soluble in water.

1891 Amer. Naturalist 25 141 The black, lustrous crystals are usually orthorhombic, rectangular tables.

1971 C. S. Hurlbut Dana's Man. Mineral. (ed. 18) v. 342 Barita... Both first- and second-order prisms are usually present, either beveling the corners of the diamond-shaped crystals or the edges of the tables.

†d. A sheet of lead. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > base metal > [noun] > lead > lead in specific form > sheet

web1343

table1809

soaker1895

1809 W. Bawdwen tr. Domesday Bk. 294 These manors paid in King Edward's time..five cartloads of lead of fifty tables [L. v plaustratas plumbi de l tabulis].

1850 Pharmaceut. Jrnl. & Trans. Aug. 94 Of late the somewhat complex system of boilers and coolers has been simplified by substituting rectangular tables of lead of twenty or thirty metres.

26.

a. A gem cut with a large flat upper surface surrounded by small facets, esp. a table diamond. in table(s): in such a form.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [noun] > cut in specific style

table1530

cardiace1601

star-cut1815

rose cut1820

tallow-top1881

navette1908

baguette1926

marquise1945

1530 Inventory in State Papers Henry VIII (P.R.O.: SP 1/58) f. 213 iiij diamantes wherof: ij poynted and ij tables.

1538 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1907) VII. 14 Ane grete diamand sett in table for the quenis spousing ring.

1631 W. Twisse Discov. D. Iacksons Vanitie ii. viii. 309 A golde needle enriched with a great Diamand, in forme of a table, having 4. Diamants round about, wherof the three out hanging were facet stones.

1692 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses II. 518 His diamond seal, a table that had the Kings armes cut with great curiosity.

1703 London Gaz. No. 3929/4 Two single Stone Diamond Rings, Tables.

1904 19th Cent. July 136 A necklace of carnelian, ‘cut in tables’, is deemed worthy of being handed down to posterity as an heirloom.

b. The large flat upper surface of such a gem.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [noun] > part of precious stone > facet > specific

table1653

lozenge1750

window1942

1653 T. Nicols Arcula Gemmea 51 The forms into which it is most commonly cut, is a Tablet, which consisteth of one plain upper Table, and foure latterall Tables.

1750 D. Jeffries Treat. Diamonds & Pearls Explan. Terms The Table is the large horizontal plane, or face, at the top of the Brilliant.

1861 W. Pole in Macmillan's Mag. 3 184/2 The apex of the upper pyramid is cut off to a considerable extent, and the large facet thus formed is called the table.

1970 E. Bruton Diamonds x. 160 The first elaboration was to grind and polish the four edges of the table.

2006 Diamond Intelligence Briefs (Nexis) 19 Sept. Marking a diamond's table is quickly gaining acceptance as the best way to identify diamonds for sophisticated buyers.

†27. Perspective. = perspective plane n. at perspective adj. Compounds. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > perspective > [noun] > planes, lines, or points

horizontal plane1638

eye-pointa1650

table1670

principal point1671

plan1678

geometrical plane1695

terrestrial line1704

vertical plane1704

baseline1724

station line1724

middle ground1753

picture plane1771

middle distance1778

primitive plane1798

seat1815

mid-distance1828

ground-plane1833

station point1859

mid-ground1864

no-sky line1927

1670 J. Moxon Pract. Perspective 8 This Plain is by some Authors called the Section, by others the Table, and by others the Glass. They that call it a Section call it most properly, Because it cuts or intersects the Plain whereon it stands.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Table, in Perspective, is a plain Surface, suppos'd to be transparent, and perpendicular to the Horizon.

1765 J. L. Cowley Theory of Perspective p. iv All lines, parallel to one another and to the horizon, although inclined to the table, or picture as it is now called, would constantly converge towards a point in the horizontal line.

1876 W. Papworth Gwilt's Encycl. Archit. (rev. ed.) (Gloss.) 1039 Table. In perspective, the same as the plane of the picture, being the paper or canvas on which a perspective drawing is made, and usually perpendicular to the horizon. In the theory of perspective, it is supposed to be transparent for simplifying the theory.

28. Astronomy. With the and capital initial. (The English name of) the constellation Mensa; = table mountain n. 2. Chiefly as a conscious translation. Cf. mensa n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > constellation > Southern constellations > [noun]

telescopec1795

Telescopiumc1795

air pump1807

table mountain1837

mensa1847

Men1922

table1978

1978 D. Baker Hamlyn Guide Astron. 120 (heading) Mensa (Table).

1990 P. S. Harrington Touring Universe through Binoculars vii. 175 Mensa, the Table, lies in the far southern skies of autumn.

Phrases

P1. at table: at the dining table; at a meal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > meal > [adverb] > at meals

at (the) meateOE

at mealc1400

at tablec1400

at meat and meal1599

c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. x. l. 101 I haue yherde hiegh men, etyng atte table.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) G. §4. l. 1015 A preest..That ther-Inne had dwelled many a yeer..was so plesaunt..Vn-to the wyf where as he was at table That she wolde suffre hym no thyng for to paye For bord.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 170 (MED) Iason..was as servisable, As diligent in chambre and at table, As euere was any childe or man.

c1450 Merlin 225 The knyghtes of the rounde table seten with the sowdiours at table be hem-self.

1599 T. M. Micro-cynicon iii. sig. B7 Sitting at table..All couered with damaskt naperie.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. vii. 4 Your Soldiers vse him as the Grace 'fore meate, Their talke at Table, and their Thankes at end.

1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. v. 237 It is shamefull for a King to boast at Table, and shrink in fight.

1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 18 He never deigns to discourse at Table with any below a Brother Captain.

1770 S. Foote Lame Lover ii. 42 Pester'd at table with the odious company of..country cousins.

1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice III. v. 99 She had not prudence enough to hold her tongue before the servants, while they waited at table .

1884 Harper's Mag. Nov. 889/1 They threw the salt over their shoulders,..in propitiation of evil powers, when they spilled it at table.

1927 H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. T. Mann Magic Mountain (London ed.) I. v. 370 The house regulations protected the patients from having such things come to their knowledge; and now here was a young whipper-snapper bringing it up at table.

1971 P. White Let. 3 Jan. (1994) xi. 372 We were having a dinner for Manning Clark, arranged weeks ahead, and which became a snowball over the weeks till we were finally ten at table.

1998 P. Chapman 1999 Good Curry Guide 150 Fish Mollee..is a classic dish, so mild and gentle in its coconut base that even the Raj allowed it at table.

P2. to turn the tables and variants: to reverse one's position relative to someone else, esp. by turning a position of disadvantage into one of advantage; to cause a complete reversal of the state of affairs. [With reference to the position of the board in a board game being reversed, hence reversing the situation of each player in the game.]

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > change to something else, transformation > change of direction, reversion > reversal [phrase]

Tottenham is turned French1546

to turn the tables1612

to have one's heart in one's boots (also shoes, heels, hose, etc.)1642

the boot is on the other leg1854

the shoe is on the other foot1933

the wheel has come full circle1944

1612 G. Chapman Widdowes Teares i. sig. C2 ^v You doe well Sir to take your pleasure of me, (I may turne tables with you ere long.)

1634 R. Sanderson Serm. II. 290 Whosoever thou art that dost another wrong, do but turn the tables: imagine thy neighbour were now playing thy game, and thou his.

1643 D. Digges Unlawfulnesse Subj. iii. 70 The tables are quite turned, and your friends have undertaken the same bad game, and play it much worse.

1682 Modest Enq. Election Sheriffs London 31 Whensoever the Tables shall so far turn, as that we have a Mayor who will..drink to one of the contrary and opposite Party.

1713 J. Addison in Guardian 14 Aug. 2/1 In short, Sir, the Tables are now quite turned upon me.

1764 J. Jardine Let. in D. Hume Lett. (1932) II. 352 God be thanked, the Tables are changed. It is in our Power now to persecute.

1778 F. Burney Let. 28 Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. Fanny Burney (1994) 119 The tables are turned,—for he sits & flatters her!

1839 I. Thackeray Let. 15 May in G. N. Ray Lett. W. M. Thackeray (1945) I. 382 I fear it would not be so if the tables were turned.

1888 A. Jessopp Coming of Friars iii. 165 Suppose the men of the thirteenth century could turn the tables upon us [etc.].

1893 F. C. Selous Trav. S.-E. Afr. 33 They had won the first match, though I hoped I might yet turn the tables on them in the return.

1939 J. B. Morton Bonfire of Weeds ix. 201 His technique of turning the tables on an audience..is being severely criticized in some quarters.

1958 Argosy Sept. 109 But since he was expecting it, the tables were turned.

1985 Undercover Autumn 15/2 Dressmakers created dresses to please the whims of the client. Worth swung the tables completely.

2001 C. Freeland But is it Art? v. 144 The images..celebrate the female artist's ability to turn the tables on the men.

P3. under the table.

a. colloquial. Drunk to the point of insensibility, esp. in to drink (also put, see, etc.) someone under the table: to outdrink someone; to drink with someone until that person is drunk to the point of insensibility. Now frequently in extended use in to —— someone under the table: to outdo or outlast in or overcome with the specified form of activity.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [verb (transitive)] > make drunk > make very or insensibly drunk

to drink (also put, see, etc.) someone under the tablea1636

locus1829

to sew up1829

to drink under the table1897

mickey-finn1957

a1636 J. Rogers Godly Expos. First Epist. Peter (1650) iv. 532 They get Beer of extraordinary strength, and..make matches who shall drink each other drunk under the Table.

a1653 H. Binning Heart-humiliation (1676) vi. 81 Some boast of drinking, and being able to drink others under the Table.

1751 T. Carlyle in E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. (1864) iii Being a five-bottle man, he could lay them all under the table.

1845 J. F. Cooper Satanstoe I. xii. 184 Guert was no drunkard, far from it; he could only drink all near him under the table, and remain firm in his chair himself.

1921 W. S. Maugham Trembling of Leaf 28 Walker had always been a heavy drinker, he was proud of his capacity to see men half his age under the table.

1936 V. W. Brooks Flowering of New Eng. v. 95 He was far from sober, or would have been if two tumblers of brandy had been enough to put him under the table.

1953 H. Clevely Public Enemy 137 This time, if he met Tilly, she wouldn't drink him under the table.

1960 K. Amis Take Girl like You (1962) 240 You mustn't talk Julian's young friend under the table.

1985 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder II in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 197/1 Hurray: and last one under the table gets 10,000 florins from the loser.

1995 J. Barclay Paras over the Barras (2002) vii. 129 He'd drink anythin [sic], and did. He could drink anybody under the table.

2004 Voice 22 Mar. (24 Seven section) 10/3 But social dancing—you give me a little shandy, I'll get high as a kite and I will dance you under the table!

b. In a clandestine or underhand way; secretly; illicitly. Frequently attributive (usually hyphenated): secret, hidden, done in a clandestine or illicit way. Cf. under the counter at counter n.³ 4b.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > [adverb]

softlyc1225

by stalea1240

privilya1250

slylyc1275

thieflyc1290

stealingly13..

by stealth1390

stalworthlya1400

theftfullyc1400

theftlyc1400

theftuouslyc1400

under veilc1425

thievishly?c1450

by theft1488

quietly1488

furtively1490

by surreption1526

hugger-muggera1529

in hugger-mugger1529

underhand1538

insidiously1545

creepingly1548

surreptiously1573

underboard1582

filchingly1583

sneakingly1598

underwater1600

slipperily1603

thief-likea1625

clandestinely1632

surreptitiously1643

thievously1658

clancularly1699

stownlins1786

stealthily1806

underhandedly1806

stolen-wise1813

on (upon, under, or by) the sly1818

round-the-corner1820

underhanded1823

stealthfully1828

slinkingly1830

slippingly1830

on the sneak?1863

sneakishly1867

behind backs1874

stalkingly1891

on the side1893

under the counter1926

underground1935

under the table1938

down and dirty1959

sneakily1966

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > [adjective] > accomplished by stealth

stolenc1400

secret1548

clandestine1566

stealed1577

backdoor1581

underhand1592

surreptitial1602

surreptitious?1615

furtive1628

surreptious1630

by1633

surreptive1633

subreptitious1641

surreptitious1645

postern1648

backstairs1663

smuggled1707

underneath1747

underhanded1806

hidlingsa1810

hole-and-corner1835

side door1862

under-cover1933

under the table1938

crafty1946

1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad 334 Under the table, something given as a bribe.

1943 H. A. Wallace Cent. of Common Man (1944) 86 We can create co-operation or conflict; unity of purpose or under-the-table dealing.

1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential ii. xi. 92 Liquor licenses cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 under the table.

1963 F. O'Connor Let. 31 Oct. in Habit of Being (1979) 544 I daresay a deal will be made under the table.

1973 W. H. Hallahan Ross Forgery vi. 115 Under-the-table freight rebates reached absurd proportions.

1988 A. Lurie Truth about Lorin Jones x. 180 If Cameron wanted to sell anything he'd have to do it under the table.

1996 ‘E. Lathen’ Brewing up Storm (1998) xiv. 167 I'd like to point out this was not some under-the-table deal.

2006 Tablet 14 Oct. 37/2 They allege that some full-time employees have only part-time contracts and others are paid ‘under the table’.

P4.

(a) to lay on the table and variants: (a) to present or submit formally for discussion or consideration by a legislative assembly, originally the British House of Commons, or other deliberative meeting; (more generally) to present for immediate discussion; (b) originally and chiefly U.S. (of a legislative or deliberative body) to leave or postpone consideration of (a report, proposed measure, etc.) for the present; (more generally) to postpone indefinitely. Cf. table v. 4a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > agreement > make an agreement with [verb (transitive)] > negotiate > make the subject of negotiation

to lay on the table1646

capitulate1661

1646 R. Baillie Anabaptism 163 The question of dipping and sprinkling never came upon the Table.

1656 T. Burton Diary (1828) I. 207 Divers petitions were cast upon the table in a very confused way, and excepted unto..as anti-parliamentary.

1733 in 15th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS App. vi. 107 in Parl. Papers 1897 (C. 8551) LI. 1 The majority, for laying the Petition on the Table..and not hearing it by counsel, was only seventeen.

1804 Jrnl. House of Representatives Commonw. Kentucky 110 Mr. Allen then moved to lay the bill on the table, until the end of the session.

1851 N. I. Bowditch Hist. Mass. Gen. Hosp. x. 366 The Committee on naming the wards made a report, which was read and laid on the table for future consideration. It has not yet been accepted.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xix. 343 Shrewsbury laid on the table of the Lords a bill for limiting the duration of Parliaments.

1857 Blackwood's Mag. Sept. 373/2 The President of the India Board..promised to lay ‘papers’ on the table of Parliament.

1913 Times 6 June 13/6 The Select Committee on the Putumayo Atrocities have laid on the table of the House of Commons a resolution.

1923 H. M. Robert Parl. Law (U.S.) 63 It is in order for a mere majority to lay on the table the questions that have not been disposed of.

1973 Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin) 30 Nov. b7/3 Supervisor Kloes moved..that the resolution be laid on the table,pending the Attorney General's opinion on what part of Section 51.42 of the Wisconsin State Statute covers operation of the PMI Program.

2005 Compan. Standing Orders House of Lords (ed. 20) 215 The initial House of Lords' publication scheme was..laid on the Table by the Clerk of the Parliaments in November 2002.

(b) to lie on (also upon) the table: to be set aside for discussion or consideration at a later date; (also) to be postponed indefinitely.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > agreement > make an agreement [verb (intransitive)] > be under consideration

to lie on (also upon) the table1679

1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation I. ii. 148 On the 4th of February the Commons sent up a Bill to the Lords about the Consecration of Bishops; it lay on the Table till the 27th of February, and was then cast out, and a new one drawn.

1703 A. Fletcher Speeches i. 3 Experience may teach us, that such Acts should be the last of every Session; or lie upon the Table, till all other great Affairs of the Nation be finished.

1744 in New Jersey Archives (1882) 1st Ser. VI. 191 The House of Representatives..would not commit it [sc. a bill] but ordered it to lie on the table.

1790 W. Maclay Jrnl. 1 June (1927) 272 I had concluded that I thought it best that the bill should lie on the table until the resolution came up.

1817 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 336 The petition was ordered to lie on the table.

1863 United Presbyterian Mag. May 233/2 It was agreed that the whole matter should, in the meantime, lie on the table.

1935 S. Ervin Henry Ford vs. Truman H. Newberry vi. 76 Two reports..were presented in the Senate and were ordered to be printed and to lie on the table.

1986 Telegraph (Brisbane) 6 Aug. 27/1 This Government..will let it lie on the table for at least a week (three sitting days).

2001 Oxoniensia 65 136 The report was allowed to ‘lie on the table’ for the attention of the new council.

2003 C. Emsley in T. Newburn Handbk. Policing iv. 80 Frequent suggestions..that the smaller forces be amalgamated with their larger neighbours were similarly left to lie on the table.

(c) on (also upon) the table: under consideration or discussion.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > agreement > [adverb] > under discussion

on (also upon) the table1884

the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > [adverb] > under consideration

in view?c1475

in one's eye?1567

in speculation1638

under consideration1652

on (upon) the tapis1690

on the carpet1726

in contemplation1773

on (also upon) the table1884

on the nail1886

1884 H. R. Haggard Dawn II. xxi. 301 The facts are, so to speak, all upon the table, and I will merely touch upon the main heads of my case.

1915 J. London Let. 25 Aug. (1966) 458 It is..on the table whether or not we shall say ‘it is I’ or ‘it is me’.

1986 Times 1 Aug. 32 The bid is still on the table.

2000 Independent 3 Apr. (Monday Review section) 2/3 Solutions such as the shared branch or the multi-bank agency are on the table following the..study of the problems of bankless communities.

(a) to take off the table and variants: (a) to remove formally from the set of items for discussion or consideration by a legislative assembly or other deliberative meeting; (more generally) to render unavailable for discussion or consideration; (b) originally and chiefly U.S. (of a legislative or deliberative body) to bring back (a report, proposal, etc.) for discussion or consideration after an earlier postponement. Cf. to lay on the table at Phrases 4a(a).

ΚΠ

1788 W. Gordon Hist. Independence U.S.A. I. ix. 362 All lists were taken off the table, at Mr. Sears's motion.

1792 Proc. Catholic Meeting Dublin 41 The Catholics..presented an humble petition..; and, three days after, their petition was taken off the table and voted to be rejected, without debating its merits.

1855 N.-Y. Daily Times 12 Jan. 8/3 The Know-Nothing Convention..took off the table a motion to adjourn,..and after some opposition from the Western members, adopted it.

1966 N.Y. Times 12 May 41/2 The publishers' representatives had taken off the table proposals which they and we had previously agreed to.

1970 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz. 17 Feb. ii. 13/3 Joe F. Smith..moved that the motion to reconsider resolution be taken off the table. ‘The Traffic Committee,’ Smith said, ‘worked too vigorously on the resolution for it not to be further considered.’

2006 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 2 Oct. a13 I am pulling it off the table and we will go back to the drawing boards.

(b) off the table: not to be considered or countenanced, esp. in a discussion or negotiation. Cf. on the table at Phrases 4a(c).

ΚΠ

1975 Business Week 22 Sept. 28/3 Any chance of buying back our own stock is off the table completely.

1982 Washington Post (Nexis) 30 Apr. a3 Dole..also said a proposed temporary surtax on high income persons is ‘off the table now’.

1991 R. A. Jamieson Day at Office 21 She had said all she was going to say and the subject was completely off the table.

2006 PC Gamer Apr. 74/4 I'm not wearing my Dark Brotherhood hat.., so killing is off the table.

P5. to lay one's cards on the table and variants: see card n.² Phrases 3.

P6. Chiefly Anglican Church. table of (kindred and) affinity (also table of prohibited (also forbidden) degrees): a list describing those relatives by blood or marriage that it is prohibited for a person to marry according to church law. Also with capital initials.This list is printed at the end of the Book of Common Prayer.

ΚΠ

1563 Abp. M. Parker Articles §24 Item, whether there bee any in these partes that haue maried within degrees of affinity or consanguinitie, by the lawes of God forbidden: so set oute in a table for an Admonition.]

1703 Athenian Oracle I. 470/2 We find in the Table of Kindred and Affinity,..the Brothers Daughter among the prohibited Degrees to the Man.

1742 T. Broughton Hist. Dict. All Relig. II. 60 As to the impediment of Consanguinity or Affinity, there is a table of prohibited degrees.

1777 E. Smyth Acct. Trial Edward Smyth 97 Is a table of kindred and affinity publicly set up in every church?

1849 Times 24 Feb. 5/3 They derive this article of faith from the tables of prohibited degrees at the end of their Prayer-book.

1870 Times 20 May 8/6 The Bishop..pointed out that a certain principle was affirmed by the Table of Affinity.

1930 Man 30 72/1 The more capricious restrictions imposed by our ecclesiastical tables of kindred and affinity.

1947 R. M. Maclver Mod. State 28 The rigid interpretation..of the..principle which appears in our ‘table of forbidden degrees’.

2005 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 22 Dec. 23 Does the same table of kindred and affinity..apply to civil partnerships as to marriage?

P7. the pleasures of the table [after French les plaisirs de la table (1656 or earlier)] : good food and drink, considered as a source of enjoyment.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > [noun] > food and drink > as source of enjoyment

the pleasures of the table1709

1644 Devotions Helpe Christian People 28 Give me such a gust and holy relish in this Divine nutriment, that nothing may ever hereafter please me but what savours of thee..and let my soule be..inebriated with the pleasures of thy Table.]

1709 New Characters Court Great Brit. 9 in tr. J. de La Bruyère Characters (ed. 5) He relishes the Pleasures of the Table without Debauching.

1738 C. Forman tr. L. R. de Saint-Jory Adventures of Malouka 8 He resolved to seek Comfort in the Pleasures of the Table, and the enchanting Deliriums of Wine.

1769 F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague IV. ccxi. 146 I love the pleasures of the table.

1825 W. Scott Talisman xi, in Tales Crusaders III. 255 Richard..despised the inclination of the German for the pleasures of the table.

1874 J. L. Motley John of Barneveld I. i. 28 He had small love for the pleasures of the table.

1942 G. M. Trevelyan Eng. Social Hist. xiii. 408 Eighteenth Century Englishmen were much addicted to the pleasures of the table.

2000 Red Herring May 64/2 Slow Food is..a return to traditional, regional pleasures of the table, enjoyed slowly with family and friends.

P8. to put bread (also food) on the table and variants: (of an occupation, way of life, etc.) to enable a person to bring in a steady or basic income; (of a person) to earn enough money to live on.

ΚΠ

1844 Vermont Watchman & State Jrnl. 9 Aug. 1/3 The American System..gave independence to the American working-man, whether he toils in the mine or in the field,..which gives bread to his table, comfort to his fire-side.]

1859 Era 10 Apr. 10/2 Mr. Buchanan..has the germs of poetry in him;..if he will prune and restrain his muse... But she will not put bread on his table.

1955 Price-support Program: Hearings before Comm. on Agric. & Forestry (U.S. Senate, 84th Congr., 1st Sess.) VI. 3249/2 Most of us have had to look for..work off the farm in order to be able to survive, in order to be able to put food on the table.

2008 M. Hill Last Scene 17 I enjoyed writing, but I knew it wouldn't put bread on the table.

P9. to bring (something) to the table: to contribute (something worthwhile, useful, or valuable) to a discussion, project, etc.

ΚΠ

1914 Times 20 Mar. 15/5 Reece can do exquisitely delicate things and bring to the table a virtuosity which words cannot overpraise.

1967 Valley Independent (Monessen, Pa.) 13 Nov. 4/1 The major attribute some of the victors in Tuesday's voting will bring to the table is mastery of the art of getting re-elected.

1978 Business Week (Nexis) 2 Oct. 106 We're not going to get Weyerhaeuser away from Morgan Stanley,..but for smaller companies we can really bring something to the table.

1993 D. Irvin Behind Bench xix. 319 You have assistant coaches, and what do they bring to the table? They're sounding boards for disgruntled players.

2002 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 10 Feb. 7/1 Sheppard brought to the table not only an agile intelligence..but athleticism and physical courage.

Compounds

C1.

a. General attributive.

(a) (In sense 5.)

table drawer n.

ΚΠ

1703 R. Wilkinson Vice Reclaimed 28 In the Table-drawer, a Toothless dirty Comb and brush, some Boxes with Pills or Pomatum, perhaps a little Brick-dust to scowr the Teeth.

1818 M. M. Sherwood Stories Church Catech. (ed. 4) xvi. 100 To look in the table-drawer, for a little book.

1938 Times 2 Apr. 8/4 His eye chanced to fall upon a sere and yellow front page of The Times which was doing duty as lining for a table drawer.

2005 R. K. Sherwin in A. Sarat et al. Law on Screen 112 Falling onto her bed, Diane blindly reaches out to an end table drawer, pulls out a revolver, places it in her mouth, and pulls the trigger.

table edge n.

ΚΠ

1676 T. Mace Musick's Monument 76 Sitting in an Vpright-Comely-Posture of your Body, with your Lute well set, and firmly fixt between your Breast, and the Table-Edge, your Right Hand plac'd over the Bridge.

1720 E. Ward Delights of Bottle iv. 52 Another takes a Knife and whittles The Table edge as if 'twas Vict'als.

1863 Times 9 Apr. 4/6 Shortly it also vanished, and a third hand was seen at the other side of the vacant table edge.

1995 K. McCloud Techniques of Decorating (1998) 134/1 Tap the ferrule (the metal brace on the brush handle) firmly on a table edge.

table head n.

ΚΠ

1606 W. Arthur & H. Charteris Rollock's Lect. 1st & 2nd Epist. Paul to Thessalonians (1 Thess.) xvi. 201 He that eates without labour (set him at the table head) he hes no honestie.

1621 B. Robertson tr. Erasmus Adagia in Latine & Eng. 40 He can well speake at the Table head.

1733 J. Swift On Poetry 16 Battus from the Table-head,..Gives Judgment with decisive Air.

1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. xix. 360 At the table-head..sat..the new Lord of Bourne.

1988 Amer. Speech 63 351 They sit in chairs cut-down to floor level and look up at the executive at the table head.

table leg n.

ΚΠ

1791 Whole Proc. King's Comm. Peace (City of London & County of Middlesex) 204/2 This soldier..laid the table legs on my arm, and carried the vaneers to my place where I was at work.

c1870 Ld. Tennyson in Daily News 1 Mar. (1898) 7/5 I am convinced that God and the ghosts of men would choose something other than mere table-legs through which to speak to the heart of man.

1995 House Beautiful Nov. 93/2 Furniture is my sculpture... I just can't get enough of it—the curve of a sofa arm, the turn of a table leg.

(b) (In sense 6.)

table companion n.

ΚΠ

1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 178 Ordinary friends and table companions [Gk. συμπόται] may be gotten and stollen (as it were) from others.

1712 tr. C. Nepos Lives illus. Men 159 Not only his chief Counsellor, but his Table Companion [L. neque solum eum principem consilii haberet, sed etiam in convictu].

1861 W. M. Thackeray Four Georges iv. 180 His next set of friends were mere table companions.

2007 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 4 Mar. c1 His table companions had already finished the soup course.

table fellow n.

ΚΠ

1592 G. Harvey Foure Lett. iii. 41 The Table-fellow of Duke Humfrey, & Tantalus, might learne of him to curse Iupiter.

1773 A. Vieyra Dict. Portuguese & Eng. Langs. I. at Commensal A table-fellow, one that eats and drinks with another.

1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home II. 262 I was meditating in what way this grisly featured table-fellow might..be accosted.

1999 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 22 Aug. 34 This establishment attracts a hotchpotch of hesitant virgins, sensible old-timers and drunks, and we quickly develop a rapport with our table fellows.

table friend n.

ΚΠ

1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 143 We must shun such parasites, who are but saluting and table friends.

1631 R. Barckley Disc. Felicitie of Man (new ed.) v. vi. 635 No man will confesse that he appertaineth in any sort to him, that needeth any helpe, fearing lest hee will by and by aske something of him: David calleth such men table friends.

1712 A. W. Boehm tr. J. Arndt Of True Christianity I. i. xv. 137 He is a true Stranger to this World, but a continual Guest and Table-Friend of Christ.

1996 J. P. McNamee Endurance iv. 104 My table friends challenged me with the certainty that God acts in world and Church.

table guest n.

ΚΠ

a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) sig. A4 I found table guests to eate me, & my meat.

1754 Capt. Cope New Hist. East-Indies xi. 200 They make no great Difference about Table Guests; for the King and a common Soldier, the Master and Slave, sit promiscuously, and dip in the same Dish.

1819 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) IV. 908 Jealousy will lour at his door and discord to be his constant Table-guest and his Chamber-mate.

1994 Daily Mail (Nexis) 26 Oct. 3 The talk among dinner table guests was lively but cultured, everything one would expect of Washington's elite.

table jester n.

ΚΠ

1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (xxxv. 16) Y^e tablejesters, which gave their verdict of his death among the cups.

a1852 J. H. Payne Two Sons-in-Law i, in Trial without Jury & other Plays (1940) 123 Certain regular table jesters, ever floating on the surface of society and never in it, smelling a dinner a league off.

1914 H. G. Wells Social Forces in Eng. & Amer. 215 It may have been his too clearly confessed reluctance to play the part of an informal table jester to his king.

table mate n.

ΚΠ

1624 T. Gataker Mariage Praier 19 [Woman] was..giuen to man, not to be a play-fellow, or a bed-fellow, or a table-mate, onely with him,..but to be a yoake-fellow, a worke-fellow, a fellow-labourer with him.

1873 I. Walden Misc. Poems 60 (note) We have a young lady to whom this poem is dedicated, who is my table-mate.

1996 J. Morgan Debrett's New Guide Etiquette & Mod. Manners 143 Guests must sit quietly during such speeches, laughing politely at attempts at jokes and avoiding whispering to their table mates and making catty asides.

† table-parasite n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1751 W. Warburton in Wks. of Alexander Pope IV. 6 A detected Slanderer, a Table-Parasite, a Church-Buffoon, and a Party-Writer.

table patron n.

ΚΠ

1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 14 I knowe you are no table patrones [L. novi ego vos magnos patronos].

1897 Fort Wayne (Indiana) News 6 July 1/7 He dispensed 500 gallons to families beside the table patrons at his parlors.

1996 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch (Nexis) 18 July 23 Saturday's concert also marks the return of the table-decorating contest. Table patrons are invited to decorate in an Olympic theme.

† table-peer n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 83 God's Pensioner, and Angell's Table-peere O Izrael.

table servant n.

ΚΠ

1809 Asiatic Ann. Reg. 1807 9 Misc. 134/2 The chastisement of one of his valets, or table servants, a parsee.

1882 E. A. Floyer Unexplored Baluchistan 163 He had appointed himself table servant.

1996 Herald (Rock Hill, S. Carolina) (Nexis) 18 Feb. f4 The groups at the tables form a ‘family’, comprised of five young men, one minister, two lay persons, and the table servant.

table steward n.

ΚΠ

1833 W. Blair Inq. Slavery amongst Romans vi. 133 Mensæ præpositus, Table-steward.

1884 N.Y. Times 15 Sept. 4/5 The tourist who disembarks from a steamer discovers that..he has to satisfy the claims of the table steward and the bedroom steward and the smoking room steward and the bathroom steward.

2006 Sunday Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 3 Dec. 15 While the food is generally tasty, it's handy to ask the table steward for the chef's signature dish to avoid disappointment.

table waiter n.

ΚΠ

1828 Slavery in India 276 in Parl. Papers XXIV. 1 Mrs. Browne agreed I should be her table waiter, but since I have been here, I have been put to the work of a groom and chamber maid, and cooking the dog's victuals.

1928 D. H. Lawrence Woman who rode Away & Other Stories 15 The sister was all that could be desired as..an upper parlour-maid, and a table-waiter.

2007 Birmingham Mail (Nexis) 2 Oct. 10 A man I know always hands a £50 tip to his table waiter before he eats, just to be certain he receives ideal service.

(c) (In sense 14.)

table look-up adj. and n. (lookup n. 3.)

ΚΠ

1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 157 Operations such as division, square root, table look-up, etc., where the required time cannot be predicted.

1957 D. D. McCracken Digital Computer Programming xvii. 200 The code number is placed in one of the arithmetic registers and a table look-up instruction given.

1967 N. S. M. Cox & M. W. Grose Organization Bibliogr. Rec. by Computer vi. 142 These will be linked with ‘table-look-ups’ within the output programs to translate each symbol into a full form.

1999 R. Campbell in I. B. Cohen & G. W. Welch Makin' Numbers i. 44 For a logarithm (exponential), the result of the series calculation was added to (multiplied by) numbers found by table lookups.

b. With the sense ‘at or round the table’.

table argument n.

ΚΠ

1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. iii. vii. 75 Let vs make him our onely Table argument, and seeing his folly soareth so high, we will feed him with such a dyet as hee deserueth.

1632 in S. R. Gardiner Rep. Cases Star Chamber & High Comm. (1886) 100 It is hard I confesse to call in question for all that is spoaken at table; and yet this should not have been a table argument.

1998 M. L. Warner Compl. Guide to Alzheimer's-proofing your Home i. 54 Typical culprits include wallpaper or fabrics that are too busy—too many items on the dinner table, and multiple conversations and table arguments, all going on at the same time.

table collection n.

ΚΠ

1902 Daily Chron. 17 May 6/4 There are many families who make it a habit to have a table collection each week for some religious or philanthropic work.

2006 Carpet & Floorcoverings Rev. (Nexis) 13 Nov. 7 The event at Harrogate's Majestic Hotel saw guests dig deep during a table collection and donate £ 1,500.

† table-conference n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1614 W. B. tr. Philosophers Banquet (ed. 2) (title page) Dilated by table-conference, alteration, and changes of states, diminution of the stature of man, barrennesse of the earth.

table conversation n.

ΚΠ

1683 J. Dryden Life Plutarch 9 in J. Dryden et al. tr. Plutarch Lives I A Man..of whom Plutarch has made frequent mention in his Symposiaques, or Table Conversations.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 495. ¶9 This shuts them out from all Table Conversation.

1860 Times 24 Aug. 7/5 The general theme of table conversation over their Bordeaux and nuts is..as to the excellency of the music played the yesternight in the Place d'Armes.

1999 Spokesman Rev. (Spokane, Washington) (Nexis) 9 Dec. c1 I tossed together a quail stir-fry that put a damper on the table conversation as the female majority stuffed their faces.

table fellowship n.

ΚΠ

1625 J. Wilson Some Helpes to Faith viii. 159 The Apostle allowes a christian (table) fellowship with a professed Infidell, and open Idolater, in the case of aduantage of Religion.

1859 W. B. Pope tr. R. Stier Words of Risen Saviour i. v. 65 All confidential intercourse and all perfect communion generally was cut off by this prohibition of table-fellowship.

1995 S. McKnight in M. J. Wilkins Jesus under Fire (2006) ii. 65 As an extension of table fellowship with Jesus, the early church developed the Lord's Supper.

† table gratification n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1773 W. Melmoth Remarks in tr. Cicero Cato 229 A moderate indulgence..in these table-gratifications.

1883 J. R. Newhall Hist. Lynn ii. 51 Every provision was made for table gratifications, and speeches, humorous and sedate, were delivered.

table philosophy n.

ΚΠ

1576 R. Johnes (title) The Schoolemaster; or Teacher of Table Philosophie.

1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 3 It is an other Table-Philosophy, that I fansie.

1991 BBC Summary of World Broadcasts (Nexis) 18 Oct. Wang Ruoshui, deputy chief editor, was in Mao Zedong's graces for his ‘table philosophy’.

c. With the sense ‘used in dining at table’.

table cutlery n.

ΚΠ

1809 Edinb. Advertiser 7 Nov. 1/3 (advt.) Table Cutlery, in ivory, horn, ebony, and wood handles.

1946 A. Christie Come, tell me how you Live vii. 116 Civilisation's invention of table cutlery presents a perpetual headache to a worried house-boy.

2007 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 19 Sept. The larger supplies branded and own label kitchen knives, table cutlery and scissors.

table decoration n.

ΚΠ

1789 F. Atkinson Tour to York 33 We can enter no farther into the table decorations than remarking, that the Prince's supper-room, and one other room, were served entirely on plate!

1937 C. Spry Flowers in House & Garden 169 Your choice of table decorations is bound to be influenced by..your guests.

2003 Home Dec. 7/3 The trimmings can be colour themed to go with your table decorations, and used and reused again.

table furniture n.

ΚΠ

1702 J. K. tr. F. Massialot Court & Country Cook 129 A Desert may neverthless be very neatly disposed of upon the ordinary Table-furniture.

1857 J. G. Swan Northwest Coast 160 They..feel proud..to have a chance to show out their table furniture.

1912 Times 26 Oct. 9/3 Her entrance is heralded by a crash of glass and destruction to the table furniture.

2007 Burnley Advertiser (Nexis) 27 June The company is one of the market leaders in the education sector, with its seating and table furniture widely used by schools, colleges and universities.

table mat n.

ΚΠ

1771 H. Steward Catal. Furnit. Francis Laprimaudaye 20 Sieve, pewter tunnel, flour tub, bread rasp, two table mats, three small sieves, five tin saucepans.

1834 C. Dickens Bloomsbury Christening in Monthly Mag. Apr. 380 A front drawing-room, very prettily furnished with a plentiful sprinkling of little baskets, paper table-mats, [etc.]..on the different tables.

1965 ‘A. Nicol’ Truly Married Woman 5 She remembered the wine glasses and the beer-advertising table-mats in time and put those under the sofa.

2005 Daily Tel. 7 Oct. 28/5 Had I made a terrible social gaffe? Is it very non-U to say table mats, when you mean place mats?

table silver n.

ΚΠ

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India I. i. i. 6 All the vessels of his table silver, and many of those of his cook-room.

1938 Amer. Home Oct. 50/2 It is very important to wash table silver in hot soapy water immediately after each meal.

2008 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 19 Jan. 6 The market for top quality table silver by recognised silversmiths is always enhanced when a piece is in pristine condition.

d. With the sense ‘suitable for consumption at table’.

table ale n.

ΚΠ

1547 W. Salesbury Dict. Eng. & Welshe Aílcwrwf, table ale.

1811 E. A. Kendall Pocket Encycl. (ed. 2) I. 297 A peck of malt will make five gallons of decent table ale.

1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xviii. 169 Mrs. Wickam..takes more table-ale than usual.

1880 Barman's Man. 51 Porter Cup. Mix, in a tankard, a bottle of porter and an equal quantity of table ale; pour in a glass of brandy [etc.].

2002 Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (Nexis) 6 Nov. f3 The Williamsburg Brewing Company developed the recipe as a modern interpretation of the tavern table ales served in the 18th century.

table beer n. [compare Middle Low German tāfelbēr weak beer]

ΚΠ

1643 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. iv. 435 2 hogsheades of stronge beere, 1 hogshead of table beere.

1795 J. Dalrymple Let. to Admiralty 2 There are four kinds of beer in Britain: Strong Beer, Porter, Table Beer, or what is called Seamen's Beer, and Small Beer.

1830 M. Donovan Domest. Econ. I. vi. 207 Table-beer should have the characters of an ale, not of porter.

1992 A. Thorpe Ulverton ix. 198 Oh forty gallons o' never fear forty gallons o' table beer.

table bird n.

ΚΠ

1855 Church of Eng. Q. Rev. July 394 The ancients, it appears, did not use it [sc. the quail] as a table bird.

1884 St. James's Gaz. 22 Aug. 4/2 The capercailzie..as a table bird..will prove a disappointment.

2004 Independent (Compact ed.) 1 Apr. 15/5 These are the largest domesticated chickens, developed in the United States to produce capon table birds.

table cider n.

ΚΠ

1822 Gen. Weekly Reg. 2 June 357/2 Very good table cider may be purchased for £3.

2007 Off Licence News (Nexis) 5 Oct. 37 For the more adventurous drinker there are table ciders in corked 75cl bottles.

table dainty n.

ΚΠ

1624 J. Norden Imitation of Dauid 109 Many a meane contenmed childe of God..doe eat with more contented, and more salutary saturity, than many times doe the most wealthy of the abundance of all their table dainties.

1802 J. Wolcot Ld. Belgrave in Wks. (1812) IV. 523 Every table-dainty, flesh and fish.

1881 H. E. P. Spofford Servant Girl Question (1977) 41 Families..who always give her a due proportion of the table dainties.

1910 Notes & Queries 6 Nov. 371/1 Lowell's ‘franklin’ is not a table dainty, but a stove.

table delicacy n.

ΚΠ

1755 J. Shebbeare Lett. on Eng. Nation II. lvi. 262 The connoisseurs of the table delicacies can distinguish..the taste of an ox which eats his hay from a Chinese crib.

1898 Times 27 Sept. 11/4 It is thought very highly of as a table delicacy.

1944 G. C. Munro Birds Hawaii 56 The kolea..has so long been considered a game bird and table delicacy that efforts to obtain the protection it deserves have not been very successful.

1997 Countryman Spring 81 The Romans..bred snails as a table delicacy: they were nurtured in special jars with air-holes, and fed on milk and wine-must.

table drink n.

ΚΠ

1662 H. Stubbe Indian Nectar vi. 66 Wine..is their table-drink in Spain.

1817 Lady Morgan France (1818) I. 65 The table-drink of the poorest peasantry.

1994 Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.) (Nexis) 27 Oct. a9 A low rate of arterial sclerosis among the people of southern France, where red rather than white wine is the preferred table drink.

table fish n.

ΚΠ

1770 Boston Gaz. 15 Jan. 2/3 Table fish warranted the very best, To be Sold at the Store the Corner of Kilby-Street.

1872 F. F. Victor All over Oregon 63 Besides the salmon of commerce, the Columbia furnishes a great many other species of edible fish..all of which are excellent table-fish in their proper seasons.

1990 Compl. Angler's Guide Spring 9/3 Given a month of rich feeding they will turn into perfect table fish.

table fruit n.

ΚΠ

1653 R. Austen Treat. Fruit-trees 145 Cider..made of Table-fruit, being earliest ripe, is ready to drink, even so soon as its well settled.

1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) II. 293 The Fig-apple is a good Table-Fruit.

1824 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening (ed. 2) iii. 724 The table fruit in the Dalkeith garden are as under..Blue gage, Blue perdrigron, Apricot plum, [etc.].

1999 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 6 Oct. e1 Savor autumn's bounty of fresh grapes as table fruit or in salads, main courses and desserts.

table grape n.

ΚΠ

1806 B. McMahon Amer. Gardener's Cal. 231 The Royal Muscadine, D'Arboyce, or Chasselas Blanc. This has a round white or amber-coloured berry..an excellent table grape.

1926 Zionist Rev. Apr. 144/2 Splendid prospects exist for good table-grapes in those parts of Palestine where the Jewish urban population is growing.

2002 Weekly Times (Melbourne) 24 July 4/3 California table grapes landed on Australian shelves last week to the surprise and concern of the local industry.

table honey n.

ΚΠ

1886 Times 20 Aug. 4/6 Finding..that the English bee masters were taking steps to bring them to justice, this nefarious article is now generally labelled as ‘Californian Honey Dew’, ‘Swiss Table Honey’, &c.

1998 Bismarck (N. Dakota) Tribune (Nexis) 30 July a7 Packers commonly mix honeys together to arrive at the golden ‘table honey’ most Americans find on the shelves packaged in plastic bear-shaped bottles.

table mustard n.

ΚΠ

1669 J. Reynolds Disc. Prodigious Abstinence 19 I added Spirit of Vitrioll to a small quantity of the recent blood of a Patient, which caus'd a visible fermentation..that it became almost of the colour and consistence of our table Mustard.

1797 Encycl. Brit. XIII. 192/1 Leaving a cake behind, fit for making the common table-mustard.

1883 Amer. Naturalist 17 1241 I used some table mustard and some pepper-sauce.

1997 Jrnl. Commerce (Nexis) 22 Jan. c18 The factory, employing 68 workers, manufactures pepper, grained coffee, and prepares table mustard and fruit extracts.

table potato n.

ΚΠ

1790 S. Deane New-Eng. Farmer 224/2 Soon after this, the white kidney potatoe appeared, as good table potatoes as any that I have known.

1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon vii. 200 The produce of the table potatoe crop seldom falls short of 350 bushels.

1999 Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Sun (Nexis) 16 Feb. 2 A vegetable crop specialist..says consumers on the Prairies prefer a red-skinned table potato.

table rice n.

ΚΠ

1792 T. Law Sketch Late Arrangem. Bengal Introd. p. xxxiii I imagine that our best Patna table rice would..sell for at least as much.

2006 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) (Nexis) 25 Aug. (What's Up section) 15 Low-grade sake is made from just table rice, high-grade sake is made from rice that can cost 100 times more a pound.

table salt n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > additive > salt > [noun] > types of salt

salt-stonea1000

saltc1000

white saltOE

bay-salt1465

rock salt1562

salt upon salt1580

mineral salt1600

sea salt1601

French salt1617

verge-salt1656

table salt1670

pigeon salt1679

salt-cakec1702

tamarisk salt1712

cat-salt1724

butter salt1749

basket-salt1753

Sunday salt1756

rock1807

stoved salt1808

solar salt1861

fishery-salt1883

gros sel1917

1670 J. Evelyn in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 5 1190 The Salt-Pits..yield two sorts of perfect Salt, the one being a Sal Gemmæ the other a common Table-Salt.

1748 W. Brownrigg Art of making Common Salt ii. App. iii.160 Several..who are curious in the choice of table salt, use the French cream of salt.

1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 84 Common table salt crystallises in this form.

1998 Guardian 23 Nov. i. 14/7 Iodine consumption can be boosted easily by ensuring that all table salt is iodised.

e. With the sense ‘designed to stand on a table’.

table churn n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation of dairy produce > [noun] > churning butter > churn

churnc1000

kirn1338

butter churn1577

churning-tub1580

barrel-churn1741

plunge churn1793

box churn1810

table churn1828

dash-churn1865

churner1888

1828 Reg. Arts & Jrnl. Patent Inventions 2 215 This is an elegant little table churn, and shows the nature of making butter in a very interesting manner.

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 906 For this purpose, there is perhaps none better than the Table-churn.

1971 Daily News (Huntingdon, Pa.) 23 Dec. 3/4 Mrs. Robert Miller of Miller Township churned butter in a small table churn.

table clock n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > other types of clock

watch-clock1592

German clock1598

quarter clocka1631

wheel-clock1671

table clocka1684

month clock1712

astronomical clock1719

musical clock1721

repeater1725

Tompion1727

pulling clock1733

regulator1735

eight-day clock1741

regulator clock1750

French clock1757

repetition clock1765

day clock1766

striker1778

chiming clock1789

cuckoo-clock1789

night clock1823

telltale1827

carriage clock1828

fly-clock1830

steeple clock1830

telltale clock1832

skeleton clock1842

telegraph clock1842

star clock1850

weight-clock1850

prison clock1853

crystal clock1854

pillar scroll top clock1860

sheep's-head clock1872

presentation clock1875

pillar clock1880

stop-clock1881

Waterbury1882

calendar-clock1884

ting-tang clock1884

birdcage clock1886

sheep's head1887

perpetual calendar1892

bracket clock1894

Act of Parliament clock1899

cartel clock1899

banjo-clock1903

master clock1904

lantern clock1913

time clock1919

evolutionary clock1922

lancet clock1922

atomic clock1927

quartz clock1934

clock radio1946

real-time clock1953

organ clock1956

molecular clock1974

travelling clock2014

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1655 (1955) III. 147 I was shew'd a Table Clock whose balance was onely a Chrystall ball, sliding on paralell Wyers.

1774 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 121/1 A table-clock, a silver spoon, and a silk gown.

1829 Times 14 Sept. 6/6 The dwelling-house of Mr. Thornton, Bennet-street, was broken into and robbed of a valuable table clock..and some silver articles.

2004 New Yorker 18 Oct. 40/2 A sale of silver, objects of virtu, and Russian works of art, featuring an early twentieth-century silver-gilt and guilloche enamel table clock.

table light n.

ΚΠ

1788 List Proprietors Private Sedan Chairs (Lying-in Hopsital, Dublin) 33 Lights in public rooms... Ball room... 11 Table Lights.

2003 HomeDIY Dec. 50/4 To turn table lights, radios and TV sets on and off, use plug-in time switches between the plug and socket.

table lighter n.

ΚΠ

1927 Times 5 Dec. 11/4 Gifts for smokers are found in airtight tobacco jars, crystal table lighters, and match holders and ashtrays combined.

1967 ‘P. Chambers’ Bad die Young i. 11 A grateful client had given me a heavy bronze table lighter.

1992 S. Nye Best of Men behaving Badly (2000) 2nd Ser. Episode 3. 44/1 (stage direct.) Dorothy gets to her feet slowly, finds a table lighter and quietly sets fire to Gary's chart.

table model n.

ΚΠ

1929 Radio Times 8 Nov. 437/1 The table model Columbia is..the most advanced radio of the day.

1977 D. E. Westlake Nobody's Perfect 10 He'd cased that TV repair shop—he'd even brought in a perfectly good Sony table model and let them charge him for six new tubes.

1990 Yankee Mar. 26/1 (advt.) Will swop two 1930s table-model Zenith radios, semi-cathedral type.

table stand n.

ΚΠ

1854 C. M. Yonge Heartsease I. ii. i. 102 A pretty little rosewood work-table, on which was..a table-stand of books.

1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1150/3 Folding Music Stands... Table stand... Brass 7/6.

1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio i. 30 There are four types of microphone mounting. These are: (i) The table stand, [etc.].

2003 P. Utz Introd. Audio iii. 58 The mike is on a table stand and every time the talent bumps the table, it sounds like a kettledrum rolling down a stairwell.

f. With the senses ‘having the form of a table; having a wide horizontal surface on which things may be placed’.

table cabinet n.

ΚΠ

1851 G. A. Mantell Petrifactions iii. §1. 136 The floor [of a room in Brit. Mus.] being occupied by twenty-six Table-cabinets.

1995 Birmingham (Alabama) News (Nexis) 25 Sept. d9 I have a Singer sewing machine in a blond table cabinet that I will sell at a good price.

table counter n.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > counter

chequer1178

counterc1369

counting-boardc1440

counting-tablec1440

Flanders counter1534

accounting table1649

table counter1667

1667 in J. Pettus Fodinæ Regales (1670) 36 One Table-counter with Cupboards, Shelves, etc.

1853 E. C. Gaskell Cranford (1998) xv. 144 A brilliant piece of oil-cloth on which customers were to stand before the table-counter.

2004 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) (Nexis) 30 Aug. b3 Brunetti pushed all the food scraps off the cutting board and onto the table counter and soaked slices of bread in water to mix with the meat.

table stage n.

ΚΠ

1862 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, & Country Gentleman 11 Mar. 473/1 There is a table stage in front 3 feet high.

1867 J. Hogg Microscope (ed. 6) i. ii. 88 Below the table-stage is the secondary or sub-stage.

1962 R. Cummings 101 Hand Puppets (2002) 31 The table stage..is made from a pasteboard box.

g. Designating various games played on a table, which simulate more or less closely the action of some sport. See also table tennis n.

table football n.

ΚΠ

1896 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 16 Feb. 2/1 (heading) Table football. A good table game that is easy to contrive does not need much preparation.

1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1032/2 Wibley Wob or Table Football. A game for 2 or 4 players, to be placed upon an ordinary dining table.

1976 M. Deakin & J. Willis Johnny go Home i. 27 The biggest amusement arcade he had ever seen..the metropolitan mecca of pinball and table football.

2002 R. Williams Sing yer Heart out for Lads i. 30 (stage direct.) The boys head for the table football, Lee puts fifty pence in, a ball comes out.

table hockey n.

ΚΠ

1932 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 9 Feb. 8/4 Grown-ups in the family will be found playing table tennis, table hockey, checkers, chess, [etc.].

1956 H. Eizenberg & L. Eizenberg Omnibus of Fun xvii. 343 Table Hockey. This ping-pong blow game can have four teams on rectangular table.

1994 Winnipeg Homes Fall 86/2 There is a games room, complete with a pool table, TV and table hockey.

table soccer n.

ΚΠ

1948 Sporting Mirror 21 May 10/3 (advt.) Send 3d. stamp for full details of Subbuteo the game of Table Soccer... Played with 22 miniature men, ball and goals.

1995 T. Parks Ital. Educ. 258 The bar amounts to six scattered tables with red-and-white-checked plastic cloths and a game of table soccer.

C2.

a. Objective, as table-cleaning, table-laying, etc.

ΚΠ

1855 S. E. Shepard Reviser 75 He is called God's minister because he was God's executive... This is very unlike table serving.

1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Oct. 2/1 There was a certain amount of table-jogging and spilling of liquors.

1933 Jrnl. Home Econ. 25 886 A film showing such household processes as table-laying and washing dishes.

1989 A. Aird 1990 Good Pub Guide 306 It seems that at busy times there's still some progress to be made on the table-cleaning front.

b. Spiritualism. With reference to the moving of a table by supposed spiritual agency, esp. during a seance, or to the medium and participants at such a seance. Cf. table-turner n., table-turning n.

table-lifting n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit)

spirit rappings1846

table tipping1846

rapping1848

table-lifting1852

table-moving1852

table-turning1852

rap1853

table-rapping1853

table-tapping1854

table tilting1858

1852 Harper's Mag. May 839/2 Men whose credulity can not digest the supernatural of the Bible are most remarkably easy of belief in respect to spiritual rappings, and spiritual table-liftings.

1884 Proc. Soc. Psychical Res. 1883–4 2 248 He would have really ‘exploded the whole nonsense’ of table-lifting.

1997 P. Kurtz Courage to Become iii. 46 There are also numerous efforts by psychical researchers to set up experimental seances, to witness physical manifestations in the form of table-lifting, rappings, and so forth.

table-moving n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit)

spirit rappings1846

table tipping1846

rapping1848

table-lifting1852

table-moving1852

table-turning1852

rap1853

table-rapping1853

table-tapping1854

table tilting1858

1852 A. Ballou Expos. Spirit Manifestations vii. 78 Rappings, tippings, table-movings, &c., &c., &c., are absolutely too low and undignified to be ascribed to departed spirits.

1862 B. Taylor At Home & Abroad 2nd Ser. vii. 442 Circles began to be formed in my native town, for the purpose of table-moving.

1998 Skeptical Inquirer (Nexis) 19 Sept. 52 ‘Other Phenomena’, such as pendulums, mind-reading, table moving, dowsing, Ouija boards, and automatic handwriting.

table tilting n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit)

spirit rappings1846

table tipping1846

rapping1848

table-lifting1852

table-moving1852

table-turning1852

rap1853

table-rapping1853

table-tapping1854

table tilting1858

1858 Proc. Royal Instit. 2 27 Numerous and respectable eye-witnesses, in the seventeenth-century vouched for the transit of witches on broomsticks through the air; as, in the nineteenth, have testified to table-tilting and table-turning!

1861 J. Jones Nat. & Supernatural iv. 386 At this, the rappings and table-tiltings (our hands were off the table) were repeated, and with greater force than before.

1881 Chester (Pa.) Daily Times 21 Nov. 3/2 Some table tilting was next indulged in by one of the three mediums, aided by four ladies from the audience.

2005 Derby Evening Tel. (Nexis) 22 Nov. 19 The Roman soldier and the man who had lived in the area both ‘appeared’ during a table tilting session.

table-tipper n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) > one who induces or believes in

spirit-rapper1851

rappist1853

table-rapper1854

table-tipper1854

table-turner1854

rapper1857

1854 Rappers ii. vii. 239 (heading) Ancient rappers, table-tippers, and speaking mediums.

1865 J. R. Lowell Lett. I. 386 I translate by direct inspiration of a scholiast turned table-tipper.

1996 Independent 9 Dec. i. 18/3 Randi has tested dowsers in Australia, table-tippers in Italy, and, most recently, therapeutic touch practitioners in Colorado.

table tipping n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit)

spirit rappings1846

table tipping1846

rapping1848

table-lifting1852

table-moving1852

table-turning1852

rap1853

table-rapping1853

table-tapping1854

table tilting1858

1846 G. Putnam Serm. before Legislature of Mass. 30 The fanatic finds revelation..in mesmeric developments, in spirit rappings, table tippings, in all mysterious phenomena.

1852 New Church Repository & Monthly Rev. July 337 We speak more especially of the table-knocking or table-tipping phenomena.

1855 E. Smedley et al. Occult Sci. 201 If the table-tipping be made to answer as a code of signals.

1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XVII. 513/1 The spirits,..it is alleged, use different methods [of communication].., such as rappings, table tippings, [etc.].

1994 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 19 Mar. b5 Crash brooks no angel nonsense, considering such things to be on par with voodoo, leprechauns, and table tipping.

C3.

table allowance n.

Brit.

/ˈteɪbl əˌlaʊəns/

U.S.

/ˈteɪb(ə)l əˌlaʊəns/

West African English

/ˈtebul aˌlauans/

now chiefly West African an allowance of money for provisions; cf. table money n. 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [noun] > allowance > for specific purpose > for food or maintenance

meatcorn1264

corrody1430

sustentation1461

dieta1483

diet-money1519

board wages1539

viaticum1594

subsistence money1693

table allowance1762

board-money1809

subsistence allowance1824

beer money1827

in-maintenance1836

subsistence allowance1848

conred1876

sustenance money1905

rider1975

1762 Anecd. Relative Affairs Germany 32 The extraordinary pension and table allowance given him.

1810 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1836) V. 577 I beg that you will draw a table allowance of thirty shillings a day.

1853 W. P. Robertson Visit to Mexico II. xxxv. 164 As director of this great mining concern, he receives a thousand a year, with five hundred a year more as table allowance.

1960 Parl. Deb. Ghana 19 225 It is proposed that Housing and Table allowances should remain substantially as at present.

1997 Africa News (Nexis) 30 Jan. They are proudly announcing that each Councilman should be receiving two-hundred thousand United States dollars as table allowance for the Christmas holidays.

table-almanac n. now rare (originally) †an almanac on a single sheet or card (obsolete); (in later use) an almanac designed to stand on a table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > reckoning of time > calendar > [noun] > specific calendars > table-almanac

ephemeris1556

table-almanac1621

1621 in E. Arber Transcript Reg. Company of Stationers 1554–1640 (1877) IV. 49 Table almanacke on a sheet of paper.

1857 W. C. Milne Life in China iv. ii. 415 A few short notes line the margin of the table-almanac.

1918 ‘R. Dehan’ That which hath Wings xvii. 89 Saxham answered, not glancing at the silver table-almanac but at the threefold photographic frame.

table anvil n. a small anvil that can be screwed on to a table.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > forging equipment > anvil > types of

bickern1547

stake1660

welting stake1660

stag1688

table anvil1824

sparrow-hawk1869

teest1877

1824 F. C. Accum Explanatory Dict. Apparatus & Instruments Chem. 10 A steel anvil and a small table anvil.

1842 Catal. Apparatus J. M. Wightman 62 Table Anvil of cast iron; very useful, $1.50 to 2.50.

2000 L. C. Jones tr. C. Codina Compl. Bk. Jewelry Making (2006) 52/3 (caption) This photo shows a small table anvil and a steel bench block used to make forged reductions, rivets, or textures.

† table balas n. Obsolete a balas cut with a large flat upper surface surrounded by smaller facets.

ΚΠ

1519 Inventory in State Papers Henry VIII (P.R.O.: SP 1/19) f. 42 Having an owche at the eend wherin is sett a fair table balas w^t iiij fair diamauntes wherof ij great poynted dyamaundes, oon tablet and oon losenge.

1532 J. Strype Memorials T. Cranmer (1694) 7 Another Carkeyne of golde of harts with ij hands holding a great owche of golde, set with a great table balasse.

table-bat n. English regional (west midlands) Mining (now rare). a distinctive stratum of bat (bat n.² 11) in a coal mine.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > features of stratum or vein > [noun] > material between > between coal

pennant1669

table-bat1712

bind1799

seral1858

bony1874

1712 F. Bellers in Philos. Trans. 1710–12 (Royal Soc.) 27 542 The Table-Bat, next under the Rubble Iron-Stone.

1895 Trans. Federated Inst. Mining Engineers 8 360 The yard coal and yellow ironstone of Shropshire lie some feet above the pitcher basses, the heathen coal in Staffordshire occurs below the table bat.

table bed n. a bed in the shape of a table.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > bed > types of bed > [noun] > other types of bed

childbed1568

plank bed1584

table bed1633

earth-bed1637

pigeon-hole bed1685

box-bed1693

barbecue1697

plaid bedc1710

bed of state1713

pallet1839

high post1842

rocker1854

wire bed1882

lit bateau1895

string cot1895

sleigh bed1902

orthopaedic bed1943

high-low bed1956

futon1959

bateau lit1983

1633 J. Done tr. ‘Aristeas’ Aunc. Hist. Septuagint 179 Ten Table-beds or Couches of ease, which had the feete of Siluer [L. decem mensas argenteis pedibus praeditas].

1714 M. Postlethwayt Let. 5 Mar. in E. Pyle Mem. Royal Chaplain (1905) 33 Pray take care of putting up the Table Bed, put nothing in but what belongs to it.

1872 Harper's Mag. Dec. 74/1 Sometimes the table-beds are made of costly wood, adorned with tortoise-shells, ivory, or some more valuable thing, and glitter with precious stones.

1990 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 6 May ii. 32/1 Beside the table-bed is a remarkable and surprisingly beautiful rug.

table bell n. [originally after Dutch tafelschel (1708 or earlier: see quot. 1708); compare Dutch tafelbel, in same sense (1739)] a small handbell placed upon the table for summoning attendants.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > signalling > audible signalling > ringing of bells as signal > [noun] > bell summoning attendance

call bell1673

table bell1708

annunciator1848

1708 W. Sewel Large Dict. Eng. & Dutch ii. 414/2 Tafel-schel, a Table-bell.

1832 Chambers' Edinb. Jrnl. 25 Aug. 236/3 This minikin table-bell, which I must have unconsciously pocketed.

1964 W. Soyinka Trials Brother Jero iii, in Three Plays 59 You behind the desk, giving orders?..With a telephone and a table bell for calling the Messenger?

2007 Canberra Times (Nexis) 29 Mar. a3 Recently he made two silver table bells..for Government House in Canberra and Admiralty House in Sydney.

† table-bit n. Obsolete a drill bit used to cut the joints of tables.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > piercing or boring tools > [noun] > auger or gimlet > for specific shapes

centre-bit1746

table-bit1847

1847 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxiv. 539 The spoon-bit..the table-bit, for making the holes for the wooden joints of tables, [is] of this kind.

1873 Amer. Cycl. III. 98/2 Such are the gouge bit,..the spoon bit..and its varieties, the table bit and the cooper's dowel bit.

table carpet n. now historical a woollen tablecloth; (also) a decorative tablecloth of other material; cf. carpet n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > cover for furniture > for table when not in use

table carpet1535

tablecloth1610

table cover1749

1535 Inventory Wardrobe Katharine of Arragon 28 in Camden Misc. (1855) III One table carpette withe a red boordre.

1715 J. Chappelow Right Way to be Rich 144 Table-Carpets or Bed-Coverlets.

1835 M. R. Mitford Belford Regis I. 98 The unmatchable brown and gold feathers of the game-cock's neck, which that ambitious embroideress Lady Delaney aspired to imitate in a table-carpet.

1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iii. 74 Great families worked their own table carpets in tent stitch on canvas sometimes incorporating their coats of arms into the design.

2005 Heritage Mar. 37/2 Five new museum rooms..will contain Hardwick's famous Tobit table carpet and new displays of textiles and miniature furniture.

table centre n. an ornamental piece of embroidery, decorated work, etc., placed over the tablecloth at the centre of a table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > other tableware or items for table

pewter1426

warnera1552

nef1567

pewtery1645

hollow-ware1682

equipage1683

flatware1686

napkin ring1686

pewterware1738

egg cup1773

dish-rim1774

butter cooler1784

dish-cross1785

argyll1789

toast-rack1801

centrepiece1836

table centrepiece1850

silverware1862

doily1864

table centre1865

potato ring1888

egg-cosy1894

sandwich flag1907

cheese board1916

Lazy Susan1917

1865 Times 21 Apr. 12/6 (advt.) Handsome Bohemian and Egyptian vases, lustres, table centres, floral and crystal gasoliers, Assyrian flower bowls.

1901 Lady's Realm 10 616 This white satin table-centre is decorated with ribbon, lace, braid, and embroidery.

1997 Shetland Times 21 Nov. (Suppl.) 18/1 (advt.) We have a wide choice of gifts for all the family or for the home. Chair Backs, Arm Caps, Crochet Mats and Table Centres.

table centrepiece n. a decorative object, esp. one arrayed with flowers, placed at the centre of a table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > other tableware or items for table

pewter1426

warnera1552

nef1567

pewtery1645

hollow-ware1682

equipage1683

flatware1686

napkin ring1686

pewterware1738

egg cup1773

dish-rim1774

butter cooler1784

dish-cross1785

argyll1789

toast-rack1801

centrepiece1836

table centrepiece1850

silverware1862

doily1864

table centre1865

potato ring1888

egg-cosy1894

sandwich flag1907

cheese board1916

Lazy Susan1917

1850 Times 11 Sept. 6/4 It consisted of a splendid solid silver epergne to form a table centrepiece, beautifully decorated with foliage and figures.

1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 882 Table centre pieces and vases. Finest English hand-made cut crystal.

2003 Independent on Sunday 5 Oct. (Review Suppl.) 13/2 It's the one you'll have seen..as table centrepieces at the last wedding you went to.

table-chair n. a chair which can be converted into a table; (also) a chair used for sitting at a table; cf. chair-table n. at chair n.¹ Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > other tables

dormant tablec1405

set board1512

chair-table1558

oyster table1559

brushing-table1575

stand board1580

table-chair1671

reading table1749

worktable1762

centre table1775

pier table1778

loo-table1789

screen table1793

social table1793

octoped1822

claw-table1832

bench table1838

mould1842

end table1851

pedestal table1858

picnic table1866

examining table1877

silver table1897

changing table1917

rent table1919

capstan table1927

conference table1928

tricoteuse1960

Parsons1962

overflow table1973

butcher's block1976

1671 in F. W. Steer Farm & Cottage Inventories Mid-Essex (1950) 120 In The Hall—..one Table-chaire.

1836 S. S. Arnold in Proc. Vermont Hist. Soc. (1940) 8 125 Father gave me his old table-chair.

1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed v. 35 Shabby men and women sat in white table-chairs.

1995 T. Ferguson Fire Line iv. 117 Ferenc Van Loon sat in a wooden tablechair angled back on its hind legs with his feet propped on one end of the table.

table clamp n. a clamp for fastening something to a table.

ΚΠ

1853 Technologisches Wörterbuch I. 601 Tischhänge, table-clamp.

1857 Catal. Math. Apparatus Newton & Co. 13 in Catal. Educ. Div. S. Kensington Mus. Double Barrel Air Pump,..with 8in. plate, and table clamp.

1983 Buck & Hickman Catal. 1983–5 108 A table clamp which adapts the powerful locking jaws of the Mole self-grip wrench into use as a portable small vice.

1992 M. Margetts Classic Crafts 57/1 Attach the table clamps to the side of a table, spaced about 20 cm..apart.

table couch n. a couch for reclining on while dining at table.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > seat > sofa or couch > [noun] > for reclining at meals

dining bed1577

triclinium1646

feast-beda1661

supper beda1661

table couch1783

1783 T. Wilson Archæol. Dict. at Eating The Hebrews..adopted the fashion of the Persians, Chaldeans, Greeks and Romans, and had table couches to lie upon.

1877 J. C. Geikie Life & Words Christ II. lviii. 456 Lazarus reclined with Him on the table-couch.

1927 T. Frank Econ. Hist. Rome (ed. 2) xiv. 255 The beds, chairs and tablecouches certainly required skilled craftsmen of many arts for their production.

1985 D. J. Thomsen Merger xiv. 247 He..asked if she would sit at one of the table couches.

table cover n. a decorative cloth used to cover a table permanently or between meal times; (now also) a cloth intended to cover and protect a dining table during meals; cf. tablecloth n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > cover for furniture > for table when not in use

table carpet1535

tablecloth1610

table cover1749

1749 W. Hopley Catal. Househ.-furnit. J. Gilchrist 11 A callico counterpane, a cotton ditto and table cover.

1829 R. Sharp Diary 26 Aug. (1997) 219 They were not permitted to live in the Stile of their Landlord, with their Carpets, and Floor Cloths, their Mirrors and Table Covers.

1928 Garden & Home Builder Jan. 443/2 No one likes rough-dried wrinkled table covers.

1985 A. Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's xvii. 141 And aye, she always had her windsor soap for scrubbin' and dolly-blues for the table-covers and pillow-cases.

2003 National Art Coll. Fund Rev. 2002 128/3 The red silk bedcover..at some time served as a table cover.

2004 Park Home & Holiday Caravan Feb. 63/1 Deeko is giving a disposable tableware kit containing eight plates, 20 napkins, a table cover—all in bold, bright colours—eight half-pint tumblers and eight wine glasses.

table-coverer n. now rare an attendant who sets or lays the table for a meal; cf. table decker n. [In quot. 1958 after Uzbek dasturxonchi steward, butler ( < dasturxon tablecloth, meal, spread of food + -chi, suffix forming agent nouns).]

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > one who

table-coverer1723

table decker1728

1723 J. Chamberlayne Present State Great Brit. (ed. 26) II. iii. 566 Table-Coverer to the Bed-Chamber Women Andrew Adamson.

1737 Chamberlayne's Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 33) ii. iii. 220 Table-Coverer to the Chaplains.

1842 tr. J. G. Kohl Russia x. 81 Whole companies of stable-boys, stove-heaters, scullions, lamplighters, couriers, table-coverers [Ger. Tafeldeckern], and housemaids, were easily admitted into a household.

1958 F. Maclean Person from Eng. 54 He had informed the Tsar's plenipotentiary that for the settlement of his business he might in future address himself to the head Destur Khandji or ‘Table-coverer’, in other words to his butler.

table crumb n. a crumb that falls from the table at a meal; frequently in figurative context; usually in plural.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food otherwise characterized > [noun] > left-over food

reliefc1300

ortc1325

broken meatc1384

scrapsa1387

reversionc1450

remissalsc1460

superfluities1483

levet1528

sheet-shaking1543

table crumb1566

relics1576

off-falling1607

analects1623

voiding1680

voidance1740

leftover1866

pot-washings1912

slarts1913

1566 J. Studley tr. Seneca Medea f. 1^v Let hym be dryuen at straungers gates the table crummes to craue.

1620 T. Dekker Dreame Sig. E3^v They that for Table-crums refus'd to buy And (for their soules) hoord vp Eternity.

1726 J. Thomson Winter (ed. 2) 42 Till, more familiar grown, the Table-Crumbs Attract his [sc. the redbreast's] slender Feet.

1804 J. Grahame Sabbath 30 Where little birds..Light on the floor, and peck the table-crumbs.

2000 K. J. Saltman Collateral Damage iv. 88 Those structures that..promote a cynical greed and unholy competition for banquet table crumbs.

table damask n. now chiefly historical a twilled linen fabric used to make tablecloths; = damask n. and adj. 3b; (also) a tablecloth made of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > linen > types of > twilled

damask1542

table damask1742

drabbet1819

1742 New & Compl. Surv. London I. xiv. 480 Holland Table Damask, the Dozen Yards.

1878 Times 23 Sept. 7/3 The demand for most..linen goods,..such as fine table damasks,..is still very moderate.

2005 Dayton (Ohio) Daily News (Nexis) 23 Nov. e1 Oleman's Daylight Store featured table damask at a Thanksgiving linen sale.

table dance n. originally North American an erotic dance or striptease performed on or at a table, esp. the table of a paying customer in a strip club, etc.; cf. lap dance n. at lap n.¹ Additions.

ΚΠ

1912 Charleroi (Pa.) Mail 13 June 1/3 [The people of Homestead, Pennsylvania, are] determined to not have a reputation of ‘Little Egypt’ table dances such as sensationalized Kittanning a few weeks ago... They learned that these awful men folks had induced ‘Little Egypt’ [sc. a female dancer], to perform on a table and pose, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a pleasant expression.

1957 Metronome Aug. 7/1 During Tijuana Table-Dance..Isabel Morel was brought onto the stage to dance an improvised Flamenco with the band.

1962 C. Mingus Tijuana Moods (record sleeve notes) Ysabel's Table dance includes the far-out striptease—spots in the music..[to] represent the scantily clad woman spinning from table to table, reaching out her hand for tips.

1983 Washington Post (Nexis) 5 Jan. c2 According to court records, Cox said Matson was, ‘buying all the patrons of the club drinks, paying numerous girls for table dances, handing girls in the club $100 bills, insisting on having seven to nine girls sit with him’.

2001 Northern Echo (Electronic ed.) 12 Nov. A three-minute table dance costs £10 and in London, the girls can earn between £500 and £700 a night.

table dancer n. originally North American (a) a person who dances on a table; (b) a performer of erotic table dances (usually a woman); cf. lap dancer n. at lap n.¹ Additions.

ΚΠ

1908 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 5 Jan. iii. 9/1 The other table dancer came into the light out of West Oakland some years ago... She is petite, graceful and an exceptionally good dancer. So her table flights were watched with great interest.

1957 New Yorker 3 Aug. 58/3 The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop..worked their way..through..a blues played simultaneously in two keys; ‘Tia Juana Table Dancer’.

1985 Maclean's 28 Jan. 23 I can sit in my car in Holstein and close my eyes and be in the middle of the smoke-filled haze of the Zanzibar Tavern in Toronto—with table dancers shining like jewels in the corners of the room.

2002 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 19 Jan. To many people it might seem odd I'm a table dancer as my family have always had money and been very respectable, but I honestly really enjoy it.

table dancing n. (a) the action or practice of dancing on a table; (b) originally North American, the action or practice of performing an erotic dance or striptease on or at the table of a paying customer in a strip club, etc.; cf. lap dancing n. at lap n.¹ Additions.

ΚΠ

1942 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 12 Nov. c17/5 Some exciting table dancing by another Negro unit called ‘Tip, Tap and Toe’.

1986 U.S. News & World Rep. (Nexis) 29 Dec. 5 Several charities in Detroit..refused to accept $24,000 because it came mostly from tips and table-dancing fees earned by the good ladies at Jason's strip club.

1988 N. Bissoondath Casual Brutality (1989) xi. 235 The Riviera Nightclub and tavern [was] offering Girls!Girls!Girls! and table dancing for five dollars.

1997 Independent 30 July ii. 8/1 Secrets is, according to its own publicity, ‘the only venue in central London to provide fully nude table dancing’.

table decker n. now chiefly historical an attendant who sets or lays the table for a meal, esp. in a royal household; cf. table-coverer n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > one who

table-coverer1723

table decker1728

1728 State Court Great Brit. 11 Table-Deckers. John Dickenson, to the Lords of the Bedchamber.

1843 T. B. Macaulay Madame D'Arblay in Eclectic Mag. Apr. 464/1 The whole Palace from Gold Stick in Waiting down to the Table-Deckers.

1897 Private Life of Queen xxvii. 231 The Table Deckers whose business it is to arrange Her Majesty's board.

2006 G. Lane Daily Life in Mongol Empire iv. 61 A royal throne approached by three flights of stairs; one flight for the Qa'an, one for his ladies, and one for his cupbearers and table deckers.

table desk n. (a) a desk with a broad, flat top; (b) a kind of folding writing box that opens to provide a sloping desktop for use on a table.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > writing materials > other writing equipment > [noun] > writing desk

writing desk1598

writing tablea1613

scritory1616

scrutoire1665

scriptor1666

bureau1698

escritoire1707

secretaire1771

secretary1803

bonheur du jour1820

table desk1820

bureau plat1887

society > communication > writing > writing materials > other writing equipment > [noun] > writing-box

writing box1474

table desk1820

papeterie1840

1820 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 446/1 The body or reservoir of the lamp may either form part of the lamp exhibited to view, or it may be concealed under a table desk.

1857 Times 10 Dec. 12/1 I found that the table-desk was locked, and I felt some of the old man's pockets, but could not find the key.

1904 ‘M. Corelli’ God's Good Man 503 Placed below this, and slightly towards the centre of the room, was the Bishop's table-desk and chair.

1965 J. A. Michener Source 799 Gottesmann was surprised, therefore, when this frail child slammed shut the folding table-desk used by the Palmach as its headquarters.

1984 L. Auchincloss Bk. Class xi. 154 I found him slumped over his great black Italian table-desk, his face covered by his hands.

2002 D. Harris Portable Writing Desks 4 The small pieces of furniture that are the subject of this book are often known by different names: writing slope, writing box, table desk, lap desk, [etc.].

table discourse n. discourse or conversation at table, table talk; an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > chatting or chat > at meals

table talk1556

table discourse1611

supper-time conversation1747

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Table Table-discourse is an excellent Schoole~maister.

1659 T. Burton Diary (1828) IV. 395 It is their table discourse that we shall be ruined.

1730 R. Millar Hist. Church under Old Test. ii. 275 Athenæus Naucratita..wrote fifteen Books of Deipnosophists or Table Discourses among Philosophers.

1896 Ohio Democrat (New Philadelphia, Ohio) 4 June The Passover was doubtless being celebrated during this table discourse of Jesus.

1992 Times (Nexis) 20 Aug. The band has to compete with rock music blasting out across an improvised dance floor... Table discourse is one long shout.

1996 D. L. Matson Househ. Conversion Narr. in Acts iii. 67 The healing of the man with dropsy..becomes the immediate occasion for three table discourses of Jesus.

† table-faced adj. Obsolete = table-cut adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [adjective] > cut into facets > specific

tabled?1578

spread1676

table-cut1688

star-cut1704

tallow-drop1798

table-faced1853

tallow-cut1855

tallow-topped1865

marquise1903

scissor-cut1935

princess cut1961

1853 T. C. Croker Catal. Coll. Anc. & Mediæval Rings 74 Gold, with table-faced diamond, and two smaller diamonds on each side.

1877 W. Jones Finger-ring Lore 366 The other ring is also of gold, with a square table-faced diamond.

table fare n. the food served at a table; the provision of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > [noun] > supplying food or catering > supplying of meals

tabling1533

table fare1576

1576 R. Robinson tr. F. Patrizi Moral Methode Ciuile Policie v. f. 55^v Therefore our ciuill man liue very moderately, & let his dyet & table fare be accordinge to frugality, and temperaunce.

a1729 E. Taylor Poems (1960) 246 And shall I on thy Table Fare, Lord, feed, That is Cookt up by much more Whiter hands Than ever Angells usd?

1898 Cosmopolitan Aug. 430/1 The table-fare was of the regulation pattern of the day.

1926 Travel Nov. 67/2 (advt.) Delicious tablefare, freshened and enriched with vegetables, fruits, butter, milk, and eggs from the hotel's own farms, intrigues your appetite.

2002 R. G. Mitchell Dancing at Armageddon v. 156 Others soon added their own recollections of biblically tabooed table fare.

table flap n. a hinged board attached to a vertical surface, which can be raised or lowered into a horizontal position for use as a table; (also) a drop leaf.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > table with leaf or flap > leaf or flap

leaf1501

table leaf1676

table flap1828

1828 W. Davidson Hist. Lanark 67 My large reading desk, with the table flap that hangs to it.

1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Table-flap, the leaf of a folding-table.

1970 E. Joyce Encycl. Furnit. Making xvi. 174/1 Where there is considerable loading of the surface as in unsupported table flaps, etc., edge joints can be strengthened with tongues.

1993 S. Stewart Ramlin Rose viii. 82 We all sits round the table-flap in ‘Britannia's’ cabin.

table fork n. a fork used for dining, esp. in conjunction with a knife.

ΚΠ

1702 J. K. tr. F. Massialot Court & Country Cook 147 Having boil'd up your Sugar, till it become a little feather'd, put the Lemmon-peels into it with a Table-fork.

1785 Daily Universal Reg. 1 Jan. 3/2 Ivory table knives and forks.

1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 110 The scones should be pricked with a table-fork or small pointed wooden pin.

2007 Record (Bergen County, New Jersey) (Nexis) 28 Sept. (Better Living) 18 He incarnates a mythical realm where children carve crosses in chapel doors with table forks.

table-formed adj. (of a natural feature) having the shape of a table, flat-topped; cf. tabular adj. 1a, 1c.

ΚΠ

a1843 R. Southey Common-place Bk. (1851) 4th Ser. 408/1 The mountains are table-formed.

1898 Times 22 Sept. 6/1 Great table-formed icebergs are given off from this ice-sheet.

2002 R. J. Huggett & J. Cheesman Topogr. & Environment vi. 173 Such table-formed birch trees are rarely found in grazed areas.

table fountain n. a table decoration in the form of a fountain.

ΚΠ

1719 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher III. xxvi. §52 Some years ago I caus'd to be made another kind of a Table-Fountain.

1869 Hillsdale (Mich.) Standard 2 Mar. 1/5 The first object to which he directs our attention is a small steam pumping engine, for working a table fountain.

2005 Fresno (Calif.) Bee (Nexis) 10 Dec. e1 If she had just wanted the soft sounds of trickling water, she would have just gotten a small table fountain.

† table garnish n. Obsolete rare the cutlery, crockery, table linen, etc., used for setting a table; the table setting.

ΚΠ

1861 Our Eng. Home 11 The table garnish was not very extensive, a few wooden platters, some knives and spoons..were the principal articles.

table gesture n. [compare gesture n. 2] rare after 17th cent. a posture suitable for participation in a meal, esp. that of sitting (as opposed to kneeling).Chiefly in discussions of the correct posture for receiving Communion.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > [noun] > posture or attitude at table

table gesture1611

1611 T. Tuke in tr. St. Vincent of Lérins Disc. conc. True, Anc. & Catholicke Faith To Rdr. sig. A9 Christ sate or lay at his last Supper:..it is not only possible or probable, but certaine that he vsed a table gesture at that his last Supper.

a1663 R. Sanderson Ad Clerum (1670) 25 They using the liberty of that Power had appointed sitting or standing rather than kneeling, as judging either of them a more proper Table gesture than it.

1669 R. Baxter Let. 29 Apr. in N. H. Keeble & G. F. Nuttall Cal. Corr. R. Baxter (1991) II. 73 I never scrupled kneeling, though if I have liberty I like a table gesture better.

1730 C. Lamotte Ess. Poetry & Painting 83 The Posture or table Gesture in The Picture of the Last Supper.

1936 E. Underhill Worship xiii. 289 This is the so-called Table Gesture: now generally and unfortunately abandoned in favour of a distribution of the elements to communicants seated in their pews.

† table-gospeller n. Obsolete a person who treats the gospel as merely a subject for table talk; one whose religion is mere talk.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > sanctimoniousness > [noun] > person

Pharisee1539

card gospeller1550

lip-gospeller?1556

saint1563

table-gospeller1570

separatist1620

Christera1650

canter1652

high-liver1715

cant1725

pietist1767

devil dodger1791

goody1816

creeping Jesusc1818

Mawworm1825

goody-two-shoes1843

Pecksniff1844

goody-goody1872

goody-good1879

lip-Christian1882

plaster saint1890

holy Willie1916

1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1885/1 He wyth hys two other brethren..not onely receiued and embraced the happy light of Christes holy Gospell, but also..diligently in theyr lyuing and conuersation followed ye same: much vnlike vnto our tablegospellers now a daies.

1611 J. Boys Expos. Dominical Epist. & Gospels: Summer-part 374 O that the table-gospellers of our time..would aright consider this terrible iudgement.

table grinder n. (originally) a form of grinding bench; (now also) a small grinding machine designed to fit on a table top.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > work-benches, seats, etc. > [noun] > work-bench > for grinding

table grinder1875

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2478/1 Table-grinder, a form of grinding-bench.

1937 F. B. Jacobs Tool Room Grinding v.152 An ordinary reciprocating table grinder fitted with a dish wheel on a horizontal spindle, or a cup wheel on a vertical spindle can be used.

2004 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (Nexis) 3 June t4 A relative used to make them, starting with peanuts in the shell and using a table grinder.

table-ground n. now rare = tableland n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > plateau

table1587

tableland1672

terrace1674

plateau1743

plat1788

table plain1812

platform1813

table-ground1823

mesa1840

1823 J. McHenry Wilderness xi. 164 He soon observed them following the French up the front of the table-ground between the gullies already described.

1850 R. Gordon-Cumming Five Years Hunter's Life S. Afr. II. xxxiii. 349 I had the satisfaction to discover the spoor of three bucks on a piece of rocky table-ground on the highest summit of the range.

1922 W. B. Maxwell Spinster of this Parish ix. 164 With his arm about her waist he pulled Emmie..along with him till they reached the naked and nearly level table-ground that was the summit of their climb.

table hand n. a person who works or assists at a table in a factory, workshop, etc.; spec. (a) Australian and New Zealand (in a woolshed) one who assists in trimming and rolling the fleeces; (b) Printing a bindery assistant.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > bookbinder > [noun] > bindery assistant

table hand1889

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > sheep-shearer > fleece-picker > assistant

table hand1889

1889 C. Booth Labour & Life People I. ii. ii. 260 Hands of ‘general utility’ (frequently combining the functions of table-hand, room-girl, and porteress), earn from 4s 6d to 8s.

1897 Otago Witness (Dunedin, N.Z.) 2 Dec. 58 The table hands sat in their aprons, ready to start.

1928 C. E. Cowley Classing Clip 33 The table-hands know exactly where to find the skirtings, and can thoroughly trim the fleece in the quickest time.

1955 G. Bowen Wool Away! vii. 92 A common fault is for a wool-table to be too high, which makes harder work for the table hands and the ‘fleeco’.

1972 Classif. of Occup. (Dept. Employment) III. 172/2 Bindery assistant. Performs, by hand or machine, folding, gathering, collating and/or sewing tasks in binding books, periodicals or stationery and assists bookbinders... Other titles include..Table hand.

1979 West Lancs. Evening Gaz. 12 Oct. 24 (advt.) Fully experienced tablehand (SOGAT) required in our Bindery.

1989 E. Mashinini Strikes have followed Me ii. 20 I tried to make him see that if he had constantly to train new women to be machinists or table-hands there was no way we could then achieve our work quota.

2001 Southland (N.Z.) Times (Nexis) 23 Feb. 11 A tablehand, of Gore, was sentenced to nine months' supervision and ordered to undertake alcohol and drug abuse treatment.

table-hop v. colloquial (originally U.S.) intransitive to move around from table to table in a restaurant, nightclub, etc., greeting friends and socializing.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > visit [verb (intransitive)] > to go from table to table in a restaurant

table-hop1944

1944 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 17 Feb. 21/1 If she gets up to table-hop,..he follows discreetly.

1977 Time 28 Mar. 28/2 In Charleston, he table-hopped through the cafeteria at the West Virginia State Capitol.

2000 S. Kinsella Secret Dreamworld Shopaholic vi. 88 I want to table-hop, too. I want to bump into old friends I've known since babyhood.

table hopping n. colloquial (originally U.S.) socializing in a restaurant, nightclub, etc., by moving around from table to table.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > [noun] > going from table to table in a restaurant

table hopping1930

1930 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 24 Aug. 4/2 The stars, whose hours off are irregular, of course, do not participate in the table hopping.

1967 N.Y. Times Mag. 20 Aug. 33 The writers' club..is a place for gossip, banter, flirtation, shoptalk, confidences and compulsive table-hopping.

1997 Village Voice (N.Y.) 27 May 16/3 Both provide a spectacle of air kissing and table hopping that is a case study in the sociology of power.

table jelly n. a flavoured jelly served as a dessert; a preparation for making this; cf. jelly n.¹ 1c.In quot. 1830: a piece of glassware in which a table jelly is served.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > jelly > [noun] > sweet and other jellies

blancmange1377

manger blanc1574

moonshine1608

viper-jelly1702

saloop1712

jelly1728

salep1736

bread jelly1750

hartshorn jelly1769

arrowroot1822

table jelly1830

pineapple jelly1841

fruit-jelly1846

jujube paste1858

sponge1859

stone cream1861

pavlova1911

tracklement1954

1830 New-Hampsh. Patriot & State Gaz. 13 Dec. 1/3 (advt.) Glass Ware. Decanters, Wines, Tumblers, Table Jellies,..Custards, Lemonades, Lamps, with and without Shades.

1840 New Bedford (Mass.) Mercury 24 Apr. 3/3 (advt.) Refined American Isinglass. Warranted equal in strength to Russian Isinglass for Table Jellies.

1895 Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 16 Table jelly powder.

1975 in T. Steel Life & Death of St Kilda (1977) xi. 176 She had a few table jellies left.

1992 M. Baren How it all Began 15/2 In 1895 came Bird's Jelly Crystals, the forerunner of the now well-known table jellies.

table knife n. a knife used for dining, esp. in conjunction with a fork.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > cutlery > knife

fish-knife1403

board-knifec1440

table knifea1475

butter knife1729

dessert-knife1793

balance-knife1833

cuttoe1851

steak knife1895

a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 138 Take a loofe of trenchurs in þy lifft hande, þan take þy table knyfe.

1595 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 116 A table knife of wood.

1680 J. Price Myst. & Method His Majesty's Restauration 90 A merry Fellow, who with a Table-knife had been mock Knighted into the name by the late King at Oxford.

1773 S. Johnson Let. 30 Sept. (1992) II. 96 Table knives are not of long subsistance in the highlands.

1810 Sporting Mag. 35 282 To work..at his business, as a table-knife cutler.

c1865 G. Gore in J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. 235/2 This tendency is sometimes manifested in depositing silver upon table-knives and forks.

1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) xi. 494/3 You can make one by heating and bending an old table knife or a metal strip.

Table Knight n. (also with lower-case initials) now rare a knight who sits at the table of a king, emperor, etc.; spec. a Knight of the Round Table.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > knight > [noun] > who sits at the Round Table

Table Knight1675

1675 J. Smith Christian Relig. Appeal i. 18 In his erecting of that strange Order of Table-Knights,..instituted..in contempt of Apollo.

1872 Ld. Tennyson Last Tournament in Gareth & Lynette 95 Some hold he was a table-knight of thine..the Red Knight, he.

1892 E. C. Brewer Char. Sketches Romance, Fiction, & Drama (2004) IV. at Twelve Paladins In each was a traitor: Ganelon (the paladin); Mordred (the Table Knight), like Judas Iscariot in the apostolic twelve.

1924 L. L. Knight Woodrow Wilson, Dreamer & Dream i. 26 To find the healing balsam and to hold companionship with the kingliest of all the Table Knights.

table lamp n. a small lamp designed to stand on a table; (also occasionally) any lamp used to light a table.

ΚΠ

c1849 J. S. Coyne How to settle Accts. with Laundress 3 Table at back, L., on which is a table lamp.

1859 G. Measom Illustr. Guide Lancs. & Carlisle Railways 175 (advt.) Table-lamps from 10s. 6d. each.

1922 A. Bennett Lilian ii. vii. 119 It was the silver table-lamps..that impressed her.

1923 E. Wharton Son at Front i. vi A hanging table-lamp under a beaded shade.

1976 ‘W. Trevor’ Children of Dynmouth iii. 60 Only a table-lamp burned, its weak bulb not up to the task of fully illuminating the room.

2000 Lighting Jrnl. Mar. 26/2 This mix of ‘low’ and ‘high’ lights is actually a substitute for the effect of table lamps, which are impractical in many restaurants.

table lathe n. Engineering a small lathe that is clamped to a table when in use.

ΚΠ

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2478/2 Table-lathe, a small lathe attached by a clamp to a table and run by hand, or by a driving-wheel in a movable frame.

1992 K. Shirose TPM for Workshop Leaders vi. 73 They also listed equipment-precision factors such as..vibration in the table lathe.

table licence n. British a licence permitting a restaurant, hotel, etc., to sell alcohol with food.

ΚΠ

1932 Scotsman 2 Nov. 9 Wick Burgh Magistrates..refused an application..for a licence for the Station Hotel... The Magistrates had power to grant a restricted table licence for residents only.

2003 Church Times 3 Oct. 14/2 The mother and daughter who run the refectory..have applied for a table licence to allow them to serve wine.

table line n. [compare Anglo-Norman ligne tabilouse (second half of the 14th cent. or earlier)] Palmistry (now historical) the line running from beneath the little finger to the base of the index or middle finger, forming the upper boundary of the table (sense 22).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination by natural phenomena > palmistry > [noun] > mark on the hand > line of fortune

table linec1450

mensal line?1602

c1450 J. Metham Palmistry (Garrett) in Wks. (1916) 86 The fourthe lyne ys the tabyl lyne, for that parte off the hand ys clepyd the tabyl, the qwyche ys be-twene the myd lyne and the tabyl lyne.

1571 T. Hill Contempl. Mankinde f. 168^v The Table lyne, or the lyne of generation, and strength of the bodie.

1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 45 He that hath the Table-line broad, and well-coloured, he is jocund and couragious.

1791 Every Lady's Own Fortune-teller iii. 46 When the table line is broad, strong, and well marked, it shews the person to be of a sound constitution.

1947 Mod. Lang. Notes 62 4 In the practice of chiromancy, it must be understood that there are five principle lines in the hand: (1) the table line or line of fortune.

1992 W. Rothwell et al. Anglo-Norman Dict. 761/1 Ligne tabilouse, (in palmistry) mensal line, table-line.

table linen n. linen for use at table, as tablecloths and napkins.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun]

tabling1604

table linen1625

table napery1762

1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes I. i. vii. 382 They make Sandaracha, a varnish..and hereby are prouided against prouisions of Napery, this seruing for Table linnen; they recouering any greasie contagion with a little rinsing of water.

1671 J. Collins Let. 5 July in I. Newton Corr. (1959) I. 66 My Wife..is to enjoy her Sisters Place as Laundresse of the table Linnen to the Queene.

1763 S. Johnson Let. 3 July (1992) I. 223 She may want sheets and tablelinen.

1855 E. C. Gaskell North & South II. i. 6 Continuing her inspection of the table-linen.

1992 Harpers & Queen Nov. 45/1 The table linen is shiny satinette like a Rank starlet's négligé.

table-load n. as much as a table can hold; (hence) a large quantity.

ΚΠ

1861 J. S. Le Fanu in Dublin Univ. Mag. Oct. 407/2 Down came the ‘orphan’, together with a table-load of spoons and plates, with a crash that stopt all conversation.

a1930 N. Munro Hen Crusade in B. D. Osborne & R. Armstrong Erchie & Jimmy Swan (1993) ii. xxii. 417 And because we didn't have table-loads o' half-croon hens they took the huff and went away, as I say, without buyin' anything.

2002 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 12 May (Seven Days section) 7/1 Mega-stores that swamp our festival city with table-loads of chick-lit, dick-lit and any-other-lit.

table-loader n. a person who loads a lift table.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > workers with specific tools or equipment > [noun] > with lifting equipment

craneman1300

crane-keeper1558

table-loader1875

slinger1881

lift-man1883

hoist-man1892

crane-driver1897

lift-attendant1900

jackman1902

1875 E. Young Labor in Europe & Amer. 294/1 (table) Table-loaders..5s., large furnaces.

1999 Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 1 Jan. c12 He had lived in Portland for many years and was a table loader for Friedman Bag Co. Inc. for about 10 years before retiring earlier this year.

table maid n. a female domestic servant who lays the table and waits at meals.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [noun] > server of food > as servant > woman

Phillis1589

Hebe1606

table maid1828

parlourmaid1836

parlour girl1858

waitress1875

1828 Rep. Trial Kingan v. Watson App. vi. 172 The deponent was table-maid to Mr John Kingan.

1895 Catholic News 16 Nov. 2 She had been tablemaid to a clergyman.

1992 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 20 Aug. 6 At peak capacity there will be 32 staff, including senior carers, domestics, care assistants, laundry and cooking staff, and table maids.

table-maker n. [compare Middle Low German tāfelmāker, early modern German tafelmacher (late 15th or early 16th cent.)] a joiner who makes tables.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > producer > maker of furniture or furnishings > [noun] > table-maker

table-maker1422

1422 in G. Unwin Gilds & Companies London (1908) (modernized text) App. A.II. 370 Tablemakers.

?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. B.vj^v Table makers, sylke dyers, and shepsters.

1711 Post-Man & Hist. Acct. 8 Mar. 2/1 A Dutch Tablemaker..sells all sorts of..Tea Tables, Corner Cupboards and all manner of Japan Work.

1849 Law Jrnl. Rep.: Bankrupts, Certificates, & Dividends 23/2 William Robert Hodges, of Smethwick, near Birmingham, table-maker.

1999 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News (Nexis) 21 Feb. a1 He works as a table maker in a wood shop owned by a former Khmer Rouge officer.

table manners n. behaviour while eating at table, esp. that which is conventionally required or considered appropriate.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > in social intercourse > specific

encounter1604

company manners1798

table manners1824

the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > [noun] > table manners

trencher-law1598

table manners1824

1824 London Mag. Oct. 394/2 We remember we thought him rather hard on the table-manners of the Greeks.

1867 Harper's Mag. Sept. 470/1 That upright position which belongs no less to table-manners than to hygiene.

1949 M. Mead Male & Female ix. 187 In cultures where table-manners are the insignia of humanity people may be unable to eat their food at the table with some one who eats differently.

1986 ARTnews Nov. 12/1 They reacted that way because in historical films everyone tears chickens to pieces with a voracious lack of table manners.

2003 N.Y. Mag. 4 Aug. 33 It's best devoured with your hands in a kind of ecstasy of bad table manners—dripping tartar sauce and escaped oysters notwithstanding.

table matter n. Printing printed matter arranged in tables or narrow columns, as distinguished from ordinary letterpress; cf. table work n.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > tables

table matter1755

table work1755

1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. v. 128 Table-matter is generally braced in, when it wants driving out in width.

1836 Scale for Parl. Work in E. Howe London Compositor (1947) xiv. 365 That Private Parliamentary Bills be charged 7d. per thousand, and table-matter in them at 1s. 2d. per thousand.

1972 T. C. Collocott Dict. Sci. & Technol. at Tabular matter Type arranged in accurately spaced columns; if there are rules between the columns it is table matter.

† table meinie n. Obsolete the pieces used in a board game; cf. meinie n. 3.

ΚΠ

1415 Inventory in Archaeologia (1918) 70 91 (MED) j case cum tabelemeyne de ebore.

a1450 Dis. Women (Sloane) in B. Rowland Medieval Woman's Guide to Health (1981) 136 (MED) Make balles as it were table meyne, of þe weight of [drams] ii eueryche of hem weying.

table monument n. a monument, esp. one over a grave, in the form of a table; (also) a monument consisting of an inscribed table (sense 2a) or tablet.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > memorial or monument > [noun] > structure or erection > other

table monument1691

chedi1929

woodhenge1964

1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses I. 117 A fair Table Monument..with their statua's from head to foot laying thereon.

1761 Biogr. Dict. IV. 200 A handsome table monument of blue marble was raised over his [sc. Drayton's] grave.

1851 Internat. Mag. Jan. 152/1 His tomb is a table monument of white marble, upon which rises a pyramid, resting on skulls with bat's wings.

1905 J. G. White Hist. & Topogr. Notes I. 296 It has a plain table monument, which bears the following inscription, the composition of the late Rev. William Dunn, Rector of Charleville.

1951 Musical Times 92 399/1 Avison was buried in St. Andrew's Church in Newgate Street, where he is commemorated with a simple Latin inscription on a table monument opposite the porch door.

2004 Spectator (Nexis) 18 Dec. At the time I was sitting on a table monument and eating a light snack of Parma ham and wholemeal bread.

table music n. [after German Tafelmusik (16th cent.)] (a) music performed during a meal; (b) part-song music printed so that the performers sitting around a table can read their respective parts from the same page or sheet.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > [noun] > music for reading at a table

table music1828

Tafelmusik1876

1828 ‘C. Sealsfield’ Austria as it Is ii. 36 At your departure, you pay the orchestra a small sum for the delicious table-music you enjoyed.

1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 419/1 Table music, (1) compositions intended to be sung by several persons sitting at a table.

1953 Music & Lett. 34 52 Most of the part-music in the original is laid out in table-music fashion.

1996 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 12 Nov. e1 Jarboe will do anything from a three-song serenade to 90 minutes of table music for dinner parties.

table napery n. = table linen n.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun]

tabling1604

table linen1625

table napery1762

1762 D. Howie Answers for poor D. & A. Howies 6 The Trustees..raised very considerable sums, by disposing of a great Quanitity of Table Napery.

1859 E. C. Gaskell Round the Sofa 331 Some fine yarn she was having spun for table-napery.

2002 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 3 Jan. 21 It is a real inside-outside restaurant with ceiling-high doors disappearing sideways to let the breezes in and the table napery out.

table napkin n. a usually square piece of cloth, paper, etc., used at a meal to wipe the fingers and lips and to protect the clothes (also occasionally, to place dishes on); = napkin n. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > table-napkin

napkin1384

serviette1490

table napkin1564

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > others

table napkin1564

tea-cosy1863

tray-cloth1889

egg-cosy1894

shower1931

1564 Will of James Smyth (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/48) f. 268^v A fine table napkin with blewe clowdes.

a1649 W. Drummond Hist. James IV in Wks. (1711) 74 Girded about him with a Towel or Table-napkin, of a comely and Reverend Aspect.

1798 Gentleman's Mag. 68 ii. 755/2 The small table napkin called a D'Oyley.

1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth v, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 109 A handful of soft moss served the purposes of a table-napkin.

1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 1448/3 1 doz. Table Napkins £1 7s. 6d.

1998 I. de la Bere Last Deception Palliser Wentwood ii. 42 Jemima had starched five linen table napkins and proceeded to iron them crisp.

Table Office n. (also occasionally with lower-case initials) (in the House of Commons) the office in which the civil servants work who prepare the Notice Paper and the Order Book; the civil servants working in this office collectively.

ΘΚΠ

Vote Office1749

Table Office1946

1946 2nd Rep. Sel. Comm. on Procedure p. iv, in Parl. Papers 1945–6 IX. 161 Questions received at the Table Office before the hour of sitting of the House shall be deemed to have been received the day before.

1950 Erskine May's Law of Parl. (ed. 15) xii. 243 The Table Office assists the Clerks at the Table particularly in the preparation of the Notice Paper and the Order Book.

1973 Times 15 May 7/2 The table office at the House refused, after taking advice, to accept the questions.

2006 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 29 June 8 In 2000/1 the Table Office in Westminster dealt with an average of 302 questions per day, which rose to 596 in 2005/6.

table officer n. (a) Canadian each of the employees of the national and provincial legislative assemblies who provide procedural advice, keep minutes of proceedings, and record the votes; (b) North American (originally and chiefly Canadian) an executive officer in an organization; a board or committee member.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > office > holder of office > [noun] > of an institution or society

office-bearer1593

officer1648

table officer1951

1951 Toronto Daily Star 20 Sept. 20/1 The province on the beautiful St. Lawrence has no council member, no table officer.

1957 in J. Meisel Canad. Gen. Election of 1957 (1962) ii. x. 203 [It was resolved] that the table officers be guided by this discussion in the council in the emphasis they give to various points during the course of the campaign.

1958 Winnipeg Free Press 27 Aug. 3/3 Two Winnipeg teachers have been elected to posts in the Canadian Teachers Federation... Other table officers are..president,..first vice-president, and..third vice-president.

1968 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 9 Nov. 1/6 John Laxton..confirmed that a..meeting of the caucus of MLA's and the provincial table officers..had agreed on the convention date.

2002 Credit Union Jrnl. (Nexis) 24 June 1 All..had to wage petition campaigns to get on the ballot because they were rejected by the board's nominating committee, as its new table officers.

2004 Orillia (Ont.) Packet & Times (Nexis) 12 June a1 She will be a messenger for the Speaker of the House, MPs and table officers.

table pew n. now chiefly historical a large pew containing the communion table, esp. in a Presbyterian church.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > artefacts > furniture > seat > pew > [noun] > containing communion table

table pew1773

1773 R. MacGregor Contrast Infant Sprinkling & Christian Baptism (ed. 2) 39 Arguments that are used for building a meeting-house to preach in, or a table pew to administer the Lord's Supper in, are at least equally strong for having a baptistry.

1897 C. H. Spurgeon Autobiogr. iv. 26 In front of the pulpit, was the table-pew, wherein sat the elders of the congregation.

1996 Ledger (Lakeland, Florida) (Nexis) 10 Apr. f3 Reconstruction of the church, which features box pews, slip pews and table pews, began in 1829.

table piano n. [perhaps after German Tafelklavier (although this is apparently first attested later: 1855 or earlier as †Tafelclavier)] = square piano n. at square adj. Compounds 3a.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > pianoforte > types of piano

grand pianoforte1784

square pianoforte1787

grand piano1795

cottage pianoforte1816

cottage piano1824

table piano1827

table pianoforte1827

tin kettle1827

grand1830

piccolo1831

Broadwood1832

semi-grand1835

pianino1848

cottage1850

square piano1853

street piano1855

upright1860

pianette1862

digitorium1866

Steinway1875

baby grand1879

square1882

tin pan1882

honky-tonk piano1934

minipiano1934

spinet1936

prepared piano1940

ravalement1959

rinky-tink1961

miniature1974

Mozart piano1980

1827 Mechanics' Mag. 17 Feb. 98/2 Figure 4. A front perspective view of the table Piano with the lid off.

1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 27 Apr. 11/7 The hotel furniture consists of..blankets, sheets, spreads, pillows, toilet sets in 60 rooms, 1 table piano, card tables, [etc.].

2006 Times (Nexis) 19 Oct. 13 Hardy and his family were keen musicians and an accordion, violins and a table piano will be provided.

table pianoforte n. [perhaps after German Tafelklavier (see table piano n.)] now rare = table piano n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > pianoforte > types of piano

grand pianoforte1784

square pianoforte1787

grand piano1795

cottage pianoforte1816

cottage piano1824

table piano1827

table pianoforte1827

tin kettle1827

grand1830

piccolo1831

Broadwood1832

semi-grand1835

pianino1848

cottage1850

square piano1853

street piano1855

upright1860

pianette1862

digitorium1866

Steinway1875

baby grand1879

square1882

tin pan1882

honky-tonk piano1934

minipiano1934

spinet1936

prepared piano1940

ravalement1959

rinky-tink1961

miniature1974

Mozart piano1980

1827 Mechanics' Mag. 17 Feb. 98/1 I enclose a plan of a small table Piano-forte. I denominate it thus, as it is intended to stand in the middle of a room and be used as a table.

1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. IV. 1225/1 Patent square and console pianofortes; square and hexagonal table pianofortes.

1980 K. Adams Those of us who loved Her iv. 55 Before she died, Hannah gave to Frank's eldest daughter a beautiful table pianoforte.

† table-picture n. Obsolete (historical in later use) a picture painted on a table (sense 3).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > painting > painting according to medium or technique > [noun] > oil-painting > an oil-painting > on board

table-picture1610

panel1685

1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God ii. vii. 62 Gazing vpon a table picture.

1893 tr. F. S. Meyer Handbk. Ornament iii. 493 The transition from the fixed picture of the middle ages, built into the masonry, to the portable table picture.

table plain n. now rare = tableland n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > plateau

table1587

tableland1672

terrace1674

plateau1743

plat1788

table plain1812

platform1813

table-ground1823

mesa1840

1812 G. A. Thompson Geogr. & Hist. Dict. Amer. & W. Indies II. 266/2 Huehuetlan, situate between the table plains and craggy defiles [Sp. situado entre lomas y barrancas].

1862 A. Trollope N. Amer. I. xi. 232 On the high table plains of Minnesota, and the prairies of Illinois, had God prepared the food for the increasing millions of the Eastern world.

1961 N. D. Gershevsky tr. S. P. Suslov Physical Geogr. Asiatic Russia iv. xiii. 416 Stratified table plains and degraded uplands (plains of denudation).

table plan n. a seating plan for those attending a formal meal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > table-plan

table plan1884

placement1939

1884 Times 23 June 6/2 The table-plan including, among the names of other guests, those of the following members of the House of Commons.

1967 P. Larkin Let. 3 Oct. in Sel. Lett. (1992) 397 Dropping in at the Register's Office for a ‘sneak preview’ of the table plan (always a necessary precaution) I found I had been put next to a new girl in Italian called Borgia.

2000 Daily Mail (Nexis) 28 Oct. 32 Fortunately, there's more to life than being the odd number on the tableplan at silver weddings and circumcisions.

table plane n. a plane for making rule-joints on table flaps, drop leaves, etc.

ΚΠ

1761 G. Washington & J. Askew Agreement 22 Oct. in G. Washington Papers (1990) VII. 94 Joiners Tools..Eleven pair of Hollows & Rounds, two pair of Table Plains,..three Bead Plains, two pairs of Groving Plains [etc.].

1840 Huron Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) 19 May (advt.) Just received a large assortment of joiners' tools... Table planes with gauge.

1903 P. N. Hasluck Handyman's Bk. 307/2 A pair of table planes includes also a gauge.

2001 C. H. Wendel Encycl. Antique Tools & Machinery 149/2 Table plane..Furniture makers used it for making rule joints on tables.

table plank n. a board or each of a number of boards used to make a trestle table.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > trestle table > board or plank of

table1440

table-board1538

taffel board1552

table plank1626

trestle-board1856

1626 in J. R. Walbran Mem. Abbey St. Mary of Fountains (1863) I. 365 One bed of wainscott..and also three table plankes.

1887 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Agric. & Prices Eng. V. 689 In the first year of this period King's College buys two fair table planks for the hall. These are to be put on trestles, and may have been for the inferior members of the foundation.

2002 N. Tosches In Hand of Dante 225 A glass flagon of dark amber..stood upon the table planks.

table plate n. (a) articles of plate (plate n. 2a) used for dining (now chiefly historical); (b) = plate n. 27a; (c) Metallurgy a flat metal plate on which pulverized gold or silver ore is treated with mercury in one method of amalgamation.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun]

service1468

plate1545

gold plate1579

table service1664

table plate1669

dinner service1765

tableware1772

dinner set1796

dinnerware1800

dining set1805

serveware1958

foodware1961

sterling1974

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > table-vessels > dish or plate

disha700

scuttlec1050

trencherc1308

plattera1325

paten?1340

esquele1371

skelec1400

plat1415

plate?c1450

skewel1567

trencher-plate1580

goggan1586

trench1602

table plate1669

mazarine1673

discus1680

wearing plate1683

silver plate1710

nappy1731

roundel1797

muffin1820

entrée dish1846

pinax1858

society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for amalgamating

pan1839

pan-amalgamator1874

amalgamator1875

table plate1877

1669 W. Montagu in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 446 The Queen's table plate.

1705 tr. W. Bosman New Descr. Coast of Guinea xv. 272 As broad as a common Table-Plate.

1769 J. Watt Let. 28 Jan. in E. Robinson & D. McKie Partners in Sci. (1970) 18 Calx exposed in a table plate 6 Inches diameter produced in a month 35gr.

1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. III. 726/1 Table plates, painted with subjects in the centre оf each.

1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 329 Amalgamation in batteries, on table-plates, in pans, and on a second set of table-plates on a floor below.

1912 A. Del Mar Stamp Milling vi. 64 The table plates are now sprinkled with mercury and rubbed with a brush.

1928 H. P. Okie Old Silver & Old Sheffield Plate ix. 137 (table vii) Large quantity of table plate.

2001 N. F. Koehn Brand New ii. 35 Other Staffordshire potters priced their best table plates at 2 pence each.

table-play n. now historical and rare the playing of backgammon.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > playing

table-playing1547

table-play1549

tabling1553

1549 R. Crowley Voyce Laste Trumpet sig. Bii Thy tauerne gates, and table playe, Thy cardes, thy dice.

1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 152 Let no Table-play carry away the mind.

1828 Earl of Douglas & Dame Oliphant in P. Buchan Anc. Ballads & Songs N. Scotl. II. 185 Will ye gae to the cards or dice? Or to the table play?

1970 F. G. Emmison Elizabethan Life I. xix. 221 A Little Canfield butcher and victualler, having offended in 1583 by keeping table-play ‘for bread and beer’, had been charged by John Wiseman, J.P., to leave it.

† table-player n. Obsolete a player of tables (sense 18); (in later use) spec. a backgammon player.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > player

table-playera1425

tabler1560

gammon player1814

a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 3 Aleator, a tabyl pleyer.

1595 A. Golding tr. J. Hurault Politicke, Moral, & Martial Disc. ii. i. 158 Mans life is like a game at tables, where if a man meet with a cast of the dice that he would not haue, he must amend it by his cunning in play, as good table-players doe.

1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas Spanish Bawd i. 15 Your Table-players, and other Gamesters never lose, but they peale foorth her prayses.

† table-playing n. (also tables-playing) Obsolete = table-play n.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > playing

table-playing1547

table-play1549

tabling1553

1547 Iniunccions Edward VI sig. bj They shal not geue themselfes to drynckyng or ryot, spendyng their time ydlely, by day or by night, at dyse, cardes, or tables plaiyng, or any other vnlaufull game.

?1577 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Treat. Dicing 112 Table playing and Chesse playing, may be vsed of any man soberly and moderately.

1633 W. Prynne Histrio-mastix i. 386 Clergy men..are neither to behold nor countenance any dancing, dicing, carding, table-playing.

1706 Nocturnal Revels II. 30 He that dreams much of Table-playing, shall be a great Gamester.

table read n. an initial, casual rehearsal for a film or television programme, at which actors read their parts from scripts; a read-through.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > acting > [noun] > read-through

read-through1947

table read1993

1993 Amer. Spectator July 45/1 A ‘table read’ for the movie in which I have a small part, a gem called North.

2003 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 21 Sept. xi. 20/3 When we did the table read, it was almost as if we were doing a show that was already on the air.

2016 J. K. Armstrong Seinfeldia xiv. 250 They all gather for table reads, rehearsals, and a taping in front of a live, laughing studio audience.

† table rent n. [probably arising from the mistaken associations of bordage (see bordage n.¹).] Medieval History Obsolete a kind of feudal rent, explained as being for provision of the household (see quots.), but probably simply the rent paid by a bordar.The entry cited in quot. 1701 is repeated in legal lexicons throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > payment made for specific purpose > to bishops or prelates: for housekeeping expenses

table rent1701

1701 W. Kennett Cowell's Interpreter (new ed.) sig. Fff2^v Table-Rents, Redditus ad mensam, rents paid to Bishops or Religious Prelates, reserv'd or appropriated to their Table or House-keeping.

1792 Gentleman's Mag. Suppl. 1188/2 Care was usually taken to reserve a sufficient quantity of land, so as amply to supply the house with provisions, out of which very considerable portions were not unfrequently let off to tenants at an annual rent, and were then..styled bordlands, the occupiers bordarii, and the rents bordland rents, and sometimes table rents.

table rock n. a flat-topped rock.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > rock formations > [noun] > flat or eroded

clinta1400

table rock1745

pavement1827

flat1873

rock fan1900

1745 New Gen. Coll. Voy. & Trav. II. ii. ii. 166 A Ledge of Table Rocks which seemed to cross the River.

1853 S. Moodie Life in Clearings 365 The fall of that large portion of the table-rock has made the alteration.

1972 G. M. Brown Greenvoe (1976) iv. 113 That shameless hussy was still lying on the table rock... She was even more naked than before.

2003 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 7 Aug. The tablerock stretch ended where a current in a narrow channel of deeper water swept along a cut bank of grass and tree roots.

table room n. room or place to dine at table; (more generally) available space at a table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > place at table

table room1607

bottom1629

board-head1637

board-enda1652

foot1700

plate1917

1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. iv. sig. G3^v For table-roome, I feed on those that cannot be rid of me.

1857 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Jan. 56/1 There was table-room for two hundred, but only forty or fifty then assembled at ‘the festive board’.

1941 E. Dick Vanguards of Frontier vii. 179 Another rush occurred at meal-times, when three hundred passengers had to be fed with table room for only seventy-five.

2000 T. Whitaker et al. Motivating & Inspiring Teachers xii. 168 Make sure the chairs are comfortable and there is plenty of table room for teachers to take notes and peruse handouts.

table runner n. a long narrow ornamental strip of cloth placed along a table; = runner n.¹ 33b.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > tablecloth > long ornamental strip

runner1884

table runner1884

1884 Liverpool Mercury 11 July 8/9 (advt.) Traced Antimacassars 3¹/ ₂d. Table Cloths 11¹/ ₂d. Table Runners 1s 11d.

1889 Harper's Bazar 20 Apr. (Suppl.) 2/4 The cream-colored canvas grenadine centre of this table runner is a yard and three quarters long and twelve inches wide.

1939 W. Fortescue There's Rosemary xliv. 259 I cut lengths of brocatello, designed cushions and table-runners, &c.

2004 D. Dalton Rough Guide Philippines 441 A bahag, or loincloth, is an exquisitely hand-loomed piece of long cloth wrapped around a man's middle, but increasingly bought by tourists as a throw or table runner.

table saw n. (originally) †a saw used in making a table (obsolete); (now) a small machine-operated saw fitted to a table.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > saw > [noun] > other saws

handsaw1399

rug-saw1582

frame saw1633

nocksaw1659

bow-saw1678

lock saw1688

stadda1688

wire saw1688

panel saw1754

keyhole saw1761

web saw1799

table saw1832

rack saw1846

scroll-saw1851

fretsaw1865

back saw1874

foxtail-saw1874

tub-saw1874

gullet-saw1875

Swede saw1934

society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > saw > [noun] > power saws > circular saws

circular saw1815

buzz1823

table saw1832

sawing-bench1845

saw-bench1846

buzz-saw1858

wobble saw1872

slasher1892

rift saw1906

Skilsaw1925

burr-saw-

1832 Butlers' Commerc. List 46 (heading) Table saws.

1880 Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 25 Sept. He..has made arrangements to that end by buying a..band saw, shaper, three table saws,..turning lathe, scroll saw, &c.

1947 Classical Jrnl. 43 45/1 He helped me make a set of filing drawers with the co-operation of another friend who owned an electrical table saw.

2006 Church Times 13 Jan. 12/5 I find a small tablesaw and a planer-thicknesser to be a real help.

table screen n. (a) a small, usually porcelain tile, traditionally used in China, designed to be placed vertically on a table to protect other items from sunlight [rendering Chinese chā píng, lit. ‘insert screen’] ; †(b) Australian a trestle table in a woolshed (obsolete rare).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > shearing-shed > table

rolling table1749

table screen1800

table1829

wool table1865

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > screen > [noun] > other types of

speer1379

traverse1400

transom-lattice1689

blind1730

window blind1730

spire1768

Venetian window-blind1769

window shade1789

tatty1792

tat1810

Japanese screen1872

fusuma1880

curtain1895

mosquito door1929

tuku-tuku1936

fly-wire door1952

table screen1971

1800 Times 10 Apr. 1/1 (advt.) Ornamental temples, epergnes, flower stands, lanterns, fans, window, fire, hand, book and table screens.

1848 H. R. Forster Stowe Catal. No. 1022 A Chinese table-screen, the panel painted with a ceremony—in rosewood frame.

1880 A. C. Grant Bush-life in Queensland vii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 71/2 The fleece, gathered carefully with both hands is conveyed to a long table-screen.

1971 Country Life 10 June 1425/3 Several table screens are on view. A rare example..is made of turquoise matrix carved with an eastern scene.

2002 H. Tan in R. Kerr & J. Ayres Blanc de Chine Catal. No. 16 The two episodes were combined, as in a relief depiction on a Dehua porcelain table screen in Hong Kong.

table set n. a set of matching plates, cups, bowls, etc., sometimes also including cutlery.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > table-vessels > crockery

crockery-ware1719

crockery1755

table set1766

set-out1806

delph1812

1766 R. Stevens Compl. Guide East-India Trade 98 China Ware, viz. Table Sets, gilt.

1886 Chicago Tribune 6 Nov. 12/3 (headline) The beautiful table-sets of millionaires... China collections..the Drexel plates.

2004 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 11 Aug. 16 A 14-piece table set starts at £50.

table setting n. the action or activity of setting a table; the way in which a table is set; the cutlery, crockery, table linen, etc., used for this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun]

table setting1844

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > a place-setting

covera1612

couvert1768

table setting1844

place setting1950

setting1952

1844 Friend's Family 70 Martha's face brightened at the thought that she might be of some use after all, and the table setting went on again.

1921 C. Q. Murphy Hist. Art of Tablesetting 23 Manners improved and culinary art advanced to higher standards, the better to fit the richer and more elaborate tablesetting and silver service.

1937 Amer. Home Apr. 136/1 (advt.) It tells all the ways the Duncan Tear-drop pattern can fit into table settings, drinking ensembles, model arrangements for mantles, [etc.].

1998 A. L. Secara tr. M. Pinçon & M. Pinçon-Charlot Grand Fortunes 87 The vast table, under its imposing chandelier, served as the practice field for the difficult art of table setting.

2002 H. Kunzru Impressionist (2003) 114 The Nawab is happier eating from a metal thali set on the floor than the fine Meissen table-setting which is brought out when they dine at the palace.

† table-shore n. Obsolete a low, level shore.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [noun]

sea-warthc888

sea-rimOE

sea-strandc1000

sandc1275

rive1296

bankc1350

sea-banka1375

sea-coasta1400

coastc1400

warthc1450

ripec1475

landsidec1515

seashore1526

banksidec1540

brinish brink1594

shorea1616

ore1652

outland1698

sea beach1742

table-shore1849

playa1898

treaty coast1899

treaty shore1901

beach1903

1849 J. Craig New Universal Dict. at Table Table-shore, a low, level shore.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 671 Table-shore, a low level shore.

1872 Ld. Tennyson Last Tournament in Gareth & Lynette 118 As the crest of some slow-arching wave, Heard in dead night along that table-shore, Drops flat.

† table-sod n. Obsolete rare (in hedging) each of the sods forming the ‘table’ (sense 23c).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [noun] > ridge on which hedge is > sod of

water tabling1797

table turf1805

table-sod1844

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 575 The assistant throws the parings of the sides and bottom of the ditch upon the hedge-bank, immediately behind the table-sod.

table song n. (a) [in spec. use with reference to ancient Greek songs, translating ancient Greek σκόλιον scolion n.] a song sung or performed at table, esp. at a feast or festival; (Ancient Greek History) one sung by the guests at a banquet in turn; †(b) [after German Tafellied (early 19th cent. or earlier)] a German part-song of the kind typically sung by a Liedertafel (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > types of song > [noun] > song at banquet

scolion1603

table song1788

1788 A. Jardine Lett. from Barbary, France, &c. I. xxi. 399 I think those single naked table songs are very properly wearing out of fashion, and will, I hope, remain so, till people learn to accompany themselves.

1831 Amer. Ann. Educ. & Instr. 1 243 An appropriate table song elevated their hearts.

1847 G. Grote Hist. Greece IV. ii. xxix. 109 [Archilochus] was the earliest popular and successful composer of table-songs or Skolia.

1857 Musical World 30 May 344/1 The German table-song, it cannot be denied, is rapidly declining.

1949 D. F. W. van Lennep in Euripides Sel. Plays I. Introd. 31 We cannot but agree with the advice contained in the famous Attic table-song.

1991 A. Unterman Dict. Jewish Lore & Legend 209/1 Table songs sung at family meals on shabbat and to a lesser extent on festivals.

table spar n. [after Swedish †tafelspath (1814 in the passage translated in quot. 1814); the now usual word is taffelspar (1815))] now rare the mineral wollastonite, which occurs in tabular crystals; cf. tabular spar at tabular adj. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > silicates > inosilicates single chain > [noun] > pyroxenoid > wollastonite

schaalstein1804

table spar1814

wollastonite1823

grammite1826

pseudowollastonite1905

parawollastonite1935

1814 J. Black tr. J. J. Berzelius Attempt Sci. Syst. Mineral. 34 Calcareous bisilicate... Table-spar.

1876 A. P. Swineford Hist. & Rev. Mineral Resources Lake Superior. 56 The stamp rock..is associated with a great variety of beautiful minerals, such as calcite, quartz, phreite, table spar, [etc.].

1997 Dict. Mining. Mineral, & Related Terms (Amer. Geol. Inst.) (ed. 2) 560/1 Table spar, tabular spar; wollastonite.

table sport n. †(a) an object of mirth or mockery at table; the butt of a joke made amongst a group dining or drinking together (obsolete); (b) = table game n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > fact or condition of being mocked or ridiculed > [noun] > object of ridicule > at table

table sporta1616

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 149 Let me for euer be your Table-sport .

1894 San Antonio (Texas) Daily Light 15 Aug. The Mexican, serious and depressed though he seem, loves the dance, the cock fight and green table sports.

1996 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 30 Sept. 11 Their mutual interest in this table sport, and Mr Hendry's cueing style, has brought them together.

table stake n. Poker (in plural) a game of poker in which only the money a player has on the table at the start of a hand may be used to bet in that hand; (also, chiefly in plural) the money a player has on the table available to bet.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > poker > [noun] > stake

blind1857

straddle1864

table stake1874

raise1921

1874 W. B. Dick Amer. Hoyle (ed. 8) 183 It..may save much time, for each player to expose his capital and play ‘table stakes’; this is now Club-House usage.

1882 Dover (Ohio) Weekly Argus 18 May 2/8 It was a big game, ‘$5 call $25’ and table stakes.

1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 283/1 The modern usage is to play table stakes; i.e., each player puts up such an amount as he pleases at the commencement of each deal, and he cannot be raised more than he has on the table; but he has the option of making good from his pocket a previous raise which exceeds his table stake.

1910 J. London Burning Daylight i. 13 In that early Yukon day, no one dreamed of playing table-stakes. A man was good in a game for all that he possessed, no matter where his possessions.

1999 J. May Shut Up & Deal 3 In the sixties and seventies pokers was nearly always played No-Limit, or table stakes.

2000 B. McNally How to play Poker & Win Gloss. 148 Rat hole , to pocket part of one's table stakes secretly. It is considered unethical to take money off the playing surface.

table sugar n. the white refined crystalline sugar that is the commonest sweetener, esp. in home-prepared foods and drinks, and consists almost entirely of pure sucrose (sucrose n. 1) with traces of other substances.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > additive > sweetener > [noun] > sugar > powder or castor sugar

powder sugar1598

castor-sugar1855

table sugar1897

1897 Harper's Round Table 13 Apr. 590/1 The table sugar which we use is carefully put through several lengthy processes.

1962 I. Asimov Chemicals of Life (ed. 2) i. 21 They are molecules of glucose, a kind of sugar which is found in blood and which is somewhat simpler than ordinary table sugar.

2014 Guardian 27 June 19/3 People should get no more than 5% of their daily calories from so-called ‘free sugar’, a term that includes table sugar, the sugar added to food and drinks, and that found naturally in fruit juices, syrups and honey, they said.

table tape n. Computing (now rare) a magnetic tape containing tabulated numerical information.

ΘΚΠ

society > computing and information technology > data > database > [noun] > storage > for use in calculations

problem tape1948

table tape1948

1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 9 It was intended that the routine tapes should contain all the orders, the table tapes should contain numerical information of a general nature, comparable to function tables used in manual computing, and the problem tape should contain numerical information specific to the problem being solved.

1956 G. A. Montgomerie Digital Calculating Machines x. 213 Numbers may also be taken from the table tapes as required.

1999 I. B. Cohen Howard Aiken xvi.154 Table-tape readers that could read in either forward or reverse directions..were not ‘standard parts which could be taken from the shelves’.

table-tapping n. Spiritualism = table-rapping n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit)

spirit rappings1846

table tipping1846

rapping1848

table-lifting1852

table-moving1852

table-turning1852

rap1853

table-rapping1853

table-tapping1854

table tilting1858

1854 J. G. MacWalter (title) The Modern Mystery of Table-Tapping.

1934 B. Lehmann Rumour of Heaven i. ii. 30 He..spent his time, and dulled his senses, by table-tapping, spirit-writing, and unsatisfactory conversations with Miranda across the void.

2007 Times (Nexis) 14 July 11 We don't do table-tapping or photographing fairies.

table tomb n. a funeral monument consisting of a horizontal slab supported on columns.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > types of tomb > [noun] > types of ancient or prehistoric

table tomb1738

well tomb1843

chamber tomb1850

passage grave1865

allée couverte1870

passage tomb1870

mastaba1882

tholos1885

beehive tomb1887

circle-tomb1889

shaft tomb1895

shaft-grave1910

pit-cave1921

gallery grave1937

dyss1938

1738 D. Tovey Anglia Judaica 141 Bishop Fuller, a great Restorer of the decay'd Antiquities of his Church, erected a neat Table Tomb of Marble.

1818 Northern Star Mar. 185 In the chancel is a beautiful alabaster table-tomb.

1876 E. Venables in Encycl. Brit. V. 209/2 In the table-tomb the recess above, essential for the introduction of the corpse, is square, while in the arcosolium, a form of later date, it is semi-circular.

1995 Church Times 20 Oct. 11/1 I also remember the party afterwards in the churchyard, with oil lamps and wine glasses on old table tombs.

table-topped adj. having a flat top like that of a table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > [adjective] > having flat top

platformed1632

tabulated1681

flat-headed1752

nail-headed1801

table-topped1821

tabular1826

flat-head1874

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [adjective] > flat-topped

table-topped1821

1821 G. Lyon Narr. Trav. Northern Afr. v. 211 Low table-topped hills bound the view to the northward.

1897 Daily News 3 May 7/4 A..valley lying between high, sharply scarped table-topped hills.

1998 Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 12 Feb. cc2 Its shape is reminiscent of the great table-topped rock that drove Richard Dreyfuss bananas in ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’.

table-tree n. (a) The tree Buchenavia tetraphylla (family Combretaceae) of tropical South America (now rare); †(b) a flat, adjustable rest on a lathe (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine tool > lathe > [noun] > rests

rest1680

slide-rest1839

table-tree1843

hand rest1849

knife-rest1858

tool-rest1864

turning-rest1889

1843 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 13 22 The first was the Cordia tetraphylla of Aublet, the table-tree of the colonists.

1853 O. Byrne Handbk. Artisan 63 A miniature lathe-head mounted on a wooden table-tree.

1934 Jrnl. Ecol. 22 106 Table tree (Cordia melanoneura).

† table turf n. Obsolete = table-sod n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [noun] > ridge on which hedge is > sod of

water tabling1797

table turf1805

table-sod1844

1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 119 Care being taken..to raise the ground where they are placed with two or three table turfs.

table vessel n. (originally, as a mass noun) †glasses, drinking cups, or other vessels used as tableware (obsolete); (in later use, as a count noun) a glass, drinking cup, or other vessel for use at table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > table-vessels > a table-vessel

table vessel1587

1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) ii. xi. 238/2 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I It breedeth in like manner great expense and waste of wood, as dooth the making of our pots and table vessell of glasse, wherein is much losse sith it is so quicklie broken.

1594 H. Plat Jewell House 14 One masse, whereof they make our drinking Glasses, and all sortes of Table-vessell.

1842 W. Smith & L. Schmitz tr. B. G. Niebuhr Hist. Rome III. Index 651/1 Dominia, table-vessels of noble metal.

1882 Harper's Mag. Jan. 189/1 Peculiarly delicate and graceful beakers and ornamental table vessels.

1997 S. I. Rotroff Hellenistic Pottery: Athenian & Imported Wheelmade Table Ware 204 The rhyton, pierced at the bottom, would be an awkward table vessel.

table water n. water, esp. bottled mineral water, suitable for drinking at table.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > water > [noun] > for drinking at table

table water1867

1867 Times 14 May 15/3 (advt.) Schwalheim mineral table water.—This remarkable water, so highly appreciated by continental Courts and Embassies, is now introduced into England for the first time.

1895 Westm. Gaz. 23 Oct. 5/2 The Rosbach table-water, a fresh sparkling table-water.

1997 Daily Tel. 18 Sept. 12/2 Brands of ‘table water’ sold in restaurants and bottles used in office coolers were tap water that had been subject to a second treatment.

† table wheel n. Obsolete an implement used in rope-making (see quot. 1794).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > device for laying ropes on board ship

table wheel1794

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 57 Table-wheel, to lay ropes, from a six-thread ratline to a two-inch and half rope, is fixed in the wheel-house, at the upper end of the rope-walk, in a frame fixed in the ground, with two sliding cheeks, and bands to work the whirls, which go separately over each whirl, and round the turning-wheel.

1819 Times 17 Apr. 4/2 (advt.) All the valuable fixtures and utensils in trade, consisting of..jacks, sledges, spinning and table wheels, two waggons.

table work n. Printing the printing of matter arranged in tables or narrow columns; printed matter of this kind, as distinguished from ordinary letterpress.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > tables

table matter1755

table work1755

1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. iv. 99 Divisions are used instead of rules, in Table-work of narrow Columns.

1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. xx. 167 Work with irregular lines and many figures, and what the printers call rules,..is called table-work.

1879 London Scale of Prices for Compositors' Work Tabular and Table Work is matter set up in three or more columns and reading across the page.

1994 Seybold Rep. on Desktop Publishing (Nexis) 7 Mar. 19 There are certainly other programs earmarked for table work that could handle complicated or large tables better than TB Grids.

Derivatives

ˈtable-like adj.

ΚΠ

1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. 62 The Legs are almost wholly bare of feathers, and both Legs and Feet intensely yellow, both being all over covered with square Table-like Scales.

1864 W. Chambers Hist. Peebles. 295 Throuchs or flat table-like stones.

1998 Time Out N.Y. 31 Dec. 57/3 Here, Caldas fashions tablelike formations, or boxes, out of stainless-steel rods.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	table
释义	tablen. Brit. /ˈteɪbl/, U.S. /ˈteɪb(ə)l/ Forms: early Old English Middle English–1500s tabul, Old English tablu (rare), Old English tabole (rare), Old English tabula (rare), Old English–Middle English tabele, Old English–Middle English tabule, Middle English tabille, Middle English tabulle, Middle English tabyl, Middle English tabyle, Middle English–1500s tabel, Middle English–1500s tabell, Middle English–1500s tabelle, Middle English–1500s tabill, Middle English–1500s tabull, Middle English–1500s tabyll, Middle English–1500s tabylle, Middle English–1500s (1800s– nonstandard) tabil, Middle English– table, late Middle English tabes (plural, transmission error), late Middle English tablee (transmission error), 1600s tablle; Scottish pre-1700 taball, pre-1700 tabbill, pre-1700 tabble, pre-1700 tabel, pre-1700 tabell, pre-1700 tabil, pre-1700 tabile, pre-1700 tabill, pre-1700 tabille, pre-1700 tablie, pre-1700 tablle, pre-1700 tabul, pre-1700 tabule, pre-1700 tabull, pre-1700 tabyll, pre-1700 taibill, pre-1700 taible, pre-1700 teabell, pre-1700 teable, pre-1700 tebil, pre-1700 thabill, pre-1700 1700s– table, 1700s tebell, 1800s– teeble (Orkney), 1900s– tebill. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from French. Etymons: Latin tabula; French tabul, table. Etymology: In Old English < classical Latin tabula (see below); subsequently reinforced by Anglo-Norman tabul, tabull, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French table (also Old French (Walloon, Picardy) taule ) piece of furniture with a flat raised top and one or more legs (c1050 with reference to such a piece of furniture on which food is served, end of the 12th cent. with reference to use for other purposes), (in plural) game of backgammon or a similar game (c1100), tablet of stone or other material bearing or intended to bear an inscription (c1170), board, plate, plank, slab (c1175), table on which the elements are placed for Holy Communion (c1175 in les tables des autex , plural), writing tablet (end of the 12th cent. in Anglo-Norman), any of the tablets on which certain specific collections of laws were inscribed, (hence) the laws themselves (end of the 12th cent. in les taules Moysi , plural), meal taken at a table, also the food and drink provided for this meal (both first half of the 13th cent.), penance or repentance as the salvation of a sinner (second quarter of the 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), list, register, tabulated arrangement (late 13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman, apparently originally in table des matires table of contents; late 15th cent. with reference to a mathematical table (in this sense, frequently in plural)), board on which backgammon is played (13th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), thin slab used to cover parts of a building (1321), board on which a picture is painted (1360 and 1644 in two apparently isolated attestations), either of the two dense bony layers of the skull (1377 in a translation of Lanfranc), (in palmistry) the space between the table line and the natural line (second half of the 14th cent. or earlier in Anglo-Norman), cornice (a1419 or earlier in Anglo-Norman), index of a book (first half of the 15th cent.), gem cut with a large flat upper surface surrounded by small facets (second half of the 15th cent. in table de dyamant ), this surface itself (beginning of the 16th cent.), synopsis, conspectus (1631), tableland, plateau (1690), flat surface used in an industrial process (1723) < classical Latin tabula flat board, plank, door-panel, painted tablet, painting, board to play on, tablet of stone or metal, votive tablet, writing tablet, written tablet, piece of writing, document, deed, list, account, in post-classical Latin also flat piece of ground (5th cent.), communion table (9th cent. (c1093 in a British source) as tabula altaris , 1537 in a British source as tabula are , both literally ‘table of the altar’), sheet of lead (10th cent.; 1086, c1210 in British sources), piece of furniture on legs used for meals, etc. (frequently from c1080 in British sources), board for games such as chess, backgammon, or draughts, game played on such a board, astronomical table (from 12th cent. in British sources), dense bony layer of the skull (a1296 (in Lanfranc) or earlier), provision of food (from 1296 in British sources), upper horizontal surface of a gem (1387 in a British source in in tabula in table), coping, cornice (1447 in a British source in tabula lapidea , literally ‘stone table’), of uncertain origin; perhaps a loanword. Compare also taffel n.Compare Old Occitan, Occitan taula (late 12th cent.), Catalan taula (late 13th cent.), Spanish tabla (early 12th cent.), Portuguese tábua (13th cent. as taboa ), Italian tavola (early 13th cent. or earlier; beginning of the 12th cent. as †taula ). Compare tavel n.¹, which reflects an earlier independent borrowing of the Latin word, via an unattested vulgar Latin, post-classical Latin, or Romance form showing lenition of intervocalic -b- . For parallels in other Germanic languages in the semantic field of board games see tavel n.¹; for borrowing of the same Latin or Romance form in other senses in other Germanic languages compare Old Frisian tefle , tevle , tiōle (West Frisian tafel , (in compounds also) taffel ), Middle Dutch tāfel , tāfele , tāvel , tāvele (Dutch tafel ), Old Saxon tāfla (only in compounds; Middle Low German tāfel , tāfele , tāvel , taffel , taffele , also (influenced by the classical Latin word) tābel , tābele , tābule ), Old High German tavala , tavela (also, influenced by the classical Latin word, tabela , tabella , tabila ; Middle High German tavel , tavele , German Tafel ), Old Icelandic tafla , Old Swedish tafel (in the compound tafelsmidhe set of utensils for dining at table; Swedish taffel , †tafel ; < Middle Low German), and (with semantic differentiation) Old Danish tawlæ table, tablet, slab, plaque, list, tabular arrangement of words or figures (Danish tavle ) and (representing a later borrowing < Middle Low German) Danish taffel , †tafel table at which food is served, the food itself, meal (early 16th cent.). Several reflexes of classical Latin tabula in the Romance languages show lenition of intervocalic -b- to -v- (compare the Italian parallel) and frequently also subsequent vocalization of -v- ; compare the Old Occitan, Occitan, and Catalan parallels. Compare also Old French, Middle French (Walloon, Picardy, South-west), French (now regional) taule (see tole n.²); in northern French dialects this is the regular reflex of classical Latin tabula , showing both abovementioned developments; in south-western dialects it probably shows a borrowing < Occitan. With to keep a good table at sense 6b compare Middle French, French tenir bonne table (c1380). In sense 18 after Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French tables (French tables ); compare post-classical Latin tabulae , plural (1345), Old Icelandic tafla , (plural) töfl in same sense (see tavel n.¹). With to play at (the) tables at sense 18 compare Anglo-Norman and Old French juer as tables (c1100; Middle French, French jouer aux tables), post-classical Latin ludere ad tabulas (1345; earlier ad tabulam ludere (8th cent.)). In Old English usually a weak feminine (tabule), occasionally also a weak masculine (tabula), a strong feminine (tablu), or a strong masculine (tabul). I. A flat slab or board. * A flat piece of wood, stone, or other hard material. 1. a. A flat and comparatively thin piece of wood, stone, metal, or other solid material; a board, plate, slab, or tablet, esp. one forming a surface used for a particular purpose; (also) a natural formation of this kind, as a lamina of a slaty rock. Now only in specific uses in senses 2, 4, 3.In quot. OE: a wooden board struck to give a signal in a monastery. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > condition of being broad in relation to thickness > [noun] > slab or tablet tilea725 tableeOE breda1000 slabc1290 slay-bred14.. tablet?1440 society > faith > artefacts > implement (general) > other implements > [noun] > gong tableeOE prayer gong1872 eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) v. xi. 416 Hæfdan hio mid him gehalgude fatu, & gehalgadne tabul [OE Corpus Oxf. gehalgodne tabulan, OE Corpus Cambr. gehalgode tablu, OE Cambr. Univ. Libr. gehalgode tabulan] on wigbedes gewrixle [L. tabulam altaris vice dedicatam]. OE Regularis Concordia (Tiber.) (1993) xxxii. 63 Tabula post capitulum pulsatur et obedientia agitur : tabule æfter capitule byþ gecnucod & hyrsumnys byþ gedon. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) : Song of Sol. viii. 9 If a wal she is, bilde wee vp on it siluerene pynaclis; if a dore she is, ioyne wee it with cedre tables. 1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) l. 1200 In tablys of marbyl, coryously wrout. c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 39 He layed hym down befor þe ya[tt], & knokkid with his tables as lepre men duse. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 278/2 Table for an auter, table dautel. 1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. xx. 57 The inner part of the temple is altogether plastered and couered with great tables of Porphyre. 1672 J. Josselyn New-Englands Rarities 100 A fair Table curiously made up with Beads likewise, to wear before their Breast. 1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 75 I observed by the ways side several Rocks of black Stone..which were all divided into Tables, hardly thicker than blew Slates,..but joyned very close together. 1730 W. Warren in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 225 A Marble Table for y^e Side-board on a Mohogany Stand. 1734 Builder's Dict. II. at Marble Applying Colours on Marble, so as to make them penetrate its whole Substance, insomuch that if the Marble be slit into several parallel Tables or Planks, the same Image will be found on each. 1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 692/2 [The spinet] consists of a chest or belly..and a table of fir glued on slips of wood called summers, which bear on the sides. 1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. iii. 83 The dark, flat, solid tables of leafage. 1889 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 5th Ser. 27 409 Strata which..lie in their original horizontal position. These parts are called ‘tables’ by Suess. †b. A piece of timber used as a float or raft after shipwreck. Frequently figurative: penance or repentance as the salvation of a sinner (with punning allusion to the Ten Commandments; cf. sense 2a). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > vessels of primitive construction > [noun] > raft > types of raft tablea1393 drag?a1400 wharfa1680 kelek1684 catamaran1697 pipery1698 wood-flat1785 moki1835 mokihi1844 wanigan1848 pae-pae1958 a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. l. 630 He..broghte him sauf upon a table, Which to the lond him hath upbore. a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 293 Þerfor seiyth Ierome, Penitencia est secunda tabula post naufragium, Penaunce is the secunde table after naufragie. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lvii. 194 We saued vs on a table of wode. 1617 Janua Linguarum 6 Contrition of heart is a second table after shipwracke. 1651 J. Reading Guide to Holy City xxvi. 321 Now that he giveth thee this time, it is to lead thee to repentance (that second table of ship-wrackt souls). 2. spec. a. A tablet of stone or other material bearing or intended to bear an inscription or device, as the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed (cf. sense 2d), a memorial tablet fixed in a wall, a votive tablet, a noticeboard, etc. Now archaic. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written text > an inscription > [noun] > inscribed tablet, slab, or plate tableOE tabletc1350 titlea1382 tablature1578 aback1592 plate1668 breastplate1773 stela1776 stele1820 brass plate1836 palimpsest1876 plaque1922 OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xxxii.15 Moyses..hæfde him on handa twa stænene tabulan [L. tabulas lapideas]. Þa wæron mid Godes agenum fingre awritene. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 11 (MED) Efter þan drihten him bi-tahte twa stanene tables breode on hwulche godalmihti heofde iwriten þa ten laȝe. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3535 And gaf to tabeles of ston, And .x. bodeword writen ðor-on. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6541 Þe tables þat in hand he [sc. Moses] bare To pees he þam brak right þar. ?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 6 The table abouen his heued..on the whiche the tytle was writen in Ebreu, greu, & latyn. 1543 N. Heath Injunctions in W. H. Frere Use of Sarum II. 236 Certain prayers..conteyned in Tabylles sett in the grammer scole. 1598 J. Stow Suruay of London (1603) 292 Every usurer should wear a table on his breast the breadth of a paveline. 1611 Bible (King James) Exod. xxxiv. 28 And he wrote vpon the Tables the words of the couenant, the ten Commandements. View more context for this quotation 1641 J. Evelyn Mem. 4 Oct. Divers votive tables and relics. 1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic I. vi. 311 The last Laws of the Decemvirs engraved upon Tables of Brass. 1778 G. Stayley Moral Inq. Nat. Worth & Dignity of Man 10 So highly were these two words..revered by the Heathen Mythologists, that they caused them..to be written on a table of stone, and prefixed to the temple of Wisdom. 1892 S. Baring-Gould In Roar of Sea II. xxxiii. 200 The sand..cut the tables of Commandments in half, had blotted away the majority of inhibitions against marriage within blood relationship and marriage kinship. a1930 R. Bridges Poet. Wks. (1936) 661 The stern forbiddances of those tables of stone that Moses fetch'd out of the thunder of Sinai. 2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 30 Dec. 27 In Wren's day, Church of England churches had a table or plaque on the East wall with the Ten Commandments. b. A small portable tablet for writing upon, esp. for notes or memoranda; a writing tablet. Frequently in a pair (of) tables. Now chiefly historical. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > writing tablet > [noun] wax-bredc960 tableOE tabletc1300 writing tablea1451 writing tablet1601 codicil1640 tablette1711 pugillares1729 pugillaries1759 wax tablet1807 tabula1881 OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 43 Hi ða twegen getreowfæste wæron.., þas halgan martyrrace..on anum leadenum tabulan [L. in paginis plumbeis] ealle mid stafon agrofon, and hi ðæt gewrit mid twam sylfrenan inseglum on anre teage geinsegledon. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 1 Macc. xiv. 17 Thei wryten to hym in brasen tablis [L. in tabulis aereis]. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1876) VI. 257 (MED) Charles..bare a peyre of tables for to write ynne. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11087 Þam asked þan sir zachari Tables and a pontel tite. c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 25 He took a peyre tables, and wroot in þe wax al his desir. ?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) i. xxviii. sig. Hiv Ye must search Angles of position agayne, and marke them in the table or slate. a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) i. sig. C2 Draw your tables, and write what wise I speake. 1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iv. iii. 56 in Wks. II I saw one of you buy a paire of tables, e'en now. 1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. II. v. 66 These things are imprinted and formed in her as in a Table. 1789–96 J. Morse Amer. Geogr. II. 27 The old..manner of writing, before the use of paper of any kind, and waxen tables, was known. 1829 T. Skidmore Rights of Man to Property iv. 132 Where, is the table of wax? Where is the record in marble? Is title engraved on the surface of the earth? 1902 W. C. Smith Poet. Wks. i. iii. 381 They..write on tables messages that mean Nothing or anything—just as we wish. 1987 M. B. Garber Shakespeare's Ghost Writers vi. 150 The writing tables, then, must take the place of another kind of ‘table’ in Hamlet, the table at which one eats and drinks. c. figurative. Frequently, and now chiefly, with allusion to 2 Corinthians 3:3. ΚΠ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. iii. 3 Writun..not in stoony tablis, but in fleischly tablis of herte [L. scripta..non in tabulis lapideis, sed in tabulis cordis carnalibus]. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) 2 Cor. iii. 3 The pistle of Christ..written..not in tables of stone, but in flesshy tables of the herte. 1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 84 All these true notes of Immortalitie, In our Hearts Tables we shall written find. 1602 Ld. Mountjoy Let. 25 Feb. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. 268 I should..sooner and more easily..haue made this Countrey a rased table, wherein shee might haue written her owne lawes. 1692 R. Bentley Boyle Lect. i. 2 The mighty Volumes of visible Nature, and the everlasting Tables of Right Reason. 1708 M. Hole Pract. Expos. Church-catechism 342 Pref. Our great Creator hath given us a Law, engraven at first upon the Tables of the Heart. 1774 J. Wesley Let. 18 Jan. (1931) VI. 69 Let not mercy or truth forsake you whatever company you are in; but bind them about your neck and write them on the table of your heart! 1835 J. A. Heraud Descent into Hell (ed. 2) i. 243 Thy mission?—It is written on the Tables Of Prophecy. 1898 T. Hardy Wessex Poems 28 So may I live no junctive law fulfilling, And my heart's table bear no woman's name. 1944 B. H. Bronson Johnson Agonistes (1946) 121 Whatever preceded must have been written almost solely on the tables of memory. 1998 F. B. Hole Key Teachings ix. 96 He transforms, writing upon the fleshy table of the heart, Christ in His character, or moral features. d. Ancient History. Any of the tablets on which certain specific collections of laws were inscribed; (hence) the laws themselves. Usually with the name of the lawgiver specified, as Moses, Solon, etc. ΘΚΠ society > law > written law > [noun] > code of laws > ancient Greek or Roman table1533 Justinianian code1700 1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Avi^v The first tabil of Moyses contenit the iii first commandis of god vritine in it. 1565 J. Rastell Replie Def. Truth ix. f. 160^v For the tables of Moyses comprehend in them nothing els, but the law of nature. 1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 97 Notwithstanding, the eight law of the thirtenth table of Solon sayeth thus, in these very words. 1773 J. Berridge Christian World Unmasked 24 To shorten man's duty..by shoving a commandment out of Moses's tables. 1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1790) VIII. xliv. 8 In the comparison of the tables of Solon with those of the Decemvirs, some casual resemblance may be found. 1828 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. III. iv. 65 I would diminish the number of capital offences, which is greater in England, I imagine, than the light and heavy put together in the tables of Solon or Numa. 1858 J. Martineau Stud. Christianity 123 The heathen..whose rebellion against the natural law, gross as it is, does not surpass your own offences against the tables of Moses. 1863 Reformed Presbyterian Mag. 1 Apr. 119 We..would freely permit him studiously to peruse the laws of Solon, the republic of Plato, the politics of Aristotle, the tables of Numa Pompilius [etc.]. 1908 Man 8 183 An attempt at the Restoration of the tables of Solon. 1999 P. McLaren Schooling as Ritual Performance (ed. 3) v. 190 Teachers were seen to dispense both the wisdom of the tables of Moses and the tables of multiplication. 3. A board or other flat surface on which a picture is painted; the picture itself. Also figurative. Now archaic and rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > equipment for painting or drawing > [noun] > surface for painting or drawing tablea1387 tablet1395 subjectile1845 excipient1855 support1892 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 399 Þe baner of þe cros wiþ a crucifix i-peynt in a table [L. in tabula depicti]. c1450 (?c1425) St. Elizabeth of Spalbeck in Anglia (1885) 8 110 A tabil, ful wele depeynte with an ymage of oure lorde crucifyed. a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 19 Aftur the sentence of Arystotyl, the mynd of man fyrst of hyt selfe ys as a clene & pure tabul wher ys no thyng payntyd or carvyd. 1538 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 120 That he may also take the Phisionomie of her that he may ioine her sister and her in a faire table. 1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 63 The..parlours, bathes, librarie and pinacloth, where coat Armors escuchions, painted tables, and counterfeates of strangers were kept. 1606 H. Peacham Art of Drawing i. ii. 7 Cæsar..redeemed the tables of Aiax & Medea for 80 tal. 1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets xxiv. sig. C^v Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath steeld, Thy beauties forme in table of my heart. View more context for this quotation 1616 W. Cornwallis Essayes Certaine Paradoxes sig. F Whosoeuer shall behold the outward mortification of a pocky companion..shall see him wholy made a very picture and painted table of repentance. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 145/1 On this Frame [sc. an easel] Painters set their Cloth or Table while it is in working. 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical vii. 74 My Picture, is not yet dry:..I will bring you this Table some Months hence. 1886 Catal. Albany's Bicentennial Loan Exhib. 119 This table was painted by a daughter of an English officer during the Revolution. 1916 C. M. Doughty Titans v. 125 A firebrand, in the painted table, wields The fiends iron other hand. 4. †a. The board on which chess, draughts, backgammon, or another similar game is played. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > [noun] > board playing boarda1398 tablea1398 playing table1468 board1474 game board1826 pegboard1846 gaming board1932 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 250 A playinge borde þat men pleyeþ on at þe dys and oþere games, & þis manere of table is doubled and y-hight with dyuerse colours. 1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) i. iii. 14 Then the philosophre began..to shewe hym the maner of the table of the chesse borde. c1475 in H. J. R. Murray Hist. Chess (1913) 607 This is a Jupertie that may neuer be mated out of the medyll of the table. 1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xxxii. f. 282^v I haue bought a pleyeng tabull: with .XII. poyntis on the one syde: and chekers on the other syde. 1563 R. Lever Philosophers Game sig. D.i There is in this kynde of playing to be considered, the table, þ^e men, the marking of them, the letting of them in araye, their marching, their lawes of taking, and the maner of triumphynge. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 67/2 Those men as break through the other and come to the opposite side of the table, are then made kings. 1747 C. Cock Catal. Furnit. Duke of Chandos 17 A backgammon table and men, and a draught board. 1775 E. Hoyle Hoyle's Games Improved sig. I 1^v Backgammon... This Game is played by two Persons upon a Table divided into two Parts upon which there are twenty-four black and white Points. 1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod iv. ii. 437 The table for playing at goose is..divided into sixty-two small compartments arranged in a spiral form. 1837 F. M. Trollope Vicar of Wrexhill II. xiv. 290 Rosalind..invited him to play at chess with her. Without replying a word, he brought the table and set up the men before her. b. Originally: each of the two folding leaves of a board for playing backgammon or a similar game; chiefly in plural denoting the board as a whole, esp. in a pair of tables. In later use chiefly: each half of each leaf of a backgammon board, forming together the four areas in which the pieces are moved. Cf. sense 18. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > board tablerc1380 table1415 table-board1483 gammon boarda1790 1415 in F. A. Page-Turner Bedfordshire Wills (1914) 26 (MED) A paire of tablis wt þe mayne. 1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 376 A paire of Tabyls, tabelle. 1534 in Camden Misc. (1855) III. 39 One paire of tables of peerle,..withoute table men. ?1573 L. Lloyd Pilgrimage of Princes f. 76^v The Arte of dicing, and playing diuers kinde of games vpon tables. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Damier, a Chesse-boord; or, paire of Tables. 1657 tr. A. Thevet Prosopographia 11 in T. North tr. Plutarch Lives (new ed.) Necessitated to cast up the Cards, to shut the Tables, and to resign the Game. 1745 E. Hoyle Backgammon 22 Two Fours, two of them are to take your Adversary's Cinq Point in his Tables. 1779 Mackenzie in Mirror No. 11. ⁋13 [He] snatched up the tables and hit Douglas a blow on the head. 1868 H. T. Riley tr. in Memorials of London 395 A pair of tables, on the outside of which was painted a chequer-board, that is called a ‘quek’. ?1870 F. Hardy & J. R. Ware Mod. Hoyle 141 The object of the game is to bring the men round to your own ‘home’, or inner table. 1934 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 54 203/1 Transferring his men through his opponent's tables back to a home table, exactly as in backgammon. 1956 Islamic Q. 3 240 This may refer to the primitive form of the backgammon-board, similar to the variety of the game called medio emperador..which was played on a board of two tables. 1973 Daily Tel. 29 June (Colour Suppl.) 39/4 The board, I learnt, with 12 triangles or ‘points’ of alternate colours down each side, is divided into four ‘tables’ of six points each. 2002 J. Altman 1,001 Dreams 424 The game's object, to be the first player to remove all your pieces from the outer table to the inner table and then off the board altogether, may point to your desire to discover or resolve the secrets of your unconscious. ** A raised board at which people may sit. 5. a. A piece of furniture consisting of a raised flat top of wood, stone, or other solid material, supported on one or more legs, and providing a level surface for working at or on which to place things for various purposes.Frequently with modifying word indicating a specific use or design, as billiard, dining, dormant, folding, round, writing, work-table, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] boarda1000 beodc1000 throckOE tablec1330 stool1519 taffel1552 magazine table1966 c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 2004 (MED) To sire Cressus þai nome sone..And to a table fast him bounde, And red gold quik þai melte, And nose and mouht ful þai helte. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xix. l. 158 Crist..ouer-turnede in þe temple here tables and here stalles. c1450 Brut (Egerton) 446 Next þaim, at the same table syttyng, þe Iustices. ?a1562 G. Cavendish Life Wolsey (1959) 151 My lordes great crosse of Syluer accustumably stode in the corner at the tables end. 1583 J. Dee Jrnl. in True & Faithful Relation Spirits (1659) i. 6 I had..set the shew-stone with the mystery in it, on the Table. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Table Round tables take away contention; one being as neere his meat as another. 1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 123 A long Table, and a square Table, or Seats about the Walls. 1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Toilet, a kind of Table-cloth, or Carpet of Silk, Sattins, Velvet or Tissue, spread upon a Table in a Bed-chamber. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 78 To make such necessary things as I found I most wanted, as particularly a Chair and a Table. 1782 Graham's Hist. John Cheap (new ed.) iii. 21 There was a very little taylor, sitting on a table..with his legs plet over other. 1853 W. Irving in Life & Letters (1864) IV. 131 I see you are in the midst of hocus pocus with moving tables [etc.]. 1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 384/1 In the living room are unpainted chairs, a table, a bed, a long bare bench for a sofa, and an étagère. 1920 E. Wharton Age of Innocence ii. xxvii. 273 Wraps and furs lay in heaps on the chairs, a doctor's bag and overcoat were on the table. 1949 A. Huxley Ape & Essence 126 The Grand Inquisitor's Special Assistant..produces a very large consecrated bull's pizzle, which he lays on the table before him. 1999 M. Thorne Eight Minutes Idle (2001) xvii. 309 Alice is sitting on the table, her feet resting on a swivel-chair. b. British Politics. The table which stands before the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons, on which the mace lies when the Speaker is in the chair, and at which the Clerk of the House and his or her assistants receive motions, questions to ministers, etc., and new members are sworn in. Hence: a similar table in the House of Lords or in other legislatures modelled on the British Parliament. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > English or British parliament > [noun] > place of > occupied by lower house > parts of table?1572 treasury-bench1775 side gallery1778 ladies' gallery1815 ventilator1822 pairing desk1899 ?1572 J. Hooker Order & Vsage Keeping of Parlements sig. G.j There is onely one Clark belonging to this house, his office is to sit next before the Speaker, at a Table vpon which he writeth and layeth his books. 1675 Grey's Debates (1769) III. 129 Mr Stockdale, and some others, setting their feet upon the mace, which lay below the table, in the usual place at Grand Committees. 1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (1710) i. ii. xiii. 100 The Mace, while the Speaker is in the Chair, is always upon the Table, except when sent upon any extraordinary Occasion into Westminster-Hall, and Court of Requests, to summon the Members to attend. 1771 London Evening Post 28 Feb. 3/1 Upon which Mr. Byng and Mr. Buller, seized him by the collar, and brought him up to the table. 1846 Ld. Campbell Lives Chancellors IV. cv. 56 He forthwith sent a letter to the Clerk, which was delivered to him at the table. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 312/1 Having first taken the oath himself, he [sc. the Speaker] is followed by other members, who come to the table to be sworn. 1958 Spectator 11 July 47/1 Mr. Gaitskell's head wagged up and down as if he wanted to punch a hole in the Table with his nose. 1992 H. Robertson On Hill 26 The Clerk sits at the head of the table. 2000 M. Kober-Smith Legal Lobbying App. iii. 81 The Chairman sits at the table next to the clerk, not in the Speaker's chair, and the mace is put under the table, not on top of it. 6. a. A table on which food is served, and at or around which people sit at a meal.Frequently without article when used following a preposition in an adverbial phrase; cf. at table at Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > dining table meat-boardc1275 tablec1330 meat-table1381 dining table1553 board1606 dinner table1785 mahogany1837 trough1930 c1330 (?c1300) Amis & Amiloun (Auch.) (1937) l. 1582 (MED) He was ycharged al-so To eten at þe tables ende. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 975 With that word she gan the hous to dighte And tables for to sette and beddes make. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 100 He..carf biforn his fader at the table. c1450 (a1449) J. Lydgate Diatorie (Lamb. 853) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 56 Be not gredi at þe table. c1450 Brut (Egerton) 446 The Maire of London And hys Aldermen begone þe table in þe hall. 1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 163 They are a very good dishe for the table. a1600 Doctrynall Good Servauntes in E. F. Rimbault Anc. Poet. Tracts 16th Cent. (1842) 8 Ye servauntes that wayte upon the table. 1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 164 You doe consecrate your tables, by setting salt-sellers and images of Gods upon the boord. 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 150 In their Hall where they Repast, at the upper End on the Table is placed a Death's Head. 1736 Compl. Family-piece i. ii. 101 Stove it well in good Gravy one Hour, and send it whole to Table. 1785 T. Holcroft tr. Comtesse de Genlis Tales Castle (ed. 2) I. 65 Just as the family were sitting down to table. 1806 B. McMahon Let. 26 Dec. in T. Jefferson Garden Bk. (1999) 329 The quarantine Corn, was with me fit for the table, in fifty days after sowing. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy ii He shared in the hospitality of all the best tables in the county. 1855 ‘E. S. Delamer’ Kitchen Garden 19 The greening [of potatoes]..renders them unfit for table. 1888 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 810/1 This..was used to support the great bowl in which potatoes were then brought to table. 1905 E. Wharton House of Mirth i. xiv. 257 The man who built it came from a milieu where all the dishes are put on the table at once. 1963 E. David Omelette & Glass of Wine (1986) 88 They were..brought to table piled up in a tureen. 1996 Church Times 6 Dec. 16/5 Gone are the 'tweenies to run from kitchen to table with flaming pudding aloft. 2000 Guardian 3 June (Weekend Suppl.) 52/1 The breads, pickles, moutabal, taramasalata, muhammra and the hummus..were delivered to our table by a young man of rare charm. b. Food and drink provided for a meal; the supply of food in a household, esp. as hospitality for a guest (frequently in to keep a good table and variants). Also: provision of food for meals; board (now rare). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > supply of food or provisions > [noun] victualsa1375 substancec1384 repasta1393 kitchenc1400 tablec1405 stuff1436 acates1465 acatry1522 victualling1532 provision1555 achates1570 plate1577 avitaile1592 support1599 horn and corn1633 subsistence1640 cribbing1652 purvey1678 commissariat1811 ration1814 commissary1883 c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §444 Pride of the table appeereth eek ful ofte, for certes riche men ben cleped to festes and poure folk been put awey and rebuked. a1425 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Cambr. Ff.5.35) (1873) C. xvii. l. 322 [c1400 Hunterian Hus wone is to wende in pilgrymages, Ther poure men and prysouns beþ, and payeþ for here] table [c1400 Hunterian lyflode; Cambr, Trin. Cambr. fode]. 1426–7 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 67 Also payd for Elymesfordes table ix dayes, euery day ij d. c1475 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Harl. 642) (1790) 18 (MED) Domus Regis Hardeknoute may be called a fader noreshoure of familiaritie, whiche vsed for his own table never to be served with ony like metes of one meale in another. 1534 N. Udall Floures for Latine Spekynge gathered oute of Terence f. 182^v Tenne poundes I recken nowe as gyuen or payde for her table. 1565 in J. Fraser Polichron. (1905) 141 He kept noblemens children with him for table and lodging. 1572 J. Higgins Huloets Dict. (rev. ed.) Tt iij^v Whiche kepeth a good table. 1602 2nd Pt. Returne from Pernassus (Arb.) ii. v. 30 My father..keepes an open table for all kinde of dogges. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Tenir bonne table, to keepe a good table, to fare well. 1672 Sir C. Lyttelton in E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) I. 97 The King allows mee..10^li a weeke for a table. 1706 Wooden World Diss. (1708) 19 [He] believes a Kittisol a nobler Piece of Magnificence, than a good Table. 1722 B. Star tr. Mlle. de St. Phale i. 4 My Mother..entertained thoughts of placing me in a Convent, paying for my Table. 1757 A. Mitchell Let. 19 Apr. in Mem. & Papers Sir A. Mitchell (1850) I. viii. 242 My table is plain, hospitable, and frugal. 1840 M. Callcott Hist. Spain (new ed.) II. xviii. 372 His table was plain. 1856 Daily News 9 Jan. 3/5 Sums varying from 2l. 2s. to 1l. 5s. a day, table and lodging. 1882 Harper's Mag. Sept. 598 Boarding at four dollars a week, and not a very good table at that. 1915 W. S. Churchill Let. 1 Dec. in W. S. Churchill & C. S. Churchill Speaking for Themselves (1999) vi. 124 Keep a good table: keep sufficient servants & your maid; entertain with discrimination, have a little amusement from time to time. 1934 D. Sargent Thomas More iii. 62 He was being paid..lavishly for his table and lodging, but with no provision for his family left in London. 1966 A. Higgins Langrishe, go Down xxii. 166 A thin coarse table of potatoes, cabbage, soda bread, eggs always, gammon, tea with lemon. 1994 D. Healy Goat's Song (1995) 132 ‘I'll say this for you,’ Matti would say, ‘The Northern Protestant knows how to ate. The Prod keeps a good table.’ †c. A movable board placed on trestles or supports for the serving and eating of a meal. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > trestle table > board or plank of table1440 table-board1538 taffel board1552 table plank1626 trestle-board1856 Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 485 (MED) Table, mete boord that ys borne a-wey whan mete ys doon: Cillaba. 1570 B. Googe tr. T. Kirchmeyer Popish Kingdome iv. f. 56 The table taken vp they rise, and all the youth apace. a1599 Adam Bel 569 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) II. 162 Take vp the table, anone he bad: For I may eate no more. 1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 i. iv. vi. 358 Dinner being ended, and the table taken vp. 7. Christian Church. a. The table on which the elements are placed for Holy Communion; = communion table n. Also in extended use: Holy Communion itself. Frequently with distinguishing word, as the Lord's table, the holy table.Often, esp. in Britain in the late 16th and 17th centuries, used in deliberate opposition to altar with the implication that the rite of Communion is not regarded as a sacrifice. Cf. altar n. 2c. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > [noun] massOE servicelOE sacrament?c1225 table1340 commoningc1384 the Lord's Supperc1384 Eucharista1400 oblation?a1425 communion1440 sacrifice?1504 Lord's Table1533 Maundy1533 the Supper?1548 unbloody sacrifice1548 mystery1549 communication1550 banquet1563 liturgy1564 table service1593 synaxis1625 mysteriousness1650 second service1655 nagmaal1833 ordinance1854 table prayer1858 society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > altar > [noun] > communion table altarOE God's boarda1200 boardc1200 communion table1549 table1550 communion board1553 altela1555 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 236 Godes table is þe wyeued. Þe coupe is þe chalis. c1450 (c1400) Bk. Vices & Virtues (Huntington) (1942) 261 Þe prestes of cristenedome..seruen at Goddis table and seruen hym of his cuppe and of his bred and of his wyne. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. x. 21 Ye cannot be parte takers off the lordes table, and off the table off devyls. 1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Svpper of the Lorde f. cxxj Not suffering them to bee partakers of the Lordes table, untill he knowe them to bee reconciled. 1550 in Acts Privy Council (1891) III. 170 That it was convenyent to take downe the aultars as thinges abused, and in liewe of them to sett up tables as thinges moste meete for the Supper of the Lorde, and most agreable to the first constitution. 1552 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16279) Administr. Lordes Supper sig. M.vi The Table hauyng at the Communion tyme a fayre white lynnen clothe vpon it. 1616 J. Boys Wks. (1629) 844 Is not..the denying of the cup a notorious lurching at the Lord's Table? 1641 R. Dey Two Looks over Lincolne 3 The Bishop of Lincolnes Crosier..metamorphosed the holy Altar, into an holy Table, name and thing in appearance, yet an holy Altar still, in reverence, adoration, place and situation. 1650 J. Lamont Diary (1830) 15 Both Durie and his lady was debarred from the tabel, because of ther malignancie. a1711 T. Ken Edmund viii, in Wks. (1721) II. 203 Just in the midst was th' Holy Table plac'd, Where it the Past'ral Chair directly fac'd. a1751 P. Doddridge Hymns (1755) 152 My God, and is thy Table spread? 1846 C. Anderson in H. Anderson Life & Lett. C. Anderson (1854) xi. 425 There were sixteen of us..sitting down..at the table of the Lord. 1890 W. W. How Holy Communion ii. 66 You will now have some little space of time for private prayer and meditation,..before you go up to the Holy Table. 1902 T. M. Lindsay Church & Ministry in Early Cent. vi. 254 After the celebration the faithful, who all remained in the church, came forward to the ‘Table’. 1950 Times 12 May 3/2 Two but not more than two candlesticks might lawfully be upon the holy table. 2004 Church Times 25 June 18/4 The existence of such a retable made it necessary for the clergy to celebrate the communion service in front of the holy table, facing away from the people. b. Originally Scottish. In Presbyterian, and later also Methodist, churches: those assembled at the communion table, the communicants; esp. each of a number of groups of communicants to whom the sacrament is administered by turns; (hence) each dispensing of the sacrament. to fence the tables: see fence v. 9. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrament > communion > [noun] > each dispensing of table1596 1596 in D. H. Fleming Reg. Christian Congregation St. Andrews (1890) II. 815 Robert Williamsoun, Jhone Hagy,..Patrik Littiljhone and Thomas Craig, to servie the taball with bred and wyne. 1678 in J. B. Craven Hist. Church in Orkney (1893) II. ix. 69 After sermon there were thirteen long tables served. 1709 W. Steuart Coll. & Observ. Church Scotl. ii. iv. §21 While the tables are dissolving and filling, there be always singing of some portion of a psalm. a1732 T. Boston Memoirs (1776) x. 287 I communicated at the fourth table. a1805 A. Carlyle Autobiogr. (1860) 212 It is the custom for elders to serve tables in sets and by turns. 1840 R. McCheyne in Mem. v. 133 At the last table every head seemed bent like a bulrush while A. B. spoke. 1870 Queen Victoria in D. Duff Victoria in Highlands (1968) 256 Our Scotch servants sat..all below, as everyone does who intends taking the sacrament at the ‘first table’. 1901 R. De B. Trotter Galloway Gossip Eighty Years Ago 8 There wus usually three services at the tables, an three sermons till them by three different ministers. 1960 G. R. Cragg Church & Age of Reason vi. 87 Each successive ‘table’—and there might be thirty in all—was admonished by one of the participating ministers. 1961 T. S. Garrett Christian Worship vii. 144 The Methodist practice of Communion by ‘tables’ is recommended, ie, a whole row of communicants remaining kneeling till all have communicated, as a sign of the corporateness of the act. 1980 Oxf. Diocesan Mag. May 6/1 It is usual [in the Methodist Church]..for the sacrament to be administered to groups of about twelve communicants at a time, usually referred to as tables. 8. a. A company of people at a table; spec. a group of people seated at a table for a meal. Cf. earlier Round Table n. 1c. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating in specific conditions > [noun] > eating in company > group eating together messa1450 table1508 tea-table1712 mess1858 1508 W. Dunbar Goldyn Targe (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems (1998) I. 187 Thare was Bacus, the gladder of the table. 1532 T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere iii. p. clxxvii Lyke a iugler that conuayeth his galles so craftely, that all the table spyeth them. 1565 T. Stapleton tr. Bede Hist. Church Eng. v. iv. f. 157 She..came to the table, shewed her selfe very officious in caruinge..to the bysshope and all the hole table. 1583 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (ed. 4) II. 1187/2 The Lord Cromwell..sent for the poore man to come vnto him, and before all the table most louingly and friendly, calling him by his name, tooke him by the hand, and asked how he did. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 186 Your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roare. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iii. iv. 88 I drinke to th'generall ioy o'th' whole Table . View more context for this quotation 1659 J. Evelyn Char. Eng. 40 We salute the whole Table with a single glass onely. 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 75. ⁋15 He..carries me the first dish, in defiance of the frowns and whispers of the table. 1862 Mrs. Stoddard Morgesons (1889) xiii. 68 The whole table stared as we seated ourselves. 1890 A. Conan Doyle White Company ix King Arthur and all his table could not have done more. 1896 K. P. Wormerley tr. H. de Balzac Comédie Humaine XXIV. v. 183 The whole table was startled, every one paused, fork in air..awaiting the conclusion of that horrible silence. 1945 H. Wernher My Indian Family 33 There is a prolonged burst of applause along the whole table. 1973 L. Hellmann Pentimento (1979) 557 Arthur was shouting to a silent table that Goethe was an old German ass. 1994 M. Van Walleghen Tall Birds Stalking (2000) 66 The whole table gets suddenly busy with their salads. b. An official body of people who transact business seated around a table; = board n. 8b. Now chiefly in plural with the and capital initial: the Presbyterian committees formed in early 1638 to resist the policies of Charles I, and which later in the year framed the National Covenant (Scottish (now historical)). Cf. council-table n. ΘΚΠ society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > tribunal or board of assessors or adjudicators tablea1572 tribunal1916 society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of body or spec. bodies > [noun] > board tablea1572 board1623 council1682 supervisory board1839 management board1948 board-room1959 a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 409 Ledingtoun..spak secreitlie to the quene in hir eare; what it wes, the tabill hard nocht. 1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 8 I myselfe can testifie with how good contentment of all the table you did serue so many yeares. 1638 R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1841) I. 106 The Tables in Edinburgh wrote to them, that thirty-nine presbytries already had chosen their commissioners. 1640 in J. Nicholson Minute Bk. War Comm. Covenanters Kirkcudbright 2 Sept. (1855) 40 For the foirsaid ryot,..and for the upbraiding of the table, by saying that he was committit to ward without ane fault. 1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 149 In despight of the Kings Proclamation, [they] erected Four Tables, one of the Nobility, another of the Gentry, a third of the Burroughs, a fourth of the Ministers; these four were to prepare and digest what was to be propounded at the General Table. 1673 in O. Airy Essex Papers (1890) I. 96 There were then two elections in being, one made by y^e Lord Mayor in y^e presence & w^th y^e consent of a Table of Aldermen & Sheriffs, & another by y^e Lord Mayor singly, in y^e presence of a Table of Aldermen & Sheriffs. 1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. iii. 156 Committees of dexterous men have been appointed out of the Table to do the business of it. 1754 D. Hume Hist. Great Brit. I. 229 By an edict of the tables, whose authority was supreme, a lay-elder, from each parish, was ordered to attend the presbytery. 1890 D. O. Hunter Blair tr. A. Bellesheim Hist. Catholic Church Scotl. IV. 5 The National Covenant..was framed by four committees called the Tables. 1928 J. Buchan Montrose 80 The Committee of the Tables asked for the withdrawal of the obnoxious canons and service book. 2002 A. Woolrych Brit. in Revol. iv. 99 By 6 February the holding committee knew enough to summon the Tables back to Edinburgh. 9. a. A table on which a game of cards, dice, or other gambling game is played; a gaming table; (also) the group of players at such a table. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > [noun] > player of games of chance > party of table1750 school1819 gambling school1935 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > [noun] > table ordinary table1578 gaming table1598 whimsy-board1702 gaming board?1716 play-table1717 green table1724 gambling table1769 table1770 1511 H. Watson tr. St. Bernardino Chirche of Euyll Men & Women sig. Bij^v As afore the alter of our aduersarye there is a lytell wyndowe for to put the relyques in in lykewyse shall we haue a sachell tyed to the tables for to put the dyce and ye table men therin. 1607 R. C. tr. H. Estienne World of Wonders xxxvii. 298 In stead of giuing thanks, they make the dice trowle vpon the tables: one desires to play at dice, or cards. 1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester 7 Rooks are in continual motion, walking from one Table to another, till they can discover some unexperienc'd young Gentleman, Casheer or Apprentice, that is come to this School of Virtue. 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 15. ⁋11 I perpetually embarrassed my partner, and soon perceived the contempt of the whole table gathering upon me. 1770 S. Foote Lame Lover ii. 50 Lady Cicily..has six tables every Sunday. 1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey III. v. xiii. 259 The plan will be for two to bank against the table. 1878 W. Collins Haunted Hotel I. iii. 21 A gambler at every ‘table’ on the Continent. 1914 S. Lewis Our Mr. Wrenn xv. 199 Mr. Wrenn felt that Tom was hoping he would lead a club. He played one, and the whole table said: ‘That's right. Fine!’ 1963 Times 21 Aug. 7/4 Last year gamblers left behind on the tables of France's 156 registered..casinos a total of more than 1,400m. francs. 1999 J. Arnott Long Firm ii. 68 Went out to the Colony to play the tables for a bit... Can't even remember how much I lost. b. Bridge. The hand of the declarer's partner, which is displayed face up on the table, and played by the declarer; the dummy. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > bridge > [noun] > types of hand > dummy hand dummy1886 table1959 1959 Listener 7 May 808/2 The lead of the Queen from the table allows East's K 9 x to be smothered. 1960 T. Reese Play Bridge with Reese 127 I play low from table. 1987 Independent 13 Nov. 12/2 To lead a low diamond from the table would fail. 1998 Eng. Bridge Aug. 27/1 West started with a heart to queen and ace and Mossop immediately led a club towards table. 10. A table used for playing a tabletop ball game such as billiards, snooker, table tennis, etc.Recorded earliest in billiard-table n. at billiards n. Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1641 in Notes & Queries (1915) 11 227 A billiard table and three bearers. 1664 in G. S. Thomson Life in Noble Househ. (1937) xii. 238 (modernized text) For the billiards, the port and balls and other appurtenances to the table. 1734 R. Seymour Compl. Gamester (ed. 5) iii. 73 Of Billiards. There is belonging to the Table an Ivory Port,..two small Ivory Balls and two Sticks (called Masts). 1838 Times 23 July 2/3 (advt.) There is a new table, with cues, ball, pool balls, &c., gass [sic] fittings, and every requisite. 1903 Month Aug. 161 A charming billiard-room with a long pocketless table. a1969 J. Kerouac Visions of Cody (1992) 67 The casual visitors who dropped in for a game of snookers [sic] after supper when all the tables were busy in an atmosphere of smoke. 2001 Birmingham Business Jrnl. (Nexis) 4 Feb. 1 The participants were looking for regulation tables and the proper amount of space to play [table tennis]. 11. A table on which a surgeon performs an operation; an operating table; (also) a table or slab on which a body is laid for post-mortem examination or dissection (cf. slab n.¹ 3e). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > other surgical equipment > [noun] > operating table table1706 operating table1850 operation table1896 1706 tr. L. Verduc Manner curing Fractures xvi. 91 in tr. A. Belloste Hosp. Surgeon (ed. 2) The inside of the Patient's Hand must be spread upon a Table, drawing every Finger one after another to reduce the Tenders to their natural Situation. 1754 S. Sharp Crit. Enq. Surg. (ed. 3) v. 215 In England, we seat ourselves in a Chair of a suitable height to the Table on which the Patient lies. 1823 Lancet 9 Nov. 204/1 A boy..was placed on the table to be cut for stone. 1885 E. Owen Surg. Dis. Children xx. 287 The child lying flat upon the table, and anæsthetised, the surgeon stands on the left side. 1917 T. S. Eliot Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock in Prufrock & Other Observ. 9 The evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table. 1977 P. D. James Death of Expert Witness iv. 226 As for the cause of death..well, you'll have to wait till I get her on the table. 1998 M. Reaves Voodoo Child (1999) iii. 33 Maybe if he's lucky we can get a neuro to run a skull series before he croaks on the table. 12. Chiefly Australian and New Zealand. A table with ridged lateral slats on which shorn fleeces are processed. Cf. wool table n. at wool n. Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > shearing-shed > table rolling table1749 table screen1800 table1829 wool table1865 1829 Amer. Farmer 23 Oct. 249/2 Two assorters only are employed at the same table, or four at two tables, placed sufficiently near to each other to enable the workmen to throw the wool in the same baskets. 1865 M. A. Barker Let. 1 Dec. in Station Life N.Z. (1870) v. 33 Armfulls of rolled-up fleeces [were] laid on the tables before the wool-sorters who..pronounced..to which bin they belonged. 1922 W. Perry Sheep Farming 122 The fribby bits that fall on the board, when shaken from the fleece, should be swept under the table and left there until there is sufficient to make a bale. 1981 R. Pinney Early N. Otago Runs 23 The Benmore classing was a big job, as some 3,000 fleeces came over four tables each day. 1998 S. Dingo Dingo xv. 183 He collected his first fleece off the floor and delivered it to the table to be tidied up, classed and bagged. 13. A table around which parties sit to discuss points at issue; a meeting place for formal discussions held to settle a dispute; the negotiating table. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > conferring or consulting > place for speech-housec1050 palaver-court1735 palaver-room1735 palaver house1789 baraza1863 cenacle1889 conference table1928 table1946 rap centre1969 1946 Times 1 Mar. 5/3 Sir Archibald Clark Kerr..endeavours to bring the Dutch and the Indonesians together round the same table to discuss the constitutional issue. 1955 Times 14 June 3/3 Once workpeople became convinced that threats yielded better results than reasoned negotiations round the table the whole system of collective bargaining would collapse. 1990 Maclean's 2 Apr. 22/1 We decided in 1987 to get Quebec back to the table. 1998 New Republic 27 Apr. 4/1 They cannot charge me with failing to come to the table with them. II. A schematic arrangement of information. 14. a. A systematic arrangement of numbers, words, symbols, etc., in a definite and compact form so as to show clearly some set of facts or relations; esp. an arrangement in rows and columns, typically occupying a single page or sheet. Formerly occasionally: †an orderly arrangement of particulars, a list (obsolete).correction-, life-, multiplication, performance, periodic, times, truth-table, etc.: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > list > [noun] tableOE scorec1325 billa1340 calendar?a1400 legendc1400 librarya1450 Ragmanc1450 Ragman rollc1450 cataloguea1464 repertory1542 scrowa1545 bedroll?1552 roll1565 file1566 state1582 inventory1589 brief1600 series1601 counter-roll1603 list1604 muster roll1605 cense1615 pinax1625 repertoirec1626 diagram1631 recensiona1638 repertorium1667 vocabulary1694 albe1697 enumeration1725 screed1748 album1753 tableau1792 roll-call1833 shopping list1923 laundry list1958 remainder list1977 the world > relative properties > number > graph or diagram > [noun] > table tableOE time1863 multiplication table1881 operations table1940 simplex tableau1952 tableau1952 society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [noun] > diagram > tabular form tableOE tabling?c1450 tablement1551 chart1792 tableau1792 tabulation1837 plan1855 OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. ii. 144 Þæra geara getæl hæfð seo tabule þe we amearkian willað. c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 20 The remenaunt of auges, sek hem in the table of auges folwynge. a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 13 In this table men mowe knowe..what day schal be Ester day. c1425 Concordance Wycliffite Bible in Speculum (1968) 43 270 (MED) Mannes mynde..is greetly releeued bi tablis maad bi lettre aftir þe ordre of þe a, b, c. c1440 Astron. Cal. (Ashm. 391) (MED) Than foloweþ a noþer table of all mouable feestes. a1500 (?1397) G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Digby 72) (1872) ii. Suppl. §45. 56 So many ȝeris, monythis, & dayes entere in-to thy tabelis of thy mene mote. 1553 R. Eden in tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India Pref. sig. aaviij^v The most parte of Globes and mappes are made after Ptolomeus Tables. 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary To Rdr. sig. ¶5 A briefe Table expressing the value of the small Coynes most commonly spent. 1675 J. Gregory Let. in S. P. Rigaud & S. J. Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men 17th Cent. (1841) (modernized text) II. 268 A table of logarithms, from the first chiliad, true to more places than any yet attempted. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 421. ¶ 8 A Table of the principal Contents in each Paper. 1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson Introd. sig. d^v I know of none but literal mistakes, some of which are corrected in the table of Errata. 1799 G. Pearson Transl. Table Chem. Nomencl. (ed. 2) (title page) To which are subjoined, tables of single elective attraction, tables of chemical symbols, [etc.]. 1849 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 12 191 There is a very extensive though not exact coincidence of the..relative density of population and excess of crime..a coincidence which will appear no less marked in the summary Table I. 1851 C. Cist Sketches & Statistics Cincinnati 34 Comparative mortality table. The proportion of deaths of population, in the cities and large towns of the old and new world. 1894 Naturalist 241 Statistical tables of rainfall and temperature. 1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials vii. 214 The tables give the compositional range and mechanical properties of a few important..heat-resisting steels. 2005 Isis 96 425/1 Medieval astronomy consisted primarily of compiling and using tables. †b. Originally: a concordance or index to a book. In later use usually: = table of contents at content n.¹ 2b. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > [noun] > indexing > index tablea1464 finder1588 index1660 calendar1830 a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 121 He was eke þe first begynner of þe concordauns, whech is a tabil onto þe Bibil. ?1550 in H. Llwyd tr. Pope John XXI Treasury of Healthe sig. g.v^v The table of this boke. 1583 (title) The Newe Testament..with a Table or Concordance, Englished by L. Tomson. 1614 J. Selden Titles of Honor Pref. B iij Out of the Title, Table, and Contents of the Chapters..the Summe and Method discouer themselues. 1660 J. Moore Arithm. ii. 5 All decimal Arithmetick is brought to that scale or degree..as appears by the Table in the beginning of my other Book. 1671 Philos. Trans. 1670 (Royal Soc.) 5 2084/1 An Alphabetical Table of the chief things contained in this Fifth Volume for..1670. 1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) I. 393 A Table to the First Volume. 1824 J. Johnson Typographia I. 317 The Work contains three Prologues and a Table, which occupy nine leaves. c. In plural. The common arithmetical tables, as the multiplication tables and those of money, weights, and measures, esp. as learnt at school.times tables: see times table n. (b) at time n., int., and conj. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > mathematical instruments > [noun] > table compute manual1483 tariff1591 sexagenary table1594 table of multiplication1594 long measure1623 scale of numbers1630 Rudolphine Tables1635 multiplication table1657 chiliad1675 sexagesimal table1685 nautical card1700 pence table1706 numeration tablea1743 tablebook1755 ready reckoner1757 calculator1784 tables1828 times table1902 log tablec1935 a1690 S. Jeake Λογιστικηλογία (1696) 22 To learn by heart the Table commonly called Multiplication Table.] 1828 M. R. Mitford Our Village III. 125 She is going to be a governess..and it's to be hoped the little ladies will take kindly to their tables. 1893 K. Grahame Pagan Papers (1894) 127 He had ‘gone into tables’, and had been endowed with a new slate. 1956 Times 13 July 12/4 I never trusted schools to teach my children their tables. 1976 Evening Post (Bristol) 23 Apr. 6/4 Children..still learn tables, but they are taught to understand what they mean first. 2000 P. Bird Help your Child to learn at Primary School (ed. 2) iv. 57 Learning tables is important today too, but not all schools teach children their tables by rote. d. A list of rivals or competitors showing their positions relative to one another, arranged in descending order of ranking; a league table. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > league or division Football League1889 table1896 premier league1898 division1899 1896 Times 23 Mar. 11/ A club that has only an insignificant position in that measure of consistency the League table. 1897 Times 14 Aug. 8/4 Essex were deprived by their defeat at Leyton yesterday of the first position in the county championship table. 1951 Sport 6 Apr. 10/4 Mr. Drake has been the guiding light behind a remarkable revival that has taken the club soaring up the table. 1972 G. Green Great Moments in Sport: Soccer v. 62 Around Christmas, they had begun to catch a tide of success as they crept slowly up the table. 1984 Financial Times (Nexis) 5 Nov. 6 (headline) BOC chief again tops earnings table. 1991 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. 28/6 Widnes scrum-half David Hulme said: ‘It's nice to be top of the table again.’ 2001 Times 17 Dec. i. (Sports Daily section) 3/1 Leeds..would roll over Leicester City..and strengthen their position near the top of the table. †15. A statement of particulars or details in a concise form; a synopsis, a conspectus. Obsolete.In quot. 1583: a sketch, a plan, a model. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > intention > planning > [noun] > a plan redeeOE devicec1290 casta1300 went1303 ordinancec1385 intentc1386 imaginationa1393 drifta1535 draught1535 forecast1535 platform1547 ground-plat?a1560 table1560 convoy1565 design1565 plat1574 ground-plota1586 plot1587 reach1587 theory1593 game1595 projectment1611 projecting1616 navation1628 approach1633 view1634 plan1635 systema1648 sophism1657 manage1667 brouillon1678 speculationa1684 sketch1697 to take measures1698 method1704 scheme1704 lines1760 outline1760 measure1767 restorative1821 ground plan1834 strategy1834 programme1837 ticket1842 project1849 outline plan1850 layout1867 draft1879 dart1882 lurk1916 schema1939 lick1955 society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > [noun] > synoptical statement abstract1436 titling1465 capitulation1523 aphorism1528 argument1535 table1560 analysis1588 the brief1601 abstractive1611 synopsis1611 method1614 synopsy1616 modela1626 scheme1652 syllabus1653 précis1760 summing up1795 aperçu1828 conspectus1839 vidimus1884 auto-abstract1892 standfirst1972 society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > non-fiction > summary or epitome > [noun] > outline or sketch in words outdraughtc1300 minute1443 draught?1504 plat1525 plot1548 table1560 scheme1652 schizzo1686 outline1760 profile1783 abbozzo1846 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cclx^v (margin) The Protestauntes answer to the table of outlawery. 1583 Sir T. Smith's De Republica Anglorum iii. ix. 118 This being as a proiect or table of a common wealth truely laide before you. 1594 Briefe Notes Benefits Obseruation Fish-daies (?1627) In this briefe Table is set downe the punishment appointed for the Offenders. a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Old Law (1656) ii. 18 He bought a Table indeed, Only to learn to die by't. 16. A map, esp. an ancient (usually Roman) itinerary map. Now rare except in Peutinger Table at Peutinger n. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > map-making > map > [noun] > other types of map mappa mundia1387 mappemondea1393 table1610 Mercator's chart1645 Peutingerian tablea1657 Mercator1694 hemisphere1706 Peutinger1731 road map1741 geological map1798 route map1816 ordnance map1828 outline map1836 contour map1862 index map1869 hypsographical map1881 soil map1898 wheel-map1899 strip map1903 distribution map1947 worm's-eye map1964 topo1970 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 106 A chorographicall table or mappe of Britaine [L. Chorographicam Britanniae tabellam]. a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 179 The old name of it in the Peutingerian Military Table, Burolevum, confirms his reading the Name by V. 1710 T. Hearne in J. Leland Itinerary I. Pref. p. iv Vegetius mentions the Itinerary Tables or Mapps, in which the several Stations of the Roman Souldiers were represented. 1822 J. L. Burckhardt Trav. Syria & Holy Land Pref. 10 It is worthy of remark that the distance of eighty-three Roman miles from Aila to Petra, in the Table (called Theodosian or Peutinger,) when compared with the distance on the map, gives a rate of about 7/10 of a Roman mile to the geographical mile in direct distance. 1945 Geografiska Annaler 27 332 Thus, the Itinerarium Antonini which belongs to the class of itineraria scripta..already shows new material, not included in the Table of Peutinger. 17. Computing. A collection of data organized in a notional set of rows and columns; spec. one stored in memory in the form of a series of records each of which has a unique key stored with it. ΚΠ 1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 157 Operations such as division, square root, table look-up, etc., where the required time cannot be predicted. 1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xvi. 254 A table in a memory usually consists of a number of records, each consisting of a pair of data. 1980 C. S. French Computer Sci. xxvi. 205 Accessing most tables..involves using keys. A key is a data item which is associated with the data and which can be used to locate or identify other data. 1986 What Micro? Apr. 52/1 Paradox stores database in what are termed tables. Each row in the table corresponds to an entry in the database. 2005 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) May 42/1 We can route these ‘softwires’..anywhere we want to by storing the substitutions in a database (a look-up table) and by using the original address to retrieve them. III. Extended uses (chiefly technical uses of branch I.). 18.* In plural. The game of backgammon; (also, esp. in early use) a similar game; any board game played with dice. Frequently in to play at (the) tables. Formerly also: †the pieces used in playing such a game (obsolete). Cf. sense 4. Now historical.The common name of the game until the middle of the 18th cent. In later use, esp. in to play at tables, often associated with sense 4b. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a company or body of persons > [noun] > at table tablesc1325 tableful1535 society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] tablesc1325 backgammon1647 gammon1699 backgame1718 c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 3965 (MED) Þe kniȝtes atyled hom..to prouy hor bachelerye, Some wiþ launce & some wiþ suerd wiþoute vileynie, Wiþ pleynde atte tables oþer atte chekere. c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 1227 (MED) His harp, his croude was rike; His tables, his ches he bare. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 28338 (MED) I ha me liked..Til idel gammes, chess and tablis. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 11150 Som plaied with deeȝ at tables [a1450 Lamb. & tables]. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §793 Now comth hasardrie with hise apurtenances, as tables and Rafles, of which comth deceite. 1472 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 25 John Coke..suffers me[n] to play in his hous at the tablez for mony by nyghtez. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cxlix^v A proclamacion..against al vnlawfull games..in all places, Tables, Dice, Cardes, and Boules, wer taken and brent. 1595 W. Jones tr. G. B. Nenna Nennio f. 26 Others sitting still, plaied at chesse, and at tables. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Renette, a game at Tables of some resemblance with our Doublets, or Queenes Game. 1628 J. Earle Micro-cosmogr. xxi. sig. E2 At tables he reaches not beyond doublets. 1665 S. Pepys Diary 21 Sept. (1972) VI. 236 After losing a Crowne betting at tables, we walked home. 1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 10 Tables & Draughts are allowed, yet must they not play at them for Money. 1753 in S. Richardson Corr. (1804) III. 68 I must now as they say at Tables, endeavour to play a good back game. 1808 W. Scott Marmion i. xxiii. 44 Full well at tables can he play, And sweep at bowls the stake away. 1855 H. W. Herbert Wager of Battle ix. 106 Gayly-dressed, long-haired boys..playing at tables on a board covered with a scarlet cloth. 1979 ‘E. Peters’ One Corpse too Many x. 153 We'll offer you beds with pleasure, and a game of tables if you've a mind for it. 1996 P. Griffiths Youth & Authority iv. 205 Young nocturnal trippers were found in alehouses..playing cards, tables, and other games. 19. Anatomy. Either of the two (outer and inner) dense bony layers of the skull, which are separated by the diploë. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > parts of skull > [noun] > tabulate structure of tablea1400 tablature1615 tablet1826 tabula1842 tabling1891 a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 108 Þe brayn panne is maad of ij. smeþe liȝt tablis [L. ex duabus tabulis planis], þat oon is aboue, þe toþir is byneþe. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 163^v (MED) Som men shaueþ & foileþ and pilleþ þe first table of þe brayn pan. 1543 B. Traheron tr. J. de Vigo Most Excellent Wks. Chirurg. i. i. f. 3 ^v/1 The bone named Cranium, or the fyrst table of the bones of the heade. 1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate 4 If a fracture happen in Cranium, with contusion and depression of both the tables thereof. 1678 J. Browne Compl. Disc. Wounds xxxiii. 171 The lower Table of the Cranium was rent and lacerated, without any apparent or evident sign of Rupture or Laceration. 1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. xxxviii. 21 A surgeon..declared there was a dangerous depression of the first table of the skull. 1825 Lancet 8 Oct. 101/1 The external table is tough, firm, &c.; the internal is glassy. 1855 R. Owen Lect. Compar. Anat. Invertebr. Animals (ed. 2) i. ii These air-chambers between the outer table and the immediate covering of the brain. 1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) viii. 241 Extending back above the notch at the margin of the skull table is a row of three small bones—intertemporal, supratemporal, and tabular—which tend to be reduced and lost in most later tetrapods. 2007 Jrnl. Clin. Neurosci. 14 470/1 Osteomas may be located in the inner or outer table of the skull. 20. a. A flat plate, board, or similar, forming part of a mechanism, apparatus, or instrument; spec. †(a) the face of a clock or watch (obsolete); †(b) a part of a seed drill (obsolete); (c) Engineering a flat metal surface of a machine tool on which the work is supported (now the most common use); †(d) Weaving the bar or board to which the tails of the harness of a draw loom are attached (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of > dial or markings on dial tablea1400 dial1440 watch1588 punctilio1596 dial platea1652 recliner1652 dial piece1658 face1659 horary circle1664 night dial1670 horizontal dial1674 hour-stroke1674 hour-plate1690 clock face1764 niche1822 the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [noun] > weaving > method of > figure weaving > loom > parts of or attachments for tablea1400 simple1731 draw-boy1811 card1829 needle1829 witch1829 machine card1832 Jacquard apparatus1841 Jacquard1851 griff1860 dobby1878 lappet1894 witch top1897 trap-board1900 necking cord1910 the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > other parts of plough plough-line1384 plough-strake1395 cleat1419 weigh-tree1578 spindle1616 pole wedge1733 table1763 throat1771 brace1808 wang1808 wing-bar1844 sill1877 a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 307 Whanne þis instrument is hoot, it schal be putt vpon a mannes haunche, & a table bitwixe maad of iren, & þis table schal be coold. a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe i. §14. l. 3 Than is there a large pyn..that goth thorugh the hole that halt the tables of the clymates and the riet in the wombe of the moder. a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) iv. iv. 326 To fit the Table with Divisions suitable to the Hours. a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) iv. vi. 341 The Wheels, and the Ballance, and the Case, and Table. 1763 J. Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. I. 332 M. Duhamel's drill is fastened to the fore-carriage of a common plough. The hind part consists of a plank..at least three inches thick, which is called the table. 1766 Compl. Farmer at Drill The pin g n is rested against the axle-tree..and the other..is placed near the table of the drill. 1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 238 By turning the wheel, the table E is drawn between the cylinders, the counterpoise F rising accordingly. 1856 A. Ure Dict. Arts I. 379 A box or frame of pulleys, over which the cords of the harness pass, and are then made fast to a piece of wood,..which the weavers call a table. a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 341/1 The table a, with stuff, slides up to the bit, and is raised and lowered by a hand-wheel. 1963 V. Austin Workshop Theory (1969) vii. 94 On an anvil..all the cutting with a chisel should be done on the table to prevent damage to the chisel edge. 1985 U.S. Patent 4,510,980 1/2 A table assembly for a multipurpose tool... A pair of pinion gears..are driven by a crank having a locking mechanism so that the table can be displaced relative to the carriage. 1997 A. G. Weygers Compl. Mod. Blacksmith 240 Place the block on the table of the drill press and put the tapered rod in the drill chuck to test the setup. 2001 L. Eichhorn et al. Classroom Man. Automotive Brake Syst. (ed. 2) vi. 186 The outer part is called the table (or sometimes the rim) and is curved to match the curvature of the drum. b. A flat surface used in an industrial process; (Glass-making) a metal plate with a raised rim on to which molten glass is poured in the making of plate glass. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > work-benches, seats, etc. > [noun] > metal table table1728 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Table of Glass is now in its last Perfection, and needs nothing farther but to be heated over again. When taken out, they lay it on a Table of Copper. 1765 R. Jones New Treat. Artific. Fireworks ii. 31 The mealing table..represented in Plate 1. 1807 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 3) II. 508 The plate glass is poured melted upon a table covered with a sheet of copper. The plate, as cast, is about an inch thick; but it is ground down to the proper..thinness, and then polished. 1859 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 22 Apr. 361/2 A stationary bottom plate or moulding table, which is fixed at a clay-tight distance from the aforesaid channel. 1971 Materials & Technol. II. vi. 383 The glass was cast or ladled from a pot on to an iron table... This method is still used for the manufacture of special sizes of plate glass. 1977 D. Lavender One Man's West (ed. 3) v. 67 The remaining pulp was washed over electro-silvered copper plates set in tables on a gradual slope. c. Woodworking and Shipbuilding. = coak n. 2. Cf. table v. 5, tabling n. 7. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > [noun] > wooden structures or wooden parts of > means of fitting together > types of joint > projecting part of joint tenon14.. tenora1485 rabbet1678 dovetail1691 relish1703 teaze-tenon1703 coak1794 table1794 tusk tenon1825 tonguing1841 tongue1842 pin1847 cog1858 stub-tenon1875 cross-tongue1876 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 23 The edges of the coaks and tables, after they are sunk and cleared, are chamfered. ?1812 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) V. 511/2 The tables have their full depth in the axis of the joining. 1891 N.E.D. at Coak sb. By the Thames shipbuilders called ‘table’, the operation being ‘tabling’. 1958 C. F. Tweney & L. E. C. Hughes Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 171 Coak, a projection on one of the mating surfaces of a scarfed joint, fitting into a corresponding recess in the other surface. Also called table. d. The upper part of the soundboard of an organ, situated above the soundboard bars and grooves and perforated with holes for admitting air to the pipes. Also: †the top board of the bellows (obsolete).In quot. 1852: the soundboard bars. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [noun] > soundboard > parts of stock-board1850 table1852 groove-board1880 society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > organ > [noun] > bellows > parts of under-board1781 rib1811 bellows-spring1852 bellows-tail1852 feeder1852 side rib1852 table1852 1852 tr. J. J. Seidel Organ & its Constr. 52 These partitions are called grooves, and the ledges..by which they are separated, tables. 1880 C. A. Edwards Organs ii. ii. 49 The top of the sound-board, technically called the table. 1881 W. E. Dickson Pract. Organ-building vi. 72 Organ-bellows..consist of three main boards, namely, the middle board, the top board or table [etc.]. 1905 G. A. Audsley Art Organ-building II. xxiv. 200 The wind-chest proper consists of the frame, the table, the sliders and bearers, the upper-boards, and the rack-boards. 1996 S. Bicknell Hist. Eng. Organ (1998) ii. 31 (caption) The grid and table of an organ soundboard discovered in 1977 in a house at Wetheringsett in Suffolk. 21. Architecture. a. Any horizontal projecting course or moulding, as a cornice or string course. Usually with modifying word.base-, bench-, corbel-, earth-, grass-, ground-, water-: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > string-course or -moulding curstable1278 tablec1400 ledgement1435 wreath1677 cordon1706 tablette1723 belt1730 string1809 string-course1825 belt course1830 tablet1830 string-moulding1833 rope border1855 stringing course1861 racecourse1883 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 789 Ande eft a ful huge heȝt hit haled vpon lofte, Of harde hewen ston vp to þetablez [MS reads tableȝ]. c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 1003 Þe calsydoyne..In þe þryd table con purly pale. a1525 (?1430) Coventry Leet Bk. 136 That the said priour & Couent shull make within ther Garden aftur the town wall a bank of Erthe..in height vnto the tabull of the said wall Except ij fette. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 472/1 The Foot Table, is a Square Corner standing out at the bottom, or middle sides of the Gable end. 1845 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 4) I. 357 The word table, when used separately without any adjunctive term to point out its position, appears to have signified the cornice, but it is very usually associated with other epithets which define its situation, as base-table, earth-table, or ground-table, bench-table, corbel-table, &c. 1999 J. S. Curl Dict. Archit. 654/1 Table, any horizontal moulding. †b. A flat, typically rectangular, vertical surface, sunk into or projecting beyond the surrounding surface; a panel. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > other elements > [noun] > panel table1651 panel1693 1651 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 87. 1327 Two thirds of his main Mast was shot away.., all the Sailes much torne, three or four Beames, the Table, and great capsting in peeces. 1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. vi. Explan. Terms 113 In Plate 6. s is the Table. a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 36 A Table plain'd in the side of the natural Rock. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Generality of Architects..use Tables or Pannels, either in Relievo or Creux, in the Dyes of Pedestals. 1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 594 Table, projecting or raised. 1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 1039 s.v. When the surface is rough, frosted, or vermiculated, from being broken with the hammer, it is called a rusticated table. 22. Palmistry. Also more fully the table of the hand. The space between the table line and the natural line. Cf. quadrangle n. 1b. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination by natural phenomena > palmistry > [noun] > specific area of the hand tablea1440 quadranglec1450 a1440 Old Palmistry (Digby) 26 (MED) Yf this lyne of the table entur be twen the shewer and the myddul fyngur, it tokenyth in a manne perile of deth of yron. c1450 J. Metham Palmistry (Garrett) in Wks. (1916) 86 (MED) The fourthe lyne ys the tabyl lyne, for that parte off the hand ys clepyd the tabyl, the qwyche ys be-twene the myd lyne and the tabyl lyne. 1556 T. Hill tr. B. Cocles Brief Epitomye Phisiognomie sig. E.iiii ^v The table in the hande small or narrowe, and the fyngers greate, suche a person is geuen to wryte wel or perfitlye. 1571 T. Hill Contempl. Mankinde xxxviii. 169^v Such a person, which hath the Table in the hande large, and the fingers slender and long, is iudged to be subtill in a naturall facultie. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. ii. 153 If any man in Italy haue a fayrer table which dooth offer to sweare vpon a booke, I shall haue good fortune. View more context for this quotation 1625 J. Shirley Love Tricks (1631) v. i. 63 In this table Lies your story; 'tis no fable, Not a line within your hand But I easily vnderstand. 1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 87 This space is called the Table of the hand, which hath on the one side the Mensal Line, on the other the middle Natural Line. 1711 ‘Dr. Saman’ tr. Aristotle's Last Legacy 21 The Table Line is in the middle or Table of the Hand. 1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward II. i. 13 You shall in a brief space be menaced with mighty danger; which I infer from this bright blood-red line cutting the table-line transversely, and intimating stroke of sword. 1883 H. Frith & E. Heron-Allen Chiromancy 138 The Quadrangle..is sometimes called the table of the Hand. 1932 Bk. of Fate & Fortune i. iii. 182 This is the rectangular space, also called the Table of the hand, situate between the heart and head lines. 23. †a. A plot of ground for planting; a bed. Cf. tablemeal adv. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > cultivated land > plot of cultivated land acreOE plotlOE inhook1214 table?1440 culturea1475 labouragec1475 land1731 lazy-bed1743 ladang1783 shamba1840 tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 810 Mark out thi tablis [gloss beddis; c1450 Bodl. tables, gloss beddes] vchon bi hym selue. tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) ii. l. 99 The tablis for thi vynys maystow make..as thee list, or as thi londe Wol axe. b. A flat elevated tract of land; a tableland, a plateau; a flat mountain top. Also: (with the and capital initial) (a name for) Table Mountain, at Cape Town, South Africa (see table mountain n. 1). ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > plateau table1587 tableland1672 terrace1674 plateau1743 plat1788 table plain1812 platform1813 table-ground1823 mesa1840 1587 W. Harrison Descr. Eng. i. i. 1/2 Albeit the continent hereof..lieth as it were a long table betweene the two seas. 1607 in R. Raven-Hart Before Van Riebeeck (1967) 35 Parte of the table to the northward of the sugar lofe. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 13 The ascent to the Sugar-loafe and Table [sc. Table Mountain in South Africa], two Hils so named. 1731 G. Medley tr. P. Kolb Present State Cape Good-Hope II. 14 'Tis an usual Saying among Sailors approaching the Cape, as soon as they discover this cloud, The Table is cover'd, or The Cloth is laid on the Table; intimating, that they must prepare immediately for a Storm. 1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey I. 155 A valley..nearly..filled up from side to side by a level table of land. 1888 J. D. Whitney Names & Places iii. iv. 181 The flat summits of mountains are sometimes called ‘tables’, and especially in California, where there are several ‘Table Mountains’..capped usually with horizontal or table-like masses of basalt. 1908 Bull. Amer. Geogr. Soc. 40 395 Beyond it a high gravel reach extended a fifth of a mile to Grewingk, a square rocky table 250 feet high, surrounded by cliffs. 1979 M. Matshoba Call me not Man 110 The top of the Table was covered in clouds. ‘They call that cloud the tablecloth.’ 1997 Farming News (Nexis) 19 Sept. 35 Healabhal Bheag, the highest of MacLeod's Tables, dominates the Orbost skyline. c. A flat hedge bank. Now English regional and rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [noun] > ridge on which hedge is table1664 floor-bank1744 hedge-bank1776 tabling1843 1664 J. Evelyn Sylva xix. 44 If you have ground fit for whole Copses of this Wood, cast it into double dikes, making every foss neer three foot wide; two and half in depth; then leaving four foot at least of ground for the earth..and two Tables of Sets on each side. 1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Quick Double Ditches..will be done for eight Pence the Pole, and the Husbandman get as good wages as with the single ditch (for though the Labour about them is more, yet the making the table is sav'd,)..and the Hedges being low, they will make better Wages at Hedging. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 574 The hedger lays them, with the grass side downwards, upon the edges of the set-sods,..pushing them under and as if to support the thorn roots with them. These..are called the table. 1905 E. Smith in Eng. Dial. Dict. VI. 2/2 [Warwicks.] The two rows of quick in a double hedge are called the top and bottom table, the latter being nearest the ditch. 24. Originally: †a reredos; a retable (obsolete). Later: a frontal for an altar. Cf. tabula n. 2. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > altar > parts of altar > [noun] > frontal tablement1446 table1447 tabula1845 1447–8 in E. Hobhouse Church-wardens' Accts. (1890) 88 (MED) To John Slyette vor makyng of ij banarys, and a clothe afore the tabylle, and mendyng of j awbe, xiiij d. ?1474 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 146 (MED) Item, j tabulle of alebasture þe storyus of þe passyon of owr lord, þe wych Tabulle Mastres Jane Stonor has yeft unto þe chapelle of Stonor. 1508 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 43 ix elne wellus to be ane table abone the altar for the mortstand. 1511 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 532 Foure howsouris, ane of purpour satin,..tua of quhet dammes..and the ferd of gray dammes..to be reformit and maid in vestimentis, tabulis, and altar pendis for the chapellis of Striveling and the Abbay. 1881 T. E. Bridgett Hist. Holy Eucharist in Great Brit. II. ix. 104 In addition to this was a cross of solid gold, and a table or frontal for the high altar, with three images of silver gilt. 1909 Rep. & Papers Assoc. Archit. Societies 30 i. 305 The high altar is first scheduled, it had an upper frontal or table of alabaster, above which was a reredos. 25. a. A large flat sheet of glass; spec. one of the circular sheets in which crown glass is manufactured. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > other shapes or forms of glass table1482 cleft1688 tablet1688 glass fibre1824 glass wool1879 angel hair1888 glass brick1909 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > flat circular piece table1728 1482 in J. P. Collier Househ. Bks. John Duke of Norfolk & Thomas Earl of Surrey (1844) 157 xij, white tabuls, and xiij. of colours, vj. blewe, v. grene and ij. purpil. 1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick xvii. i. 356 Make also another table of Glass the same way. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 385/2 A Table is a broad peece of Glass neere a yard, some more, square, it is also called a Tablet. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) The Number of Tables anneal'd at a time. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Ratcliff Crown Glass..: Of this there are 24 Tables to the Case, the Tables being of a circular Form, about three Foot six Inches in Diameter. 1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 420 The glass is bought by the crate, which consists of twelve tables. 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 144 The ‘table’ of crown glass is from four to five feet across. 1914 J. W. Clarke Mod. Plumbing Pract. I. xxxix. 225 Unless the diamond cuts well, and the glazier has a light hand, it is difficult to cut up a table of crown glass without breaking it into irregular-shaped pieces. 1990 S. Minter Greatest Glass House 138 Repeal of the tax in 1845 (just after the start of the construction of the Palm House) saw the price per table of crown glass fall from about 6 shillings to 2 shillings. 1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 130/1 Crown glass, sheet glass cut from a hand-blown circular table of glass. †b. A small cake of some drug or confection; = tablet n. 3. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines of specific form > pills, tablets, etc. > [noun] > tablet or lozenge trochiskc1400 tablet?a1425 pastille1451 lozenge1530 table1580 troche1597 tessel1657 tabella1684 tablette1725 trochus1748 tabulate1834 lozenger1860 tabule1893 the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > drop, lozenge, or comfit comfit1334 pastille1451 table1580 confect1587 violet tables1620 sugar-pluma1668 plum1694 nonpareil1697 rose drop1727 lemon-drop1807 drop1818 jujube1835 pear drop1852 pandrop1877 conversation lozenge1905 cushion1906 fruit drop1907 1580 J. Frampton tr. N. Monardes Dial. Yron in Ioyfull Newes (new ed.) f. 162 Then take a smal table of rosade of a sweete smel. 1621 T. Venner Treat. Tobacco (1650) 410 Tables made with an Ounce or two of fine sugar dissolved in Fennell water. c. Mineralogy and Chemistry. A crystal of tabular or short prismatic form; (also) a tabular surface of a crystal. Cf. sense 26. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal habit > [noun] > table table1701 1701 N. Grew Cosmol. Sacra i. iii. 17 The Principles of Bodies, are Regularly Figur'd... A Rhomboid, may be resolved into Wedges and Cubes. And a Cube, may be resolved into Tables and Prismes. 1794 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) I. 362 Crystallized in rhomboidal tables. 1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. (1862) III. 542 The acid benzoate of potash..in colourless, pearly tables,..sparingly soluble in water. 1891 Amer. Naturalist 25 141 The black, lustrous crystals are usually orthorhombic, rectangular tables. 1971 C. S. Hurlbut Dana's Man. Mineral. (ed. 18) v. 342 Barita... Both first- and second-order prisms are usually present, either beveling the corners of the diamond-shaped crystals or the edges of the tables. †d. A sheet of lead. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > base metal > [noun] > lead > lead in specific form > sheet web1343 table1809 soaker1895 1809 W. Bawdwen tr. Domesday Bk. 294 These manors paid in King Edward's time..five cartloads of lead of fifty tables [L. v plaustratas plumbi de l tabulis]. 1850 Pharmaceut. Jrnl. & Trans. Aug. 94 Of late the somewhat complex system of boilers and coolers has been simplified by substituting rectangular tables of lead of twenty or thirty metres. 26. a. A gem cut with a large flat upper surface surrounded by small facets, esp. a table diamond. in table(s): in such a form. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [noun] > cut in specific style table1530 cardiace1601 star-cut1815 rose cut1820 tallow-top1881 navette1908 baguette1926 marquise1945 1530 Inventory in State Papers Henry VIII (P.R.O.: SP 1/58) f. 213 iiij diamantes wherof: ij poynted and ij tables. 1538 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1907) VII. 14 Ane grete diamand sett in table for the quenis spousing ring. 1631 W. Twisse Discov. D. Iacksons Vanitie ii. viii. 309 A golde needle enriched with a great Diamand, in forme of a table, having 4. Diamants round about, wherof the three out hanging were facet stones. 1692 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses II. 518 His diamond seal, a table that had the Kings armes cut with great curiosity. 1703 London Gaz. No. 3929/4 Two single Stone Diamond Rings, Tables. 1904 19th Cent. July 136 A necklace of carnelian, ‘cut in tables’, is deemed worthy of being handed down to posterity as an heirloom. b. The large flat upper surface of such a gem. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [noun] > part of precious stone > facet > specific table1653 lozenge1750 window1942 1653 T. Nicols Arcula Gemmea 51 The forms into which it is most commonly cut, is a Tablet, which consisteth of one plain upper Table, and foure latterall Tables. 1750 D. Jeffries Treat. Diamonds & Pearls Explan. Terms The Table is the large horizontal plane, or face, at the top of the Brilliant. 1861 W. Pole in Macmillan's Mag. 3 184/2 The apex of the upper pyramid is cut off to a considerable extent, and the large facet thus formed is called the table. 1970 E. Bruton Diamonds x. 160 The first elaboration was to grind and polish the four edges of the table. 2006 Diamond Intelligence Briefs (Nexis) 19 Sept. Marking a diamond's table is quickly gaining acceptance as the best way to identify diamonds for sophisticated buyers. †27. Perspective. = perspective plane n. at perspective adj. Compounds. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > perspective > [noun] > planes, lines, or points horizontal plane1638 eye-pointa1650 table1670 principal point1671 plan1678 geometrical plane1695 terrestrial line1704 vertical plane1704 baseline1724 station line1724 middle ground1753 picture plane1771 middle distance1778 primitive plane1798 seat1815 mid-distance1828 ground-plane1833 station point1859 mid-ground1864 no-sky line1927 1670 J. Moxon Pract. Perspective 8 This Plain is by some Authors called the Section, by others the Table, and by others the Glass. They that call it a Section call it most properly, Because it cuts or intersects the Plain whereon it stands. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Table, in Perspective, is a plain Surface, suppos'd to be transparent, and perpendicular to the Horizon. 1765 J. L. Cowley Theory of Perspective p. iv All lines, parallel to one another and to the horizon, although inclined to the table, or picture as it is now called, would constantly converge towards a point in the horizontal line. 1876 W. Papworth Gwilt's Encycl. Archit. (rev. ed.) (Gloss.) 1039 Table. In perspective, the same as the plane of the picture, being the paper or canvas on which a perspective drawing is made, and usually perpendicular to the horizon. In the theory of perspective, it is supposed to be transparent for simplifying the theory. 28. Astronomy. With the and capital initial. (The English name of) the constellation Mensa; = table mountain n. 2. Chiefly as a conscious translation. Cf. mensa n. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > constellation > Southern constellations > [noun] telescopec1795 Telescopiumc1795 air pump1807 table mountain1837 mensa1847 Men1922 table1978 1978 D. Baker Hamlyn Guide Astron. 120 (heading) Mensa (Table). 1990 P. S. Harrington Touring Universe through Binoculars vii. 175 Mensa, the Table, lies in the far southern skies of autumn. Phrases P1. at table: at the dining table; at a meal. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > meal > [adverb] > at meals at (the) meateOE at mealc1400 at tablec1400 at meat and meal1599 c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. x. l. 101 I haue yherde hiegh men, etyng atte table. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) G. §4. l. 1015 A preest..That ther-Inne had dwelled many a yeer..was so plesaunt..Vn-to the wyf where as he was at table That she wolde suffre hym no thyng for to paye For bord. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 170 (MED) Iason..was as servisable, As diligent in chambre and at table, As euere was any childe or man. c1450 Merlin 225 The knyghtes of the rounde table seten with the sowdiours at table be hem-self. 1599 T. M. Micro-cynicon iii. sig. B7 Sitting at table..All couered with damaskt naperie. a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. vii. 4 Your Soldiers vse him as the Grace 'fore meate, Their talke at Table, and their Thankes at end. View more context for this quotation 1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. v. 237 It is shamefull for a King to boast at Table, and shrink in fight. 1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 18 He never deigns to discourse at Table with any below a Brother Captain. 1770 S. Foote Lame Lover ii. 42 Pester'd at table with the odious company of..country cousins. 1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice III. v. 99 She had not prudence enough to hold her tongue before the servants, while they waited at table . View more context for this quotation 1884 Harper's Mag. Nov. 889/1 They threw the salt over their shoulders,..in propitiation of evil powers, when they spilled it at table. 1927 H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. T. Mann Magic Mountain (London ed.) I. v. 370 The house regulations protected the patients from having such things come to their knowledge; and now here was a young whipper-snapper bringing it up at table. 1971 P. White Let. 3 Jan. (1994) xi. 372 We were having a dinner for Manning Clark, arranged weeks ahead, and which became a snowball over the weeks till we were finally ten at table. 1998 P. Chapman 1999 Good Curry Guide 150 Fish Mollee..is a classic dish, so mild and gentle in its coconut base that even the Raj allowed it at table. P2. to turn the tables and variants: to reverse one's position relative to someone else, esp. by turning a position of disadvantage into one of advantage; to cause a complete reversal of the state of affairs. [With reference to the position of the board in a board game being reversed, hence reversing the situation of each player in the game.] ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > change to something else, transformation > change of direction, reversion > reversal [phrase] Tottenham is turned French1546 to turn the tables1612 to have one's heart in one's boots (also shoes, heels, hose, etc.)1642 the boot is on the other leg1854 the shoe is on the other foot1933 the wheel has come full circle1944 1612 G. Chapman Widdowes Teares i. sig. C2 ^v You doe well Sir to take your pleasure of me, (I may turne tables with you ere long.) 1634 R. Sanderson Serm. II. 290 Whosoever thou art that dost another wrong, do but turn the tables: imagine thy neighbour were now playing thy game, and thou his. 1643 D. Digges Unlawfulnesse Subj. iii. 70 The tables are quite turned, and your friends have undertaken the same bad game, and play it much worse. 1682 Modest Enq. Election Sheriffs London 31 Whensoever the Tables shall so far turn, as that we have a Mayor who will..drink to one of the contrary and opposite Party. 1713 J. Addison in Guardian 14 Aug. 2/1 In short, Sir, the Tables are now quite turned upon me. 1764 J. Jardine Let. in D. Hume Lett. (1932) II. 352 God be thanked, the Tables are changed. It is in our Power now to persecute. 1778 F. Burney Let. 28 Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. Fanny Burney (1994) 119 The tables are turned,—for he sits & flatters her! 1839 I. Thackeray Let. 15 May in G. N. Ray Lett. W. M. Thackeray (1945) I. 382 I fear it would not be so if the tables were turned. 1888 A. Jessopp Coming of Friars iii. 165 Suppose the men of the thirteenth century could turn the tables upon us [etc.]. 1893 F. C. Selous Trav. S.-E. Afr. 33 They had won the first match, though I hoped I might yet turn the tables on them in the return. 1939 J. B. Morton Bonfire of Weeds ix. 201 His technique of turning the tables on an audience..is being severely criticized in some quarters. 1958 Argosy Sept. 109 But since he was expecting it, the tables were turned. 1985 Undercover Autumn 15/2 Dressmakers created dresses to please the whims of the client. Worth swung the tables completely. 2001 C. Freeland But is it Art? v. 144 The images..celebrate the female artist's ability to turn the tables on the men. P3. under the table. a. colloquial. Drunk to the point of insensibility, esp. in to drink (also put, see, etc.) someone under the table: to outdrink someone; to drink with someone until that person is drunk to the point of insensibility. Now frequently in extended use in to —— someone under the table: to outdo or outlast in or overcome with the specified form of activity. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [verb (transitive)] > make drunk > make very or insensibly drunk to drink (also put, see, etc.) someone under the tablea1636 locus1829 to sew up1829 to drink under the table1897 mickey-finn1957 a1636 J. Rogers Godly Expos. First Epist. Peter (1650) iv. 532 They get Beer of extraordinary strength, and..make matches who shall drink each other drunk under the Table. a1653 H. Binning Heart-humiliation (1676) vi. 81 Some boast of drinking, and being able to drink others under the Table. 1751 T. Carlyle in E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. (1864) iii Being a five-bottle man, he could lay them all under the table. 1845 J. F. Cooper Satanstoe I. xii. 184 Guert was no drunkard, far from it; he could only drink all near him under the table, and remain firm in his chair himself. 1921 W. S. Maugham Trembling of Leaf 28 Walker had always been a heavy drinker, he was proud of his capacity to see men half his age under the table. 1936 V. W. Brooks Flowering of New Eng. v. 95 He was far from sober, or would have been if two tumblers of brandy had been enough to put him under the table. 1953 H. Clevely Public Enemy 137 This time, if he met Tilly, she wouldn't drink him under the table. 1960 K. Amis Take Girl like You (1962) 240 You mustn't talk Julian's young friend under the table. 1985 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder II in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 197/1 Hurray: and last one under the table gets 10,000 florins from the loser. 1995 J. Barclay Paras over the Barras (2002) vii. 129 He'd drink anythin [sic], and did. He could drink anybody under the table. 2004 Voice 22 Mar. (24 Seven section) 10/3 But social dancing—you give me a little shandy, I'll get high as a kite and I will dance you under the table! b. In a clandestine or underhand way; secretly; illicitly. Frequently attributive (usually hyphenated): secret, hidden, done in a clandestine or illicit way. Cf. under the counter at counter n.³ 4b. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > [adverb] softlyc1225 by stalea1240 privilya1250 slylyc1275 thieflyc1290 stealingly13.. by stealth1390 stalworthlya1400 theftfullyc1400 theftlyc1400 theftuouslyc1400 under veilc1425 thievishly?c1450 by theft1488 quietly1488 furtively1490 by surreption1526 hugger-muggera1529 in hugger-mugger1529 underhand1538 insidiously1545 creepingly1548 surreptiously1573 underboard1582 filchingly1583 sneakingly1598 underwater1600 slipperily1603 thief-likea1625 clandestinely1632 surreptitiously1643 thievously1658 clancularly1699 stownlins1786 stealthily1806 underhandedly1806 stolen-wise1813 on (upon, under, or by) the sly1818 round-the-corner1820 underhanded1823 stealthfully1828 slinkingly1830 slippingly1830 on the sneak?1863 sneakishly1867 behind backs1874 stalkingly1891 on the side1893 under the counter1926 underground1935 under the table1938 down and dirty1959 sneakily1966 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > [adjective] > accomplished by stealth stolenc1400 secret1548 clandestine1566 stealed1577 backdoor1581 underhand1592 surreptitial1602 surreptitious?1615 furtive1628 surreptious1630 by1633 surreptive1633 subreptitious1641 surreptitious1645 postern1648 backstairs1663 smuggled1707 underneath1747 underhanded1806 hidlingsa1810 hole-and-corner1835 side door1862 under-cover1933 under the table1938 crafty1946 1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad 334 Under the table, something given as a bribe. 1943 H. A. Wallace Cent. of Common Man (1944) 86 We can create co-operation or conflict; unity of purpose or under-the-table dealing. 1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential ii. xi. 92 Liquor licenses cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 under the table. 1963 F. O'Connor Let. 31 Oct. in Habit of Being (1979) 544 I daresay a deal will be made under the table. 1973 W. H. Hallahan Ross Forgery vi. 115 Under-the-table freight rebates reached absurd proportions. 1988 A. Lurie Truth about Lorin Jones x. 180 If Cameron wanted to sell anything he'd have to do it under the table. 1996 ‘E. Lathen’ Brewing up Storm (1998) xiv. 167 I'd like to point out this was not some under-the-table deal. 2006 Tablet 14 Oct. 37/2 They allege that some full-time employees have only part-time contracts and others are paid ‘under the table’. P4. a. (a) to lay on the table and variants: (a) to present or submit formally for discussion or consideration by a legislative assembly, originally the British House of Commons, or other deliberative meeting; (more generally) to present for immediate discussion; (b) originally and chiefly U.S. (of a legislative or deliberative body) to leave or postpone consideration of (a report, proposed measure, etc.) for the present; (more generally) to postpone indefinitely. Cf. table v. 4a. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > agreement > make an agreement with [verb (transitive)] > negotiate > make the subject of negotiation to lay on the table1646 capitulate1661 1646 R. Baillie Anabaptism 163 The question of dipping and sprinkling never came upon the Table. 1656 T. Burton Diary (1828) I. 207 Divers petitions were cast upon the table in a very confused way, and excepted unto..as anti-parliamentary. 1733 in 15th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS App. vi. 107 in Parl. Papers 1897 (C. 8551) LI. 1 The majority, for laying the Petition on the Table..and not hearing it by counsel, was only seventeen. 1804 Jrnl. House of Representatives Commonw. Kentucky 110 Mr. Allen then moved to lay the bill on the table, until the end of the session. 1851 N. I. Bowditch Hist. Mass. Gen. Hosp. x. 366 The Committee on naming the wards made a report, which was read and laid on the table for future consideration. It has not yet been accepted. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xix. 343 Shrewsbury laid on the table of the Lords a bill for limiting the duration of Parliaments. 1857 Blackwood's Mag. Sept. 373/2 The President of the India Board..promised to lay ‘papers’ on the table of Parliament. 1913 Times 6 June 13/6 The Select Committee on the Putumayo Atrocities have laid on the table of the House of Commons a resolution. 1923 H. M. Robert Parl. Law (U.S.) 63 It is in order for a mere majority to lay on the table the questions that have not been disposed of. 1973 Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin) 30 Nov. b7/3 Supervisor Kloes moved..that the resolution be laid on the table,pending the Attorney General's opinion on what part of Section 51.42 of the Wisconsin State Statute covers operation of the PMI Program. 2005 Compan. Standing Orders House of Lords (ed. 20) 215 The initial House of Lords' publication scheme was..laid on the Table by the Clerk of the Parliaments in November 2002. (b) to lie on (also upon) the table: to be set aside for discussion or consideration at a later date; (also) to be postponed indefinitely. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > agreement > make an agreement [verb (intransitive)] > be under consideration to lie on (also upon) the table1679 1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation I. ii. 148 On the 4th of February the Commons sent up a Bill to the Lords about the Consecration of Bishops; it lay on the Table till the 27th of February, and was then cast out, and a new one drawn. 1703 A. Fletcher Speeches i. 3 Experience may teach us, that such Acts should be the last of every Session; or lie upon the Table, till all other great Affairs of the Nation be finished. 1744 in New Jersey Archives (1882) 1st Ser. VI. 191 The House of Representatives..would not commit it [sc. a bill] but ordered it to lie on the table. 1790 W. Maclay Jrnl. 1 June (1927) 272 I had concluded that I thought it best that the bill should lie on the table until the resolution came up. 1817 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 336 The petition was ordered to lie on the table. 1863 United Presbyterian Mag. May 233/2 It was agreed that the whole matter should, in the meantime, lie on the table. 1935 S. Ervin Henry Ford vs. Truman H. Newberry vi. 76 Two reports..were presented in the Senate and were ordered to be printed and to lie on the table. 1986 Telegraph (Brisbane) 6 Aug. 27/1 This Government..will let it lie on the table for at least a week (three sitting days). 2001 Oxoniensia 65 136 The report was allowed to ‘lie on the table’ for the attention of the new council. 2003 C. Emsley in T. Newburn Handbk. Policing iv. 80 Frequent suggestions..that the smaller forces be amalgamated with their larger neighbours were similarly left to lie on the table. (c) on (also upon) the table: under consideration or discussion. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > agreement > [adverb] > under discussion on (also upon) the table1884 the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > [adverb] > under consideration in view?c1475 in one's eye?1567 in speculation1638 under consideration1652 on (upon) the tapis1690 on the carpet1726 in contemplation1773 on (also upon) the table1884 on the nail1886 1884 H. R. Haggard Dawn II. xxi. 301 The facts are, so to speak, all upon the table, and I will merely touch upon the main heads of my case. 1915 J. London Let. 25 Aug. (1966) 458 It is..on the table whether or not we shall say ‘it is I’ or ‘it is me’. 1986 Times 1 Aug. 32 The bid is still on the table. 2000 Independent 3 Apr. (Monday Review section) 2/3 Solutions such as the shared branch or the multi-bank agency are on the table following the..study of the problems of bankless communities. b. (a) to take off the table and variants: (a) to remove formally from the set of items for discussion or consideration by a legislative assembly or other deliberative meeting; (more generally) to render unavailable for discussion or consideration; (b) originally and chiefly U.S. (of a legislative or deliberative body) to bring back (a report, proposal, etc.) for discussion or consideration after an earlier postponement. Cf. to lay on the table at Phrases 4a(a). ΚΠ 1788 W. Gordon Hist. Independence U.S.A. I. ix. 362 All lists were taken off the table, at Mr. Sears's motion. 1792 Proc. Catholic Meeting Dublin 41 The Catholics..presented an humble petition..; and, three days after, their petition was taken off the table and voted to be rejected, without debating its merits. 1855 N.-Y. Daily Times 12 Jan. 8/3 The Know-Nothing Convention..took off the table a motion to adjourn,..and after some opposition from the Western members, adopted it. 1966 N.Y. Times 12 May 41/2 The publishers' representatives had taken off the table proposals which they and we had previously agreed to. 1970 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz. 17 Feb. ii. 13/3 Joe F. Smith..moved that the motion to reconsider resolution be taken off the table. ‘The Traffic Committee,’ Smith said, ‘worked too vigorously on the resolution for it not to be further considered.’ 2006 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 2 Oct. a13 I am pulling it off the table and we will go back to the drawing boards. (b) off the table: not to be considered or countenanced, esp. in a discussion or negotiation. Cf. on the table at Phrases 4a(c). ΚΠ 1975 Business Week 22 Sept. 28/3 Any chance of buying back our own stock is off the table completely. 1982 Washington Post (Nexis) 30 Apr. a3 Dole..also said a proposed temporary surtax on high income persons is ‘off the table now’. 1991 R. A. Jamieson Day at Office 21 She had said all she was going to say and the subject was completely off the table. 2006 PC Gamer Apr. 74/4 I'm not wearing my Dark Brotherhood hat.., so killing is off the table. P5. to lay one's cards on the table and variants: see card n.² Phrases 3. P6. Chiefly Anglican Church. table of (kindred and) affinity (also table of prohibited (also forbidden) degrees): a list describing those relatives by blood or marriage that it is prohibited for a person to marry according to church law. Also with capital initials.This list is printed at the end of the Book of Common Prayer. ΚΠ 1563 Abp. M. Parker Articles §24 Item, whether there bee any in these partes that haue maried within degrees of affinity or consanguinitie, by the lawes of God forbidden: so set oute in a table for an Admonition.] 1703 Athenian Oracle I. 470/2 We find in the Table of Kindred and Affinity,..the Brothers Daughter among the prohibited Degrees to the Man. 1742 T. Broughton Hist. Dict. All Relig. II. 60 As to the impediment of Consanguinity or Affinity, there is a table of prohibited degrees. 1777 E. Smyth Acct. Trial Edward Smyth 97 Is a table of kindred and affinity publicly set up in every church? 1849 Times 24 Feb. 5/3 They derive this article of faith from the tables of prohibited degrees at the end of their Prayer-book. 1870 Times 20 May 8/6 The Bishop..pointed out that a certain principle was affirmed by the Table of Affinity. 1930 Man 30 72/1 The more capricious restrictions imposed by our ecclesiastical tables of kindred and affinity. 1947 R. M. Maclver Mod. State 28 The rigid interpretation..of the..principle which appears in our ‘table of forbidden degrees’. 2005 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 22 Dec. 23 Does the same table of kindred and affinity..apply to civil partnerships as to marriage? P7. the pleasures of the table [after French les plaisirs de la table (1656 or earlier)] : good food and drink, considered as a source of enjoyment. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > [noun] > food and drink > as source of enjoyment the pleasures of the table1709 1644 Devotions Helpe Christian People 28 Give me such a gust and holy relish in this Divine nutriment, that nothing may ever hereafter please me but what savours of thee..and let my soule be..inebriated with the pleasures of thy Table.] 1709 New Characters Court Great Brit. 9 in tr. J. de La Bruyère Characters (ed. 5) He relishes the Pleasures of the Table without Debauching. 1738 C. Forman tr. L. R. de Saint-Jory Adventures of Malouka 8 He resolved to seek Comfort in the Pleasures of the Table, and the enchanting Deliriums of Wine. 1769 F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague IV. ccxi. 146 I love the pleasures of the table. 1825 W. Scott Talisman xi, in Tales Crusaders III. 255 Richard..despised the inclination of the German for the pleasures of the table. 1874 J. L. Motley John of Barneveld I. i. 28 He had small love for the pleasures of the table. 1942 G. M. Trevelyan Eng. Social Hist. xiii. 408 Eighteenth Century Englishmen were much addicted to the pleasures of the table. 2000 Red Herring May 64/2 Slow Food is..a return to traditional, regional pleasures of the table, enjoyed slowly with family and friends. P8. to put bread (also food) on the table and variants: (of an occupation, way of life, etc.) to enable a person to bring in a steady or basic income; (of a person) to earn enough money to live on. ΚΠ 1844 Vermont Watchman & State Jrnl. 9 Aug. 1/3 The American System..gave independence to the American working-man, whether he toils in the mine or in the field,..which gives bread to his table, comfort to his fire-side.] 1859 Era 10 Apr. 10/2 Mr. Buchanan..has the germs of poetry in him;..if he will prune and restrain his muse... But she will not put bread on his table. 1955 Price-support Program: Hearings before Comm. on Agric. & Forestry (U.S. Senate, 84th Congr., 1st Sess.) VI. 3249/2 Most of us have had to look for..work off the farm in order to be able to survive, in order to be able to put food on the table. 2008 M. Hill Last Scene 17 I enjoyed writing, but I knew it wouldn't put bread on the table. P9. to bring (something) to the table: to contribute (something worthwhile, useful, or valuable) to a discussion, project, etc. ΚΠ 1914 Times 20 Mar. 15/5 Reece can do exquisitely delicate things and bring to the table a virtuosity which words cannot overpraise. 1967 Valley Independent (Monessen, Pa.) 13 Nov. 4/1 The major attribute some of the victors in Tuesday's voting will bring to the table is mastery of the art of getting re-elected. 1978 Business Week (Nexis) 2 Oct. 106 We're not going to get Weyerhaeuser away from Morgan Stanley,..but for smaller companies we can really bring something to the table. 1993 D. Irvin Behind Bench xix. 319 You have assistant coaches, and what do they bring to the table? They're sounding boards for disgruntled players. 2002 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 10 Feb. 7/1 Sheppard brought to the table not only an agile intelligence..but athleticism and physical courage. Compounds C1. a. General attributive. (a) (In sense 5.) table drawer n. ΚΠ 1703 R. Wilkinson Vice Reclaimed 28 In the Table-drawer, a Toothless dirty Comb and brush, some Boxes with Pills or Pomatum, perhaps a little Brick-dust to scowr the Teeth. 1818 M. M. Sherwood Stories Church Catech. (ed. 4) xvi. 100 To look in the table-drawer, for a little book. 1938 Times 2 Apr. 8/4 His eye chanced to fall upon a sere and yellow front page of The Times which was doing duty as lining for a table drawer. 2005 R. K. Sherwin in A. Sarat et al. Law on Screen 112 Falling onto her bed, Diane blindly reaches out to an end table drawer, pulls out a revolver, places it in her mouth, and pulls the trigger. table edge n. ΚΠ 1676 T. Mace Musick's Monument 76 Sitting in an Vpright-Comely-Posture of your Body, with your Lute well set, and firmly fixt between your Breast, and the Table-Edge, your Right Hand plac'd over the Bridge. 1720 E. Ward Delights of Bottle iv. 52 Another takes a Knife and whittles The Table edge as if 'twas Vict'als. 1863 Times 9 Apr. 4/6 Shortly it also vanished, and a third hand was seen at the other side of the vacant table edge. 1995 K. McCloud Techniques of Decorating (1998) 134/1 Tap the ferrule (the metal brace on the brush handle) firmly on a table edge. table head n. ΚΠ 1606 W. Arthur & H. Charteris Rollock's Lect. 1st & 2nd Epist. Paul to Thessalonians (1 Thess.) xvi. 201 He that eates without labour (set him at the table head) he hes no honestie. 1621 B. Robertson tr. Erasmus Adagia in Latine & Eng. 40 He can well speake at the Table head. 1733 J. Swift On Poetry 16 Battus from the Table-head,..Gives Judgment with decisive Air. 1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. xix. 360 At the table-head..sat..the new Lord of Bourne. 1988 Amer. Speech 63 351 They sit in chairs cut-down to floor level and look up at the executive at the table head. table leg n. ΚΠ 1791 Whole Proc. King's Comm. Peace (City of London & County of Middlesex) 204/2 This soldier..laid the table legs on my arm, and carried the vaneers to my place where I was at work. c1870 Ld. Tennyson in Daily News 1 Mar. (1898) 7/5 I am convinced that God and the ghosts of men would choose something other than mere table-legs through which to speak to the heart of man. 1995 House Beautiful Nov. 93/2 Furniture is my sculpture... I just can't get enough of it—the curve of a sofa arm, the turn of a table leg. (b) (In sense 6.) table companion n. ΚΠ 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 178 Ordinary friends and table companions [Gk. συμπόται] may be gotten and stollen (as it were) from others. 1712 tr. C. Nepos Lives illus. Men 159 Not only his chief Counsellor, but his Table Companion [L. neque solum eum principem consilii haberet, sed etiam in convictu]. 1861 W. M. Thackeray Four Georges iv. 180 His next set of friends were mere table companions. 2007 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 4 Mar. c1 His table companions had already finished the soup course. table fellow n. ΚΠ 1592 G. Harvey Foure Lett. iii. 41 The Table-fellow of Duke Humfrey, & Tantalus, might learne of him to curse Iupiter. 1773 A. Vieyra Dict. Portuguese & Eng. Langs. I. at Commensal A table-fellow, one that eats and drinks with another. 1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home II. 262 I was meditating in what way this grisly featured table-fellow might..be accosted. 1999 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 22 Aug. 34 This establishment attracts a hotchpotch of hesitant virgins, sensible old-timers and drunks, and we quickly develop a rapport with our table fellows. table friend n. ΚΠ 1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 143 We must shun such parasites, who are but saluting and table friends. 1631 R. Barckley Disc. Felicitie of Man (new ed.) v. vi. 635 No man will confesse that he appertaineth in any sort to him, that needeth any helpe, fearing lest hee will by and by aske something of him: David calleth such men table friends. 1712 A. W. Boehm tr. J. Arndt Of True Christianity I. i. xv. 137 He is a true Stranger to this World, but a continual Guest and Table-Friend of Christ. 1996 J. P. McNamee Endurance iv. 104 My table friends challenged me with the certainty that God acts in world and Church. table guest n. ΚΠ a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) sig. A4 I found table guests to eate me, & my meat. 1754 Capt. Cope New Hist. East-Indies xi. 200 They make no great Difference about Table Guests; for the King and a common Soldier, the Master and Slave, sit promiscuously, and dip in the same Dish. 1819 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) IV. 908 Jealousy will lour at his door and discord to be his constant Table-guest and his Chamber-mate. 1994 Daily Mail (Nexis) 26 Oct. 3 The talk among dinner table guests was lively but cultured, everything one would expect of Washington's elite. table jester n. ΚΠ 1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (xxxv. 16) Y^e tablejesters, which gave their verdict of his death among the cups. a1852 J. H. Payne Two Sons-in-Law i, in Trial without Jury & other Plays (1940) 123 Certain regular table jesters, ever floating on the surface of society and never in it, smelling a dinner a league off. 1914 H. G. Wells Social Forces in Eng. & Amer. 215 It may have been his too clearly confessed reluctance to play the part of an informal table jester to his king. table mate n. ΚΠ 1624 T. Gataker Mariage Praier 19 [Woman] was..giuen to man, not to be a play-fellow, or a bed-fellow, or a table-mate, onely with him,..but to be a yoake-fellow, a worke-fellow, a fellow-labourer with him. 1873 I. Walden Misc. Poems 60 (note) We have a young lady to whom this poem is dedicated, who is my table-mate. 1996 J. Morgan Debrett's New Guide Etiquette & Mod. Manners 143 Guests must sit quietly during such speeches, laughing politely at attempts at jokes and avoiding whispering to their table mates and making catty asides. † table-parasite n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1751 W. Warburton in Wks. of Alexander Pope IV. 6 A detected Slanderer, a Table-Parasite, a Church-Buffoon, and a Party-Writer. table patron n. ΚΠ 1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 14 I knowe you are no table patrones [L. novi ego vos magnos patronos]. 1897 Fort Wayne (Indiana) News 6 July 1/7 He dispensed 500 gallons to families beside the table patrons at his parlors. 1996 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch (Nexis) 18 July 23 Saturday's concert also marks the return of the table-decorating contest. Table patrons are invited to decorate in an Olympic theme. † table-peer n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 83 God's Pensioner, and Angell's Table-peere O Izrael. table servant n. ΚΠ 1809 Asiatic Ann. Reg. 1807 9 Misc. 134/2 The chastisement of one of his valets, or table servants, a parsee. 1882 E. A. Floyer Unexplored Baluchistan 163 He had appointed himself table servant. 1996 Herald (Rock Hill, S. Carolina) (Nexis) 18 Feb. f4 The groups at the tables form a ‘family’, comprised of five young men, one minister, two lay persons, and the table servant. table steward n. ΚΠ 1833 W. Blair Inq. Slavery amongst Romans vi. 133 Mensæ præpositus, Table-steward. 1884 N.Y. Times 15 Sept. 4/5 The tourist who disembarks from a steamer discovers that..he has to satisfy the claims of the table steward and the bedroom steward and the smoking room steward and the bathroom steward. 2006 Sunday Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 3 Dec. 15 While the food is generally tasty, it's handy to ask the table steward for the chef's signature dish to avoid disappointment. table waiter n. ΚΠ 1828 Slavery in India 276 in Parl. Papers XXIV. 1 Mrs. Browne agreed I should be her table waiter, but since I have been here, I have been put to the work of a groom and chamber maid, and cooking the dog's victuals. 1928 D. H. Lawrence Woman who rode Away & Other Stories 15 The sister was all that could be desired as..an upper parlour-maid, and a table-waiter. 2007 Birmingham Mail (Nexis) 2 Oct. 10 A man I know always hands a £50 tip to his table waiter before he eats, just to be certain he receives ideal service. (c) (In sense 14.) table look-up adj. and n. (lookup n. 3.) ΚΠ 1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 157 Operations such as division, square root, table look-up, etc., where the required time cannot be predicted. 1957 D. D. McCracken Digital Computer Programming xvii. 200 The code number is placed in one of the arithmetic registers and a table look-up instruction given. 1967 N. S. M. Cox & M. W. Grose Organization Bibliogr. Rec. by Computer vi. 142 These will be linked with ‘table-look-ups’ within the output programs to translate each symbol into a full form. 1999 R. Campbell in I. B. Cohen & G. W. Welch Makin' Numbers i. 44 For a logarithm (exponential), the result of the series calculation was added to (multiplied by) numbers found by table lookups. b. With the sense ‘at or round the table’. table argument n. ΚΠ 1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. iii. vii. 75 Let vs make him our onely Table argument, and seeing his folly soareth so high, we will feed him with such a dyet as hee deserueth. 1632 in S. R. Gardiner Rep. Cases Star Chamber & High Comm. (1886) 100 It is hard I confesse to call in question for all that is spoaken at table; and yet this should not have been a table argument. 1998 M. L. Warner Compl. Guide to Alzheimer's-proofing your Home i. 54 Typical culprits include wallpaper or fabrics that are too busy—too many items on the dinner table, and multiple conversations and table arguments, all going on at the same time. table collection n. ΚΠ 1902 Daily Chron. 17 May 6/4 There are many families who make it a habit to have a table collection each week for some religious or philanthropic work. 2006 Carpet & Floorcoverings Rev. (Nexis) 13 Nov. 7 The event at Harrogate's Majestic Hotel saw guests dig deep during a table collection and donate £ 1,500. † table-conference n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1614 W. B. tr. Philosophers Banquet (ed. 2) (title page) Dilated by table-conference, alteration, and changes of states, diminution of the stature of man, barrennesse of the earth. table conversation n. ΚΠ 1683 J. Dryden Life Plutarch 9 in J. Dryden et al. tr. Plutarch Lives I A Man..of whom Plutarch has made frequent mention in his Symposiaques, or Table Conversations. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 495. ¶9 This shuts them out from all Table Conversation. 1860 Times 24 Aug. 7/5 The general theme of table conversation over their Bordeaux and nuts is..as to the excellency of the music played the yesternight in the Place d'Armes. 1999 Spokesman Rev. (Spokane, Washington) (Nexis) 9 Dec. c1 I tossed together a quail stir-fry that put a damper on the table conversation as the female majority stuffed their faces. table fellowship n. ΚΠ 1625 J. Wilson Some Helpes to Faith viii. 159 The Apostle allowes a christian (table) fellowship with a professed Infidell, and open Idolater, in the case of aduantage of Religion. 1859 W. B. Pope tr. R. Stier Words of Risen Saviour i. v. 65 All confidential intercourse and all perfect communion generally was cut off by this prohibition of table-fellowship. 1995 S. McKnight in M. J. Wilkins Jesus under Fire (2006) ii. 65 As an extension of table fellowship with Jesus, the early church developed the Lord's Supper. † table gratification n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1773 W. Melmoth Remarks in tr. Cicero Cato 229 A moderate indulgence..in these table-gratifications. 1883 J. R. Newhall Hist. Lynn ii. 51 Every provision was made for table gratifications, and speeches, humorous and sedate, were delivered. table philosophy n. ΚΠ 1576 R. Johnes (title) The Schoolemaster; or Teacher of Table Philosophie. 1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 3 It is an other Table-Philosophy, that I fansie. 1991 BBC Summary of World Broadcasts (Nexis) 18 Oct. Wang Ruoshui, deputy chief editor, was in Mao Zedong's graces for his ‘table philosophy’. c. With the sense ‘used in dining at table’. table cutlery n. ΚΠ 1809 Edinb. Advertiser 7 Nov. 1/3 (advt.) Table Cutlery, in ivory, horn, ebony, and wood handles. 1946 A. Christie Come, tell me how you Live vii. 116 Civilisation's invention of table cutlery presents a perpetual headache to a worried house-boy. 2007 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 19 Sept. The larger supplies branded and own label kitchen knives, table cutlery and scissors. table decoration n. ΚΠ 1789 F. Atkinson Tour to York 33 We can enter no farther into the table decorations than remarking, that the Prince's supper-room, and one other room, were served entirely on plate! 1937 C. Spry Flowers in House & Garden 169 Your choice of table decorations is bound to be influenced by..your guests. 2003 Home Dec. 7/3 The trimmings can be colour themed to go with your table decorations, and used and reused again. table furniture n. ΚΠ 1702 J. K. tr. F. Massialot Court & Country Cook 129 A Desert may neverthless be very neatly disposed of upon the ordinary Table-furniture. 1857 J. G. Swan Northwest Coast 160 They..feel proud..to have a chance to show out their table furniture. 1912 Times 26 Oct. 9/3 Her entrance is heralded by a crash of glass and destruction to the table furniture. 2007 Burnley Advertiser (Nexis) 27 June The company is one of the market leaders in the education sector, with its seating and table furniture widely used by schools, colleges and universities. table mat n. ΚΠ 1771 H. Steward Catal. Furnit. Francis Laprimaudaye 20 Sieve, pewter tunnel, flour tub, bread rasp, two table mats, three small sieves, five tin saucepans. 1834 C. Dickens Bloomsbury Christening in Monthly Mag. Apr. 380 A front drawing-room, very prettily furnished with a plentiful sprinkling of little baskets, paper table-mats, [etc.]..on the different tables. 1965 ‘A. Nicol’ Truly Married Woman 5 She remembered the wine glasses and the beer-advertising table-mats in time and put those under the sofa. 2005 Daily Tel. 7 Oct. 28/5 Had I made a terrible social gaffe? Is it very non-U to say table mats, when you mean place mats? table silver n. ΚΠ 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India I. i. i. 6 All the vessels of his table silver, and many of those of his cook-room. 1938 Amer. Home Oct. 50/2 It is very important to wash table silver in hot soapy water immediately after each meal. 2008 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 19 Jan. 6 The market for top quality table silver by recognised silversmiths is always enhanced when a piece is in pristine condition. d. With the sense ‘suitable for consumption at table’. table ale n. ΚΠ 1547 W. Salesbury Dict. Eng. & Welshe Aílcwrwf, table ale. 1811 E. A. Kendall Pocket Encycl. (ed. 2) I. 297 A peck of malt will make five gallons of decent table ale. 1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xviii. 169 Mrs. Wickam..takes more table-ale than usual. 1880 Barman's Man. 51 Porter Cup. Mix, in a tankard, a bottle of porter and an equal quantity of table ale; pour in a glass of brandy [etc.]. 2002 Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (Nexis) 6 Nov. f3 The Williamsburg Brewing Company developed the recipe as a modern interpretation of the tavern table ales served in the 18th century. table beer n. [compare Middle Low German tāfelbēr weak beer] ΚΠ 1643 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. iv. 435 2 hogsheades of stronge beere, 1 hogshead of table beere. 1795 J. Dalrymple Let. to Admiralty 2 There are four kinds of beer in Britain: Strong Beer, Porter, Table Beer, or what is called Seamen's Beer, and Small Beer. 1830 M. Donovan Domest. Econ. I. vi. 207 Table-beer should have the characters of an ale, not of porter. 1992 A. Thorpe Ulverton ix. 198 Oh forty gallons o' never fear forty gallons o' table beer. table bird n. ΚΠ 1855 Church of Eng. Q. Rev. July 394 The ancients, it appears, did not use it [sc. the quail] as a table bird. 1884 St. James's Gaz. 22 Aug. 4/2 The capercailzie..as a table bird..will prove a disappointment. 2004 Independent (Compact ed.) 1 Apr. 15/5 These are the largest domesticated chickens, developed in the United States to produce capon table birds. table cider n. ΚΠ 1822 Gen. Weekly Reg. 2 June 357/2 Very good table cider may be purchased for £3. 2007 Off Licence News (Nexis) 5 Oct. 37 For the more adventurous drinker there are table ciders in corked 75cl bottles. table dainty n. ΚΠ 1624 J. Norden Imitation of Dauid 109 Many a meane contenmed childe of God..doe eat with more contented, and more salutary saturity, than many times doe the most wealthy of the abundance of all their table dainties. 1802 J. Wolcot Ld. Belgrave in Wks. (1812) IV. 523 Every table-dainty, flesh and fish. 1881 H. E. P. Spofford Servant Girl Question (1977) 41 Families..who always give her a due proportion of the table dainties. 1910 Notes & Queries 6 Nov. 371/1 Lowell's ‘franklin’ is not a table dainty, but a stove. table delicacy n. ΚΠ 1755 J. Shebbeare Lett. on Eng. Nation II. lvi. 262 The connoisseurs of the table delicacies can distinguish..the taste of an ox which eats his hay from a Chinese crib. 1898 Times 27 Sept. 11/4 It is thought very highly of as a table delicacy. 1944 G. C. Munro Birds Hawaii 56 The kolea..has so long been considered a game bird and table delicacy that efforts to obtain the protection it deserves have not been very successful. 1997 Countryman Spring 81 The Romans..bred snails as a table delicacy: they were nurtured in special jars with air-holes, and fed on milk and wine-must. table drink n. ΚΠ 1662 H. Stubbe Indian Nectar vi. 66 Wine..is their table-drink in Spain. 1817 Lady Morgan France (1818) I. 65 The table-drink of the poorest peasantry. 1994 Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.) (Nexis) 27 Oct. a9 A low rate of arterial sclerosis among the people of southern France, where red rather than white wine is the preferred table drink. table fish n. ΚΠ 1770 Boston Gaz. 15 Jan. 2/3 Table fish warranted the very best, To be Sold at the Store the Corner of Kilby-Street. 1872 F. F. Victor All over Oregon 63 Besides the salmon of commerce, the Columbia furnishes a great many other species of edible fish..all of which are excellent table-fish in their proper seasons. 1990 Compl. Angler's Guide Spring 9/3 Given a month of rich feeding they will turn into perfect table fish. table fruit n. ΚΠ 1653 R. Austen Treat. Fruit-trees 145 Cider..made of Table-fruit, being earliest ripe, is ready to drink, even so soon as its well settled. 1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) II. 293 The Fig-apple is a good Table-Fruit. 1824 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening (ed. 2) iii. 724 The table fruit in the Dalkeith garden are as under..Blue gage, Blue perdrigron, Apricot plum, [etc.]. 1999 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 6 Oct. e1 Savor autumn's bounty of fresh grapes as table fruit or in salads, main courses and desserts. table grape n. ΚΠ 1806 B. McMahon Amer. Gardener's Cal. 231 The Royal Muscadine, D'Arboyce, or Chasselas Blanc. This has a round white or amber-coloured berry..an excellent table grape. 1926 Zionist Rev. Apr. 144/2 Splendid prospects exist for good table-grapes in those parts of Palestine where the Jewish urban population is growing. 2002 Weekly Times (Melbourne) 24 July 4/3 California table grapes landed on Australian shelves last week to the surprise and concern of the local industry. table honey n. ΚΠ 1886 Times 20 Aug. 4/6 Finding..that the English bee masters were taking steps to bring them to justice, this nefarious article is now generally labelled as ‘Californian Honey Dew’, ‘Swiss Table Honey’, &c. 1998 Bismarck (N. Dakota) Tribune (Nexis) 30 July a7 Packers commonly mix honeys together to arrive at the golden ‘table honey’ most Americans find on the shelves packaged in plastic bear-shaped bottles. table mustard n. ΚΠ 1669 J. Reynolds Disc. Prodigious Abstinence 19 I added Spirit of Vitrioll to a small quantity of the recent blood of a Patient, which caus'd a visible fermentation..that it became almost of the colour and consistence of our table Mustard. 1797 Encycl. Brit. XIII. 192/1 Leaving a cake behind, fit for making the common table-mustard. 1883 Amer. Naturalist 17 1241 I used some table mustard and some pepper-sauce. 1997 Jrnl. Commerce (Nexis) 22 Jan. c18 The factory, employing 68 workers, manufactures pepper, grained coffee, and prepares table mustard and fruit extracts. table potato n. ΚΠ 1790 S. Deane New-Eng. Farmer 224/2 Soon after this, the white kidney potatoe appeared, as good table potatoes as any that I have known. 1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon vii. 200 The produce of the table potatoe crop seldom falls short of 350 bushels. 1999 Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Sun (Nexis) 16 Feb. 2 A vegetable crop specialist..says consumers on the Prairies prefer a red-skinned table potato. table rice n. ΚΠ 1792 T. Law Sketch Late Arrangem. Bengal Introd. p. xxxiii I imagine that our best Patna table rice would..sell for at least as much. 2006 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) (Nexis) 25 Aug. (What's Up section) 15 Low-grade sake is made from just table rice, high-grade sake is made from rice that can cost 100 times more a pound. table salt n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > additive > salt > [noun] > types of salt salt-stonea1000 saltc1000 white saltOE bay-salt1465 rock salt1562 salt upon salt1580 mineral salt1600 sea salt1601 French salt1617 verge-salt1656 table salt1670 pigeon salt1679 salt-cakec1702 tamarisk salt1712 cat-salt1724 butter salt1749 basket-salt1753 Sunday salt1756 rock1807 stoved salt1808 solar salt1861 fishery-salt1883 gros sel1917 1670 J. Evelyn in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 5 1190 The Salt-Pits..yield two sorts of perfect Salt, the one being a Sal Gemmæ the other a common Table-Salt. 1748 W. Brownrigg Art of making Common Salt ii. App. iii.160 Several..who are curious in the choice of table salt, use the French cream of salt. 1878 H. P. Gurney Crystallogr. 84 Common table salt crystallises in this form. 1998 Guardian 23 Nov. i. 14/7 Iodine consumption can be boosted easily by ensuring that all table salt is iodised. e. With the sense ‘designed to stand on a table’. table churn n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation of dairy produce > [noun] > churning butter > churn churnc1000 kirn1338 butter churn1577 churning-tub1580 barrel-churn1741 plunge churn1793 box churn1810 table churn1828 dash-churn1865 churner1888 1828 Reg. Arts & Jrnl. Patent Inventions 2 215 This is an elegant little table churn, and shows the nature of making butter in a very interesting manner. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 906 For this purpose, there is perhaps none better than the Table-churn. 1971 Daily News (Huntingdon, Pa.) 23 Dec. 3/4 Mrs. Robert Miller of Miller Township churned butter in a small table churn. table clock n. ΘΚΠ the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > other types of clock watch-clock1592 German clock1598 quarter clocka1631 wheel-clock1671 table clocka1684 month clock1712 astronomical clock1719 musical clock1721 repeater1725 Tompion1727 pulling clock1733 regulator1735 eight-day clock1741 regulator clock1750 French clock1757 repetition clock1765 day clock1766 striker1778 chiming clock1789 cuckoo-clock1789 night clock1823 telltale1827 carriage clock1828 fly-clock1830 steeple clock1830 telltale clock1832 skeleton clock1842 telegraph clock1842 star clock1850 weight-clock1850 prison clock1853 crystal clock1854 pillar scroll top clock1860 sheep's-head clock1872 presentation clock1875 pillar clock1880 stop-clock1881 Waterbury1882 calendar-clock1884 ting-tang clock1884 birdcage clock1886 sheep's head1887 perpetual calendar1892 bracket clock1894 Act of Parliament clock1899 cartel clock1899 banjo-clock1903 master clock1904 lantern clock1913 time clock1919 evolutionary clock1922 lancet clock1922 atomic clock1927 quartz clock1934 clock radio1946 real-time clock1953 organ clock1956 molecular clock1974 travelling clock2014 a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1655 (1955) III. 147 I was shew'd a Table Clock whose balance was onely a Chrystall ball, sliding on paralell Wyers. 1774 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 121/1 A table-clock, a silver spoon, and a silk gown. 1829 Times 14 Sept. 6/6 The dwelling-house of Mr. Thornton, Bennet-street, was broken into and robbed of a valuable table clock..and some silver articles. 2004 New Yorker 18 Oct. 40/2 A sale of silver, objects of virtu, and Russian works of art, featuring an early twentieth-century silver-gilt and guilloche enamel table clock. table light n. ΚΠ 1788 List Proprietors Private Sedan Chairs (Lying-in Hopsital, Dublin) 33 Lights in public rooms... Ball room... 11 Table Lights. 2003 HomeDIY Dec. 50/4 To turn table lights, radios and TV sets on and off, use plug-in time switches between the plug and socket. table lighter n. ΚΠ 1927 Times 5 Dec. 11/4 Gifts for smokers are found in airtight tobacco jars, crystal table lighters, and match holders and ashtrays combined. 1967 ‘P. Chambers’ Bad die Young i. 11 A grateful client had given me a heavy bronze table lighter. 1992 S. Nye Best of Men behaving Badly (2000) 2nd Ser. Episode 3. 44/1 (stage direct.) Dorothy gets to her feet slowly, finds a table lighter and quietly sets fire to Gary's chart. table model n. ΚΠ 1929 Radio Times 8 Nov. 437/1 The table model Columbia is..the most advanced radio of the day. 1977 D. E. Westlake Nobody's Perfect 10 He'd cased that TV repair shop—he'd even brought in a perfectly good Sony table model and let them charge him for six new tubes. 1990 Yankee Mar. 26/1 (advt.) Will swop two 1930s table-model Zenith radios, semi-cathedral type. table stand n. ΚΠ 1854 C. M. Yonge Heartsease I. ii. i. 102 A pretty little rosewood work-table, on which was..a table-stand of books. 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1150/3 Folding Music Stands... Table stand... Brass 7/6. 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio i. 30 There are four types of microphone mounting. These are: (i) The table stand, [etc.]. 2003 P. Utz Introd. Audio iii. 58 The mike is on a table stand and every time the talent bumps the table, it sounds like a kettledrum rolling down a stairwell. f. With the senses ‘having the form of a table; having a wide horizontal surface on which things may be placed’. table cabinet n. ΚΠ 1851 G. A. Mantell Petrifactions iii. §1. 136 The floor [of a room in Brit. Mus.] being occupied by twenty-six Table-cabinets. 1995 Birmingham (Alabama) News (Nexis) 25 Sept. d9 I have a Singer sewing machine in a blond table cabinet that I will sell at a good price. table counter n. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > counter chequer1178 counterc1369 counting-boardc1440 counting-tablec1440 Flanders counter1534 accounting table1649 table counter1667 1667 in J. Pettus Fodinæ Regales (1670) 36 One Table-counter with Cupboards, Shelves, etc. 1853 E. C. Gaskell Cranford (1998) xv. 144 A brilliant piece of oil-cloth on which customers were to stand before the table-counter. 2004 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) (Nexis) 30 Aug. b3 Brunetti pushed all the food scraps off the cutting board and onto the table counter and soaked slices of bread in water to mix with the meat. table stage n. ΚΠ 1862 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, & Country Gentleman 11 Mar. 473/1 There is a table stage in front 3 feet high. 1867 J. Hogg Microscope (ed. 6) i. ii. 88 Below the table-stage is the secondary or sub-stage. 1962 R. Cummings 101 Hand Puppets (2002) 31 The table stage..is made from a pasteboard box. g. Designating various games played on a table, which simulate more or less closely the action of some sport. See also table tennis n. table football n. ΚΠ 1896 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 16 Feb. 2/1 (heading) Table football. A good table game that is easy to contrive does not need much preparation. 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 1032/2 Wibley Wob or Table Football. A game for 2 or 4 players, to be placed upon an ordinary dining table. 1976 M. Deakin & J. Willis Johnny go Home i. 27 The biggest amusement arcade he had ever seen..the metropolitan mecca of pinball and table football. 2002 R. Williams Sing yer Heart out for Lads i. 30 (stage direct.) The boys head for the table football, Lee puts fifty pence in, a ball comes out. table hockey n. ΚΠ 1932 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 9 Feb. 8/4 Grown-ups in the family will be found playing table tennis, table hockey, checkers, chess, [etc.]. 1956 H. Eizenberg & L. Eizenberg Omnibus of Fun xvii. 343 Table Hockey. This ping-pong blow game can have four teams on rectangular table. 1994 Winnipeg Homes Fall 86/2 There is a games room, complete with a pool table, TV and table hockey. table soccer n. ΚΠ 1948 Sporting Mirror 21 May 10/3 (advt.) Send 3d. stamp for full details of Subbuteo the game of Table Soccer... Played with 22 miniature men, ball and goals. 1995 T. Parks Ital. Educ. 258 The bar amounts to six scattered tables with red-and-white-checked plastic cloths and a game of table soccer. C2. a. Objective, as table-cleaning, table-laying, etc. ΚΠ 1855 S. E. Shepard Reviser 75 He is called God's minister because he was God's executive... This is very unlike table serving. 1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 Oct. 2/1 There was a certain amount of table-jogging and spilling of liquors. 1933 Jrnl. Home Econ. 25 886 A film showing such household processes as table-laying and washing dishes. 1989 A. Aird 1990 Good Pub Guide 306 It seems that at busy times there's still some progress to be made on the table-cleaning front. b. Spiritualism. With reference to the moving of a table by supposed spiritual agency, esp. during a seance, or to the medium and participants at such a seance. Cf. table-turner n., table-turning n. table-lifting n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) spirit rappings1846 table tipping1846 rapping1848 table-lifting1852 table-moving1852 table-turning1852 rap1853 table-rapping1853 table-tapping1854 table tilting1858 1852 Harper's Mag. May 839/2 Men whose credulity can not digest the supernatural of the Bible are most remarkably easy of belief in respect to spiritual rappings, and spiritual table-liftings. 1884 Proc. Soc. Psychical Res. 1883–4 2 248 He would have really ‘exploded the whole nonsense’ of table-lifting. 1997 P. Kurtz Courage to Become iii. 46 There are also numerous efforts by psychical researchers to set up experimental seances, to witness physical manifestations in the form of table-lifting, rappings, and so forth. table-moving n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) spirit rappings1846 table tipping1846 rapping1848 table-lifting1852 table-moving1852 table-turning1852 rap1853 table-rapping1853 table-tapping1854 table tilting1858 1852 A. Ballou Expos. Spirit Manifestations vii. 78 Rappings, tippings, table-movings, &c., &c., &c., are absolutely too low and undignified to be ascribed to departed spirits. 1862 B. Taylor At Home & Abroad 2nd Ser. vii. 442 Circles began to be formed in my native town, for the purpose of table-moving. 1998 Skeptical Inquirer (Nexis) 19 Sept. 52 ‘Other Phenomena’, such as pendulums, mind-reading, table moving, dowsing, Ouija boards, and automatic handwriting. table tilting n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) spirit rappings1846 table tipping1846 rapping1848 table-lifting1852 table-moving1852 table-turning1852 rap1853 table-rapping1853 table-tapping1854 table tilting1858 1858 Proc. Royal Instit. 2 27 Numerous and respectable eye-witnesses, in the seventeenth-century vouched for the transit of witches on broomsticks through the air; as, in the nineteenth, have testified to table-tilting and table-turning! 1861 J. Jones Nat. & Supernatural iv. 386 At this, the rappings and table-tiltings (our hands were off the table) were repeated, and with greater force than before. 1881 Chester (Pa.) Daily Times 21 Nov. 3/2 Some table tilting was next indulged in by one of the three mediums, aided by four ladies from the audience. 2005 Derby Evening Tel. (Nexis) 22 Nov. 19 The Roman soldier and the man who had lived in the area both ‘appeared’ during a table tilting session. table-tipper n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) > one who induces or believes in spirit-rapper1851 rappist1853 table-rapper1854 table-tipper1854 table-turner1854 rapper1857 1854 Rappers ii. vii. 239 (heading) Ancient rappers, table-tippers, and speaking mediums. 1865 J. R. Lowell Lett. I. 386 I translate by direct inspiration of a scholiast turned table-tipper. 1996 Independent 9 Dec. i. 18/3 Randi has tested dowsers in Australia, table-tippers in Italy, and, most recently, therapeutic touch practitioners in Colorado. table tipping n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) spirit rappings1846 table tipping1846 rapping1848 table-lifting1852 table-moving1852 table-turning1852 rap1853 table-rapping1853 table-tapping1854 table tilting1858 1846 G. Putnam Serm. before Legislature of Mass. 30 The fanatic finds revelation..in mesmeric developments, in spirit rappings, table tippings, in all mysterious phenomena. 1852 New Church Repository & Monthly Rev. July 337 We speak more especially of the table-knocking or table-tipping phenomena. 1855 E. Smedley et al. Occult Sci. 201 If the table-tipping be made to answer as a code of signals. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XVII. 513/1 The spirits,..it is alleged, use different methods [of communication].., such as rappings, table tippings, [etc.]. 1994 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 19 Mar. b5 Crash brooks no angel nonsense, considering such things to be on par with voodoo, leprechauns, and table tipping. C3. table allowance n. Brit. /ˈteɪbl əˌlaʊəns/ , U.S. /ˈteɪb(ə)l əˌlaʊəns/ , West African English /ˈtebul aˌlauans/ now chiefly West African an allowance of money for provisions; cf. table money n. 3. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [noun] > allowance > for specific purpose > for food or maintenance meatcorn1264 corrody1430 sustentation1461 dieta1483 diet-money1519 board wages1539 viaticum1594 subsistence money1693 table allowance1762 board-money1809 subsistence allowance1824 beer money1827 in-maintenance1836 subsistence allowance1848 conred1876 sustenance money1905 rider1975 1762 Anecd. Relative Affairs Germany 32 The extraordinary pension and table allowance given him. 1810 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1836) V. 577 I beg that you will draw a table allowance of thirty shillings a day. 1853 W. P. Robertson Visit to Mexico II. xxxv. 164 As director of this great mining concern, he receives a thousand a year, with five hundred a year more as table allowance. 1960 Parl. Deb. Ghana 19 225 It is proposed that Housing and Table allowances should remain substantially as at present. 1997 Africa News (Nexis) 30 Jan. They are proudly announcing that each Councilman should be receiving two-hundred thousand United States dollars as table allowance for the Christmas holidays. table-almanac n. now rare (originally) †an almanac on a single sheet or card (obsolete); (in later use) an almanac designed to stand on a table. ΘΚΠ the world > time > reckoning of time > calendar > [noun] > specific calendars > table-almanac ephemeris1556 table-almanac1621 1621 in E. Arber Transcript Reg. Company of Stationers 1554–1640 (1877) IV. 49 Table almanacke on a sheet of paper. 1857 W. C. Milne Life in China iv. ii. 415 A few short notes line the margin of the table-almanac. 1918 ‘R. Dehan’ That which hath Wings xvii. 89 Saxham answered, not glancing at the silver table-almanac but at the threefold photographic frame. table anvil n. a small anvil that can be screwed on to a table. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > forging equipment > anvil > types of bickern1547 stake1660 welting stake1660 stag1688 table anvil1824 sparrow-hawk1869 teest1877 1824 F. C. Accum Explanatory Dict. Apparatus & Instruments Chem. 10 A steel anvil and a small table anvil. 1842 Catal. Apparatus J. M. Wightman 62 Table Anvil of cast iron; very useful, $1.50 to 2.50. 2000 L. C. Jones tr. C. Codina Compl. Bk. Jewelry Making (2006) 52/3 (caption) This photo shows a small table anvil and a steel bench block used to make forged reductions, rivets, or textures. † table balas n. Obsolete a balas cut with a large flat upper surface surrounded by smaller facets. ΚΠ 1519 Inventory in State Papers Henry VIII (P.R.O.: SP 1/19) f. 42 Having an owche at the eend wherin is sett a fair table balas w^t iiij fair diamauntes wherof ij great poynted dyamaundes, oon tablet and oon losenge. 1532 J. Strype Memorials T. Cranmer (1694) 7 Another Carkeyne of golde of harts with ij hands holding a great owche of golde, set with a great table balasse. table-bat n. English regional (west midlands) Mining (now rare). a distinctive stratum of bat (bat n.² 11) in a coal mine. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > features of stratum or vein > [noun] > material between > between coal pennant1669 table-bat1712 bind1799 seral1858 bony1874 1712 F. Bellers in Philos. Trans. 1710–12 (Royal Soc.) 27 542 The Table-Bat, next under the Rubble Iron-Stone. 1895 Trans. Federated Inst. Mining Engineers 8 360 The yard coal and yellow ironstone of Shropshire lie some feet above the pitcher basses, the heathen coal in Staffordshire occurs below the table bat. table bed n. a bed in the shape of a table. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > bed > types of bed > [noun] > other types of bed childbed1568 plank bed1584 table bed1633 earth-bed1637 pigeon-hole bed1685 box-bed1693 barbecue1697 plaid bedc1710 bed of state1713 pallet1839 high post1842 rocker1854 wire bed1882 lit bateau1895 string cot1895 sleigh bed1902 orthopaedic bed1943 high-low bed1956 futon1959 bateau lit1983 1633 J. Done tr. ‘Aristeas’ Aunc. Hist. Septuagint 179 Ten Table-beds or Couches of ease, which had the feete of Siluer [L. decem mensas argenteis pedibus praeditas]. 1714 M. Postlethwayt Let. 5 Mar. in E. Pyle Mem. Royal Chaplain (1905) 33 Pray take care of putting up the Table Bed, put nothing in but what belongs to it. 1872 Harper's Mag. Dec. 74/1 Sometimes the table-beds are made of costly wood, adorned with tortoise-shells, ivory, or some more valuable thing, and glitter with precious stones. 1990 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 6 May ii. 32/1 Beside the table-bed is a remarkable and surprisingly beautiful rug. table bell n. [originally after Dutch tafelschel (1708 or earlier: see quot. 1708); compare Dutch tafelbel, in same sense (1739)] a small handbell placed upon the table for summoning attendants. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > signalling > audible signalling > ringing of bells as signal > [noun] > bell summoning attendance call bell1673 table bell1708 annunciator1848 1708 W. Sewel Large Dict. Eng. & Dutch ii. 414/2 Tafel-schel, a Table-bell. 1832 Chambers' Edinb. Jrnl. 25 Aug. 236/3 This minikin table-bell, which I must have unconsciously pocketed. 1964 W. Soyinka Trials Brother Jero iii, in Three Plays 59 You behind the desk, giving orders?..With a telephone and a table bell for calling the Messenger? 2007 Canberra Times (Nexis) 29 Mar. a3 Recently he made two silver table bells..for Government House in Canberra and Admiralty House in Sydney. † table-bit n. Obsolete a drill bit used to cut the joints of tables. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > piercing or boring tools > [noun] > auger or gimlet > for specific shapes centre-bit1746 table-bit1847 1847 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxiv. 539 The spoon-bit..the table-bit, for making the holes for the wooden joints of tables, [is] of this kind. 1873 Amer. Cycl. III. 98/2 Such are the gouge bit,..the spoon bit..and its varieties, the table bit and the cooper's dowel bit. table carpet n. now historical a woollen tablecloth; (also) a decorative tablecloth of other material; cf. carpet n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > cover for furniture > for table when not in use table carpet1535 tablecloth1610 table cover1749 1535 Inventory Wardrobe Katharine of Arragon 28 in Camden Misc. (1855) III One table carpette withe a red boordre. 1715 J. Chappelow Right Way to be Rich 144 Table-Carpets or Bed-Coverlets. 1835 M. R. Mitford Belford Regis I. 98 The unmatchable brown and gold feathers of the game-cock's neck, which that ambitious embroideress Lady Delaney aspired to imitate in a table-carpet. 1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iii. 74 Great families worked their own table carpets in tent stitch on canvas sometimes incorporating their coats of arms into the design. 2005 Heritage Mar. 37/2 Five new museum rooms..will contain Hardwick's famous Tobit table carpet and new displays of textiles and miniature furniture. table centre n. an ornamental piece of embroidery, decorated work, etc., placed over the tablecloth at the centre of a table. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > other tableware or items for table pewter1426 warnera1552 nef1567 pewtery1645 hollow-ware1682 equipage1683 flatware1686 napkin ring1686 pewterware1738 egg cup1773 dish-rim1774 butter cooler1784 dish-cross1785 argyll1789 toast-rack1801 centrepiece1836 table centrepiece1850 silverware1862 doily1864 table centre1865 potato ring1888 egg-cosy1894 sandwich flag1907 cheese board1916 Lazy Susan1917 1865 Times 21 Apr. 12/6 (advt.) Handsome Bohemian and Egyptian vases, lustres, table centres, floral and crystal gasoliers, Assyrian flower bowls. 1901 Lady's Realm 10 616 This white satin table-centre is decorated with ribbon, lace, braid, and embroidery. 1997 Shetland Times 21 Nov. (Suppl.) 18/1 (advt.) We have a wide choice of gifts for all the family or for the home. Chair Backs, Arm Caps, Crochet Mats and Table Centres. table centrepiece n. a decorative object, esp. one arrayed with flowers, placed at the centre of a table. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > other tableware or items for table pewter1426 warnera1552 nef1567 pewtery1645 hollow-ware1682 equipage1683 flatware1686 napkin ring1686 pewterware1738 egg cup1773 dish-rim1774 butter cooler1784 dish-cross1785 argyll1789 toast-rack1801 centrepiece1836 table centrepiece1850 silverware1862 doily1864 table centre1865 potato ring1888 egg-cosy1894 sandwich flag1907 cheese board1916 Lazy Susan1917 1850 Times 11 Sept. 6/4 It consisted of a splendid solid silver epergne to form a table centrepiece, beautifully decorated with foliage and figures. 1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 882 Table centre pieces and vases. Finest English hand-made cut crystal. 2003 Independent on Sunday 5 Oct. (Review Suppl.) 13/2 It's the one you'll have seen..as table centrepieces at the last wedding you went to. table-chair n. a chair which can be converted into a table; (also) a chair used for sitting at a table; cf. chair-table n. at chair n.¹ Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > other tables dormant tablec1405 set board1512 chair-table1558 oyster table1559 brushing-table1575 stand board1580 table-chair1671 reading table1749 worktable1762 centre table1775 pier table1778 loo-table1789 screen table1793 social table1793 octoped1822 claw-table1832 bench table1838 mould1842 end table1851 pedestal table1858 picnic table1866 examining table1877 silver table1897 changing table1917 rent table1919 capstan table1927 conference table1928 tricoteuse1960 Parsons1962 overflow table1973 butcher's block1976 1671 in F. W. Steer Farm & Cottage Inventories Mid-Essex (1950) 120 In The Hall—..one Table-chaire. 1836 S. S. Arnold in Proc. Vermont Hist. Soc. (1940) 8 125 Father gave me his old table-chair. 1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed v. 35 Shabby men and women sat in white table-chairs. 1995 T. Ferguson Fire Line iv. 117 Ferenc Van Loon sat in a wooden tablechair angled back on its hind legs with his feet propped on one end of the table. table clamp n. a clamp for fastening something to a table. ΚΠ 1853 Technologisches Wörterbuch I. 601 Tischhänge, table-clamp. 1857 Catal. Math. Apparatus Newton & Co. 13 in Catal. Educ. Div. S. Kensington Mus. Double Barrel Air Pump,..with 8in. plate, and table clamp. 1983 Buck & Hickman Catal. 1983–5 108 A table clamp which adapts the powerful locking jaws of the Mole self-grip wrench into use as a portable small vice. 1992 M. Margetts Classic Crafts 57/1 Attach the table clamps to the side of a table, spaced about 20 cm..apart. table couch n. a couch for reclining on while dining at table. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > seat > sofa or couch > [noun] > for reclining at meals dining bed1577 triclinium1646 feast-beda1661 supper beda1661 table couch1783 1783 T. Wilson Archæol. Dict. at Eating The Hebrews..adopted the fashion of the Persians, Chaldeans, Greeks and Romans, and had table couches to lie upon. 1877 J. C. Geikie Life & Words Christ II. lviii. 456 Lazarus reclined with Him on the table-couch. 1927 T. Frank Econ. Hist. Rome (ed. 2) xiv. 255 The beds, chairs and tablecouches certainly required skilled craftsmen of many arts for their production. 1985 D. J. Thomsen Merger xiv. 247 He..asked if she would sit at one of the table couches. table cover n. a decorative cloth used to cover a table permanently or between meal times; (now also) a cloth intended to cover and protect a dining table during meals; cf. tablecloth n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > covers or hangings > [noun] > cover for furniture > for table when not in use table carpet1535 tablecloth1610 table cover1749 1749 W. Hopley Catal. Househ.-furnit. J. Gilchrist 11 A callico counterpane, a cotton ditto and table cover. 1829 R. Sharp Diary 26 Aug. (1997) 219 They were not permitted to live in the Stile of their Landlord, with their Carpets, and Floor Cloths, their Mirrors and Table Covers. 1928 Garden & Home Builder Jan. 443/2 No one likes rough-dried wrinkled table covers. 1985 A. Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's xvii. 141 And aye, she always had her windsor soap for scrubbin' and dolly-blues for the table-covers and pillow-cases. 2003 National Art Coll. Fund Rev. 2002 128/3 The red silk bedcover..at some time served as a table cover. 2004 Park Home & Holiday Caravan Feb. 63/1 Deeko is giving a disposable tableware kit containing eight plates, 20 napkins, a table cover—all in bold, bright colours—eight half-pint tumblers and eight wine glasses. table-coverer n. now rare an attendant who sets or lays the table for a meal; cf. table decker n. [In quot. 1958 after Uzbek dasturxonchi steward, butler ( < dasturxon tablecloth, meal, spread of food + -chi, suffix forming agent nouns).] ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > one who table-coverer1723 table decker1728 1723 J. Chamberlayne Present State Great Brit. (ed. 26) II. iii. 566 Table-Coverer to the Bed-Chamber Women Andrew Adamson. 1737 Chamberlayne's Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 33) ii. iii. 220 Table-Coverer to the Chaplains. 1842 tr. J. G. Kohl Russia x. 81 Whole companies of stable-boys, stove-heaters, scullions, lamplighters, couriers, table-coverers [Ger. Tafeldeckern], and housemaids, were easily admitted into a household. 1958 F. Maclean Person from Eng. 54 He had informed the Tsar's plenipotentiary that for the settlement of his business he might in future address himself to the head Destur Khandji or ‘Table-coverer’, in other words to his butler. table crumb n. a crumb that falls from the table at a meal; frequently in figurative context; usually in plural. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food otherwise characterized > [noun] > left-over food reliefc1300 ortc1325 broken meatc1384 scrapsa1387 reversionc1450 remissalsc1460 superfluities1483 levet1528 sheet-shaking1543 table crumb1566 relics1576 off-falling1607 analects1623 voiding1680 voidance1740 leftover1866 pot-washings1912 slarts1913 1566 J. Studley tr. Seneca Medea f. 1^v Let hym be dryuen at straungers gates the table crummes to craue. 1620 T. Dekker Dreame Sig. E3^v They that for Table-crums refus'd to buy And (for their soules) hoord vp Eternity. 1726 J. Thomson Winter (ed. 2) 42 Till, more familiar grown, the Table-Crumbs Attract his [sc. the redbreast's] slender Feet. 1804 J. Grahame Sabbath 30 Where little birds..Light on the floor, and peck the table-crumbs. 2000 K. J. Saltman Collateral Damage iv. 88 Those structures that..promote a cynical greed and unholy competition for banquet table crumbs. table damask n. now chiefly historical a twilled linen fabric used to make tablecloths; = damask n. and adj. 3b; (also) a tablecloth made of this. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > linen > types of > twilled damask1542 table damask1742 drabbet1819 1742 New & Compl. Surv. London I. xiv. 480 Holland Table Damask, the Dozen Yards. 1878 Times 23 Sept. 7/3 The demand for most..linen goods,..such as fine table damasks,..is still very moderate. 2005 Dayton (Ohio) Daily News (Nexis) 23 Nov. e1 Oleman's Daylight Store featured table damask at a Thanksgiving linen sale. table dance n. originally North American an erotic dance or striptease performed on or at a table, esp. the table of a paying customer in a strip club, etc.; cf. lap dance n. at lap n.¹ Additions. ΚΠ 1912 Charleroi (Pa.) Mail 13 June 1/3 [The people of Homestead, Pennsylvania, are] determined to not have a reputation of ‘Little Egypt’ table dances such as sensationalized Kittanning a few weeks ago... They learned that these awful men folks had induced ‘Little Egypt’ [sc. a female dancer], to perform on a table and pose, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a pleasant expression. 1957 Metronome Aug. 7/1 During Tijuana Table-Dance..Isabel Morel was brought onto the stage to dance an improvised Flamenco with the band. 1962 C. Mingus Tijuana Moods (record sleeve notes) Ysabel's Table dance includes the far-out striptease—spots in the music..[to] represent the scantily clad woman spinning from table to table, reaching out her hand for tips. 1983 Washington Post (Nexis) 5 Jan. c2 According to court records, Cox said Matson was, ‘buying all the patrons of the club drinks, paying numerous girls for table dances, handing girls in the club $100 bills, insisting on having seven to nine girls sit with him’. 2001 Northern Echo (Electronic ed.) 12 Nov. A three-minute table dance costs £10 and in London, the girls can earn between £500 and £700 a night. table dancer n. originally North American (a) a person who dances on a table; (b) a performer of erotic table dances (usually a woman); cf. lap dancer n. at lap n.¹ Additions. ΚΠ 1908 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 5 Jan. iii. 9/1 The other table dancer came into the light out of West Oakland some years ago... She is petite, graceful and an exceptionally good dancer. So her table flights were watched with great interest. 1957 New Yorker 3 Aug. 58/3 The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop..worked their way..through..a blues played simultaneously in two keys; ‘Tia Juana Table Dancer’. 1985 Maclean's 28 Jan. 23 I can sit in my car in Holstein and close my eyes and be in the middle of the smoke-filled haze of the Zanzibar Tavern in Toronto—with table dancers shining like jewels in the corners of the room. 2002 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 19 Jan. To many people it might seem odd I'm a table dancer as my family have always had money and been very respectable, but I honestly really enjoy it. table dancing n. (a) the action or practice of dancing on a table; (b) originally North American, the action or practice of performing an erotic dance or striptease on or at the table of a paying customer in a strip club, etc.; cf. lap dancing n. at lap n.¹ Additions. ΚΠ 1942 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 12 Nov. c17/5 Some exciting table dancing by another Negro unit called ‘Tip, Tap and Toe’. 1986 U.S. News & World Rep. (Nexis) 29 Dec. 5 Several charities in Detroit..refused to accept $24,000 because it came mostly from tips and table-dancing fees earned by the good ladies at Jason's strip club. 1988 N. Bissoondath Casual Brutality (1989) xi. 235 The Riviera Nightclub and tavern [was] offering Girls!Girls!Girls! and table dancing for five dollars. 1997 Independent 30 July ii. 8/1 Secrets is, according to its own publicity, ‘the only venue in central London to provide fully nude table dancing’. table decker n. now chiefly historical an attendant who sets or lays the table for a meal, esp. in a royal household; cf. table-coverer n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > one who table-coverer1723 table decker1728 1728 State Court Great Brit. 11 Table-Deckers. John Dickenson, to the Lords of the Bedchamber. 1843 T. B. Macaulay Madame D'Arblay in Eclectic Mag. Apr. 464/1 The whole Palace from Gold Stick in Waiting down to the Table-Deckers. 1897 Private Life of Queen xxvii. 231 The Table Deckers whose business it is to arrange Her Majesty's board. 2006 G. Lane Daily Life in Mongol Empire iv. 61 A royal throne approached by three flights of stairs; one flight for the Qa'an, one for his ladies, and one for his cupbearers and table deckers. table desk n. (a) a desk with a broad, flat top; (b) a kind of folding writing box that opens to provide a sloping desktop for use on a table. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > writing materials > other writing equipment > [noun] > writing desk writing desk1598 writing tablea1613 scritory1616 scrutoire1665 scriptor1666 bureau1698 escritoire1707 secretaire1771 secretary1803 bonheur du jour1820 table desk1820 bureau plat1887 society > communication > writing > writing materials > other writing equipment > [noun] > writing-box writing box1474 table desk1820 papeterie1840 1820 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 446/1 The body or reservoir of the lamp may either form part of the lamp exhibited to view, or it may be concealed under a table desk. 1857 Times 10 Dec. 12/1 I found that the table-desk was locked, and I felt some of the old man's pockets, but could not find the key. 1904 ‘M. Corelli’ God's Good Man 503 Placed below this, and slightly towards the centre of the room, was the Bishop's table-desk and chair. 1965 J. A. Michener Source 799 Gottesmann was surprised, therefore, when this frail child slammed shut the folding table-desk used by the Palmach as its headquarters. 1984 L. Auchincloss Bk. Class xi. 154 I found him slumped over his great black Italian table-desk, his face covered by his hands. 2002 D. Harris Portable Writing Desks 4 The small pieces of furniture that are the subject of this book are often known by different names: writing slope, writing box, table desk, lap desk, [etc.]. table discourse n. discourse or conversation at table, table talk; an instance of this. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > chatting or chat > at meals table talk1556 table discourse1611 supper-time conversation1747 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Table Table-discourse is an excellent Schoole~maister. 1659 T. Burton Diary (1828) IV. 395 It is their table discourse that we shall be ruined. 1730 R. Millar Hist. Church under Old Test. ii. 275 Athenæus Naucratita..wrote fifteen Books of Deipnosophists or Table Discourses among Philosophers. 1896 Ohio Democrat (New Philadelphia, Ohio) 4 June The Passover was doubtless being celebrated during this table discourse of Jesus. 1992 Times (Nexis) 20 Aug. The band has to compete with rock music blasting out across an improvised dance floor... Table discourse is one long shout. 1996 D. L. Matson Househ. Conversion Narr. in Acts iii. 67 The healing of the man with dropsy..becomes the immediate occasion for three table discourses of Jesus. † table-faced adj. Obsolete = table-cut adj. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > gem or precious stone > [adjective] > cut into facets > specific tabled?1578 spread1676 table-cut1688 star-cut1704 tallow-drop1798 table-faced1853 tallow-cut1855 tallow-topped1865 marquise1903 scissor-cut1935 princess cut1961 1853 T. C. Croker Catal. Coll. Anc. & Mediæval Rings 74 Gold, with table-faced diamond, and two smaller diamonds on each side. 1877 W. Jones Finger-ring Lore 366 The other ring is also of gold, with a square table-faced diamond. table fare n. the food served at a table; the provision of this. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > [noun] > supplying food or catering > supplying of meals tabling1533 table fare1576 1576 R. Robinson tr. F. Patrizi Moral Methode Ciuile Policie v. f. 55^v Therefore our ciuill man liue very moderately, & let his dyet & table fare be accordinge to frugality, and temperaunce. a1729 E. Taylor Poems (1960) 246 And shall I on thy Table Fare, Lord, feed, That is Cookt up by much more Whiter hands Than ever Angells usd? 1898 Cosmopolitan Aug. 430/1 The table-fare was of the regulation pattern of the day. 1926 Travel Nov. 67/2 (advt.) Delicious tablefare, freshened and enriched with vegetables, fruits, butter, milk, and eggs from the hotel's own farms, intrigues your appetite. 2002 R. G. Mitchell Dancing at Armageddon v. 156 Others soon added their own recollections of biblically tabooed table fare. table flap n. a hinged board attached to a vertical surface, which can be raised or lowered into a horizontal position for use as a table; (also) a drop leaf. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > table with leaf or flap > leaf or flap leaf1501 table leaf1676 table flap1828 1828 W. Davidson Hist. Lanark 67 My large reading desk, with the table flap that hangs to it. 1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Table-flap, the leaf of a folding-table. 1970 E. Joyce Encycl. Furnit. Making xvi. 174/1 Where there is considerable loading of the surface as in unsupported table flaps, etc., edge joints can be strengthened with tongues. 1993 S. Stewart Ramlin Rose viii. 82 We all sits round the table-flap in ‘Britannia's’ cabin. table fork n. a fork used for dining, esp. in conjunction with a knife. ΚΠ 1702 J. K. tr. F. Massialot Court & Country Cook 147 Having boil'd up your Sugar, till it become a little feather'd, put the Lemmon-peels into it with a Table-fork. 1785 Daily Universal Reg. 1 Jan. 3/2 Ivory table knives and forks. 1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 110 The scones should be pricked with a table-fork or small pointed wooden pin. 2007 Record (Bergen County, New Jersey) (Nexis) 28 Sept. (Better Living) 18 He incarnates a mythical realm where children carve crosses in chapel doors with table forks. table-formed adj. (of a natural feature) having the shape of a table, flat-topped; cf. tabular adj. 1a, 1c. ΚΠ a1843 R. Southey Common-place Bk. (1851) 4th Ser. 408/1 The mountains are table-formed. 1898 Times 22 Sept. 6/1 Great table-formed icebergs are given off from this ice-sheet. 2002 R. J. Huggett & J. Cheesman Topogr. & Environment vi. 173 Such table-formed birch trees are rarely found in grazed areas. table fountain n. a table decoration in the form of a fountain. ΚΠ 1719 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher III. xxvi. §52 Some years ago I caus'd to be made another kind of a Table-Fountain. 1869 Hillsdale (Mich.) Standard 2 Mar. 1/5 The first object to which he directs our attention is a small steam pumping engine, for working a table fountain. 2005 Fresno (Calif.) Bee (Nexis) 10 Dec. e1 If she had just wanted the soft sounds of trickling water, she would have just gotten a small table fountain. † table garnish n. Obsolete rare the cutlery, crockery, table linen, etc., used for setting a table; the table setting. ΚΠ 1861 Our Eng. Home 11 The table garnish was not very extensive, a few wooden platters, some knives and spoons..were the principal articles. table gesture n. [compare gesture n. 2] rare after 17th cent. a posture suitable for participation in a meal, esp. that of sitting (as opposed to kneeling).Chiefly in discussions of the correct posture for receiving Communion. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > [noun] > posture or attitude at table table gesture1611 1611 T. Tuke in tr. St. Vincent of Lérins Disc. conc. True, Anc. & Catholicke Faith To Rdr. sig. A9 Christ sate or lay at his last Supper:..it is not only possible or probable, but certaine that he vsed a table gesture at that his last Supper. a1663 R. Sanderson Ad Clerum (1670) 25 They using the liberty of that Power had appointed sitting or standing rather than kneeling, as judging either of them a more proper Table gesture than it. 1669 R. Baxter Let. 29 Apr. in N. H. Keeble & G. F. Nuttall Cal. Corr. R. Baxter (1991) II. 73 I never scrupled kneeling, though if I have liberty I like a table gesture better. 1730 C. Lamotte Ess. Poetry & Painting 83 The Posture or table Gesture in The Picture of the Last Supper. 1936 E. Underhill Worship xiii. 289 This is the so-called Table Gesture: now generally and unfortunately abandoned in favour of a distribution of the elements to communicants seated in their pews. † table-gospeller n. Obsolete a person who treats the gospel as merely a subject for table talk; one whose religion is mere talk. ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > sanctimoniousness > [noun] > person Pharisee1539 card gospeller1550 lip-gospeller?1556 saint1563 table-gospeller1570 separatist1620 Christera1650 canter1652 high-liver1715 cant1725 pietist1767 devil dodger1791 goody1816 creeping Jesusc1818 Mawworm1825 goody-two-shoes1843 Pecksniff1844 goody-goody1872 goody-good1879 lip-Christian1882 plaster saint1890 holy Willie1916 1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1885/1 He wyth hys two other brethren..not onely receiued and embraced the happy light of Christes holy Gospell, but also..diligently in theyr lyuing and conuersation followed ye same: much vnlike vnto our tablegospellers now a daies. 1611 J. Boys Expos. Dominical Epist. & Gospels: Summer-part 374 O that the table-gospellers of our time..would aright consider this terrible iudgement. table grinder n. (originally) a form of grinding bench; (now also) a small grinding machine designed to fit on a table top. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > work-benches, seats, etc. > [noun] > work-bench > for grinding table grinder1875 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2478/1 Table-grinder, a form of grinding-bench. 1937 F. B. Jacobs Tool Room Grinding v.152 An ordinary reciprocating table grinder fitted with a dish wheel on a horizontal spindle, or a cup wheel on a vertical spindle can be used. 2004 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (Nexis) 3 June t4 A relative used to make them, starting with peanuts in the shell and using a table grinder. table-ground n. now rare = tableland n. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > plateau table1587 tableland1672 terrace1674 plateau1743 plat1788 table plain1812 platform1813 table-ground1823 mesa1840 1823 J. McHenry Wilderness xi. 164 He soon observed them following the French up the front of the table-ground between the gullies already described. 1850 R. Gordon-Cumming Five Years Hunter's Life S. Afr. II. xxxiii. 349 I had the satisfaction to discover the spoor of three bucks on a piece of rocky table-ground on the highest summit of the range. 1922 W. B. Maxwell Spinster of this Parish ix. 164 With his arm about her waist he pulled Emmie..along with him till they reached the naked and nearly level table-ground that was the summit of their climb. table hand n. a person who works or assists at a table in a factory, workshop, etc.; spec. (a) Australian and New Zealand (in a woolshed) one who assists in trimming and rolling the fleeces; (b) Printing a bindery assistant. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > bookbinder > [noun] > bindery assistant table hand1889 the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > sheep-shearer > fleece-picker > assistant table hand1889 1889 C. Booth Labour & Life People I. ii. ii. 260 Hands of ‘general utility’ (frequently combining the functions of table-hand, room-girl, and porteress), earn from 4s 6d to 8s. 1897 Otago Witness (Dunedin, N.Z.) 2 Dec. 58 The table hands sat in their aprons, ready to start. 1928 C. E. Cowley Classing Clip 33 The table-hands know exactly where to find the skirtings, and can thoroughly trim the fleece in the quickest time. 1955 G. Bowen Wool Away! vii. 92 A common fault is for a wool-table to be too high, which makes harder work for the table hands and the ‘fleeco’. 1972 Classif. of Occup. (Dept. Employment) III. 172/2 Bindery assistant. Performs, by hand or machine, folding, gathering, collating and/or sewing tasks in binding books, periodicals or stationery and assists bookbinders... Other titles include..Table hand. 1979 West Lancs. Evening Gaz. 12 Oct. 24 (advt.) Fully experienced tablehand (SOGAT) required in our Bindery. 1989 E. Mashinini Strikes have followed Me ii. 20 I tried to make him see that if he had constantly to train new women to be machinists or table-hands there was no way we could then achieve our work quota. 2001 Southland (N.Z.) Times (Nexis) 23 Feb. 11 A tablehand, of Gore, was sentenced to nine months' supervision and ordered to undertake alcohol and drug abuse treatment. table-hop v. colloquial (originally U.S.) intransitive to move around from table to table in a restaurant, nightclub, etc., greeting friends and socializing. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > visit [verb (intransitive)] > to go from table to table in a restaurant table-hop1944 1944 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 17 Feb. 21/1 If she gets up to table-hop,..he follows discreetly. 1977 Time 28 Mar. 28/2 In Charleston, he table-hopped through the cafeteria at the West Virginia State Capitol. 2000 S. Kinsella Secret Dreamworld Shopaholic vi. 88 I want to table-hop, too. I want to bump into old friends I've known since babyhood. table hopping n. colloquial (originally U.S.) socializing in a restaurant, nightclub, etc., by moving around from table to table. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > [noun] > going from table to table in a restaurant table hopping1930 1930 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 24 Aug. 4/2 The stars, whose hours off are irregular, of course, do not participate in the table hopping. 1967 N.Y. Times Mag. 20 Aug. 33 The writers' club..is a place for gossip, banter, flirtation, shoptalk, confidences and compulsive table-hopping. 1997 Village Voice (N.Y.) 27 May 16/3 Both provide a spectacle of air kissing and table hopping that is a case study in the sociology of power. table jelly n. a flavoured jelly served as a dessert; a preparation for making this; cf. jelly n.¹ 1c.In quot. 1830: a piece of glassware in which a table jelly is served. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > jelly > [noun] > sweet and other jellies blancmange1377 manger blanc1574 moonshine1608 viper-jelly1702 saloop1712 jelly1728 salep1736 bread jelly1750 hartshorn jelly1769 arrowroot1822 table jelly1830 pineapple jelly1841 fruit-jelly1846 jujube paste1858 sponge1859 stone cream1861 pavlova1911 tracklement1954 1830 New-Hampsh. Patriot & State Gaz. 13 Dec. 1/3 (advt.) Glass Ware. Decanters, Wines, Tumblers, Table Jellies,..Custards, Lemonades, Lamps, with and without Shades. 1840 New Bedford (Mass.) Mercury 24 Apr. 3/3 (advt.) Refined American Isinglass. Warranted equal in strength to Russian Isinglass for Table Jellies. 1895 Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 16 Table jelly powder. 1975 in T. Steel Life & Death of St Kilda (1977) xi. 176 She had a few table jellies left. 1992 M. Baren How it all Began 15/2 In 1895 came Bird's Jelly Crystals, the forerunner of the now well-known table jellies. table knife n. a knife used for dining, esp. in conjunction with a fork. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > cutlery > knife fish-knife1403 board-knifec1440 table knifea1475 butter knife1729 dessert-knife1793 balance-knife1833 cuttoe1851 steak knife1895 a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 138 Take a loofe of trenchurs in þy lifft hande, þan take þy table knyfe. 1595 in D. Yaxley Researcher's Gloss. Hist. Documents E. Anglia (2003) 116 A table knife of wood. 1680 J. Price Myst. & Method His Majesty's Restauration 90 A merry Fellow, who with a Table-knife had been mock Knighted into the name by the late King at Oxford. 1773 S. Johnson Let. 30 Sept. (1992) II. 96 Table knives are not of long subsistance in the highlands. 1810 Sporting Mag. 35 282 To work..at his business, as a table-knife cutler. c1865 G. Gore in J. Wylde Circle of Sci. I. 235/2 This tendency is sometimes manifested in depositing silver upon table-knives and forks. 1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) xi. 494/3 You can make one by heating and bending an old table knife or a metal strip. Table Knight n. (also with lower-case initials) now rare a knight who sits at the table of a king, emperor, etc.; spec. a Knight of the Round Table. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > knight > [noun] > who sits at the Round Table Table Knight1675 1675 J. Smith Christian Relig. Appeal i. 18 In his erecting of that strange Order of Table-Knights,..instituted..in contempt of Apollo. 1872 Ld. Tennyson Last Tournament in Gareth & Lynette 95 Some hold he was a table-knight of thine..the Red Knight, he. 1892 E. C. Brewer Char. Sketches Romance, Fiction, & Drama (2004) IV. at Twelve Paladins In each was a traitor: Ganelon (the paladin); Mordred (the Table Knight), like Judas Iscariot in the apostolic twelve. 1924 L. L. Knight Woodrow Wilson, Dreamer & Dream i. 26 To find the healing balsam and to hold companionship with the kingliest of all the Table Knights. table lamp n. a small lamp designed to stand on a table; (also occasionally) any lamp used to light a table. ΚΠ c1849 J. S. Coyne How to settle Accts. with Laundress 3 Table at back, L., on which is a table lamp. 1859 G. Measom Illustr. Guide Lancs. & Carlisle Railways 175 (advt.) Table-lamps from 10s. 6d. each. 1922 A. Bennett Lilian ii. vii. 119 It was the silver table-lamps..that impressed her. 1923 E. Wharton Son at Front i. vi A hanging table-lamp under a beaded shade. 1976 ‘W. Trevor’ Children of Dynmouth iii. 60 Only a table-lamp burned, its weak bulb not up to the task of fully illuminating the room. 2000 Lighting Jrnl. Mar. 26/2 This mix of ‘low’ and ‘high’ lights is actually a substitute for the effect of table lamps, which are impractical in many restaurants. table lathe n. Engineering a small lathe that is clamped to a table when in use. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2478/2 Table-lathe, a small lathe attached by a clamp to a table and run by hand, or by a driving-wheel in a movable frame. 1992 K. Shirose TPM for Workshop Leaders vi. 73 They also listed equipment-precision factors such as..vibration in the table lathe. table licence n. British a licence permitting a restaurant, hotel, etc., to sell alcohol with food. ΚΠ 1932 Scotsman 2 Nov. 9 Wick Burgh Magistrates..refused an application..for a licence for the Station Hotel... The Magistrates had power to grant a restricted table licence for residents only. 2003 Church Times 3 Oct. 14/2 The mother and daughter who run the refectory..have applied for a table licence to allow them to serve wine. table line n. [compare Anglo-Norman ligne tabilouse (second half of the 14th cent. or earlier)] Palmistry (now historical) the line running from beneath the little finger to the base of the index or middle finger, forming the upper boundary of the table (sense 22). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination by natural phenomena > palmistry > [noun] > mark on the hand > line of fortune table linec1450 mensal line?1602 c1450 J. Metham Palmistry (Garrett) in Wks. (1916) 86 The fourthe lyne ys the tabyl lyne, for that parte off the hand ys clepyd the tabyl, the qwyche ys be-twene the myd lyne and the tabyl lyne. 1571 T. Hill Contempl. Mankinde f. 168^v The Table lyne, or the lyne of generation, and strength of the bodie. 1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie i. 45 He that hath the Table-line broad, and well-coloured, he is jocund and couragious. 1791 Every Lady's Own Fortune-teller iii. 46 When the table line is broad, strong, and well marked, it shews the person to be of a sound constitution. 1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward II. i. 13 You shall in a brief space be menaced with mighty danger; which I infer from this bright blood-red line cutting the table-line transversely, and intimating stroke of sword. 1947 Mod. Lang. Notes 62 4 In the practice of chiromancy, it must be understood that there are five principle lines in the hand: (1) the table line or line of fortune. 1992 W. Rothwell et al. Anglo-Norman Dict. 761/1 Ligne tabilouse, (in palmistry) mensal line, table-line. table linen n. linen for use at table, as tablecloths and napkins. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] tabling1604 table linen1625 table napery1762 1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes I. i. vii. 382 They make Sandaracha, a varnish..and hereby are prouided against prouisions of Napery, this seruing for Table linnen; they recouering any greasie contagion with a little rinsing of water. 1671 J. Collins Let. 5 July in I. Newton Corr. (1959) I. 66 My Wife..is to enjoy her Sisters Place as Laundresse of the table Linnen to the Queene. 1763 S. Johnson Let. 3 July (1992) I. 223 She may want sheets and tablelinen. 1855 E. C. Gaskell North & South II. i. 6 Continuing her inspection of the table-linen. 1992 Harpers & Queen Nov. 45/1 The table linen is shiny satinette like a Rank starlet's négligé. table-load n. as much as a table can hold; (hence) a large quantity. ΚΠ 1861 J. S. Le Fanu in Dublin Univ. Mag. Oct. 407/2 Down came the ‘orphan’, together with a table-load of spoons and plates, with a crash that stopt all conversation. a1930 N. Munro Hen Crusade in B. D. Osborne & R. Armstrong Erchie & Jimmy Swan (1993) ii. xxii. 417 And because we didn't have table-loads o' half-croon hens they took the huff and went away, as I say, without buyin' anything. 2002 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 12 May (Seven Days section) 7/1 Mega-stores that swamp our festival city with table-loads of chick-lit, dick-lit and any-other-lit. table-loader n. a person who loads a lift table. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > workers with specific tools or equipment > [noun] > with lifting equipment craneman1300 crane-keeper1558 table-loader1875 slinger1881 lift-man1883 hoist-man1892 crane-driver1897 lift-attendant1900 jackman1902 1875 E. Young Labor in Europe & Amer. 294/1 (table) Table-loaders..5s., large furnaces. 1999 Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 1 Jan. c12 He had lived in Portland for many years and was a table loader for Friedman Bag Co. Inc. for about 10 years before retiring earlier this year. table maid n. a female domestic servant who lays the table and waits at meals. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [noun] > server of food > as servant > woman Phillis1589 Hebe1606 table maid1828 parlourmaid1836 parlour girl1858 waitress1875 1828 Rep. Trial Kingan v. Watson App. vi. 172 The deponent was table-maid to Mr John Kingan. 1895 Catholic News 16 Nov. 2 She had been tablemaid to a clergyman. 1992 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 20 Aug. 6 At peak capacity there will be 32 staff, including senior carers, domestics, care assistants, laundry and cooking staff, and table maids. table-maker n. [compare Middle Low German tāfelmāker, early modern German tafelmacher (late 15th or early 16th cent.)] a joiner who makes tables. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > producer > maker of furniture or furnishings > [noun] > table-maker table-maker1422 1422 in G. Unwin Gilds & Companies London (1908) (modernized text) App. A.II. 370 Tablemakers. ?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. B.vj^v Table makers, sylke dyers, and shepsters. 1711 Post-Man & Hist. Acct. 8 Mar. 2/1 A Dutch Tablemaker..sells all sorts of..Tea Tables, Corner Cupboards and all manner of Japan Work. 1849 Law Jrnl. Rep.: Bankrupts, Certificates, & Dividends 23/2 William Robert Hodges, of Smethwick, near Birmingham, table-maker. 1999 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News (Nexis) 21 Feb. a1 He works as a table maker in a wood shop owned by a former Khmer Rouge officer. table manners n. behaviour while eating at table, esp. that which is conventionally required or considered appropriate. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > in social intercourse > specific encounter1604 company manners1798 table manners1824 the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > [noun] > table manners trencher-law1598 table manners1824 1824 London Mag. Oct. 394/2 We remember we thought him rather hard on the table-manners of the Greeks. 1867 Harper's Mag. Sept. 470/1 That upright position which belongs no less to table-manners than to hygiene. 1949 M. Mead Male & Female ix. 187 In cultures where table-manners are the insignia of humanity people may be unable to eat their food at the table with some one who eats differently. 1986 ARTnews Nov. 12/1 They reacted that way because in historical films everyone tears chickens to pieces with a voracious lack of table manners. 2003 N.Y. Mag. 4 Aug. 33 It's best devoured with your hands in a kind of ecstasy of bad table manners—dripping tartar sauce and escaped oysters notwithstanding. table matter n. Printing printed matter arranged in tables or narrow columns, as distinguished from ordinary letterpress; cf. table work n. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > tables table matter1755 table work1755 1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. v. 128 Table-matter is generally braced in, when it wants driving out in width. 1836 Scale for Parl. Work in E. Howe London Compositor (1947) xiv. 365 That Private Parliamentary Bills be charged 7d. per thousand, and table-matter in them at 1s. 2d. per thousand. 1972 T. C. Collocott Dict. Sci. & Technol. at Tabular matter Type arranged in accurately spaced columns; if there are rules between the columns it is table matter. † table meinie n. Obsolete the pieces used in a board game; cf. meinie n. 3. ΚΠ 1415 Inventory in Archaeologia (1918) 70 91 (MED) j case cum tabelemeyne de ebore. a1450 Dis. Women (Sloane) in B. Rowland Medieval Woman's Guide to Health (1981) 136 (MED) Make balles as it were table meyne, of þe weight of [drams] ii eueryche of hem weying. table monument n. a monument, esp. one over a grave, in the form of a table; (also) a monument consisting of an inscribed table (sense 2a) or tablet. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > memorial or monument > [noun] > structure or erection > other table monument1691 chedi1929 woodhenge1964 1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses I. 117 A fair Table Monument..with their statua's from head to foot laying thereon. 1761 Biogr. Dict. IV. 200 A handsome table monument of blue marble was raised over his [sc. Drayton's] grave. 1851 Internat. Mag. Jan. 152/1 His tomb is a table monument of white marble, upon which rises a pyramid, resting on skulls with bat's wings. 1905 J. G. White Hist. & Topogr. Notes I. 296 It has a plain table monument, which bears the following inscription, the composition of the late Rev. William Dunn, Rector of Charleville. 1951 Musical Times 92 399/1 Avison was buried in St. Andrew's Church in Newgate Street, where he is commemorated with a simple Latin inscription on a table monument opposite the porch door. 2004 Spectator (Nexis) 18 Dec. At the time I was sitting on a table monument and eating a light snack of Parma ham and wholemeal bread. table music n. [after German Tafelmusik (16th cent.)] (a) music performed during a meal; (b) part-song music printed so that the performers sitting around a table can read their respective parts from the same page or sheet. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > [noun] > music for reading at a table table music1828 Tafelmusik1876 1828 ‘C. Sealsfield’ Austria as it Is ii. 36 At your departure, you pay the orchestra a small sum for the delicious table-music you enjoyed. 1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 419/1 Table music, (1) compositions intended to be sung by several persons sitting at a table. 1953 Music & Lett. 34 52 Most of the part-music in the original is laid out in table-music fashion. 1996 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 12 Nov. e1 Jarboe will do anything from a three-song serenade to 90 minutes of table music for dinner parties. table napery n. = table linen n. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] tabling1604 table linen1625 table napery1762 1762 D. Howie Answers for poor D. & A. Howies 6 The Trustees..raised very considerable sums, by disposing of a great Quanitity of Table Napery. 1859 E. C. Gaskell Round the Sofa 331 Some fine yarn she was having spun for table-napery. 2002 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 3 Jan. 21 It is a real inside-outside restaurant with ceiling-high doors disappearing sideways to let the breezes in and the table napery out. table napkin n. a usually square piece of cloth, paper, etc., used at a meal to wipe the fingers and lips and to protect the clothes (also occasionally, to place dishes on); = napkin n. 1a. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > table-napkin napkin1384 serviette1490 table napkin1564 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > others table napkin1564 tea-cosy1863 tray-cloth1889 egg-cosy1894 shower1931 1564 Will of James Smyth (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/48) f. 268^v A fine table napkin with blewe clowdes. a1649 W. Drummond Hist. James IV in Wks. (1711) 74 Girded about him with a Towel or Table-napkin, of a comely and Reverend Aspect. 1798 Gentleman's Mag. 68 ii. 755/2 The small table napkin called a D'Oyley. 1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth v, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 109 A handful of soft moss served the purposes of a table-napkin. 1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 1448/3 1 doz. Table Napkins £1 7s. 6d. 1998 I. de la Bere Last Deception Palliser Wentwood ii. 42 Jemima had starched five linen table napkins and proceeded to iron them crisp. Table Office n. (also occasionally with lower-case initials) (in the House of Commons) the office in which the civil servants work who prepare the Notice Paper and the Order Book; the civil servants working in this office collectively. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > English or British parliament > [noun] > offices Vote Office1749 Table Office1946 1946 2nd Rep. Sel. Comm. on Procedure p. iv, in Parl. Papers 1945–6 IX. 161 Questions received at the Table Office before the hour of sitting of the House shall be deemed to have been received the day before. 1950 Erskine May's Law of Parl. (ed. 15) xii. 243 The Table Office assists the Clerks at the Table particularly in the preparation of the Notice Paper and the Order Book. 1973 Times 15 May 7/2 The table office at the House refused, after taking advice, to accept the questions. 2006 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 29 June 8 In 2000/1 the Table Office in Westminster dealt with an average of 302 questions per day, which rose to 596 in 2005/6. table officer n. (a) Canadian each of the employees of the national and provincial legislative assemblies who provide procedural advice, keep minutes of proceedings, and record the votes; (b) North American (originally and chiefly Canadian) an executive officer in an organization; a board or committee member. ΘΚΠ society > authority > office > holder of office > [noun] > of an institution or society office-bearer1593 officer1648 table officer1951 1951 Toronto Daily Star 20 Sept. 20/1 The province on the beautiful St. Lawrence has no council member, no table officer. 1957 in J. Meisel Canad. Gen. Election of 1957 (1962) ii. x. 203 [It was resolved] that the table officers be guided by this discussion in the council in the emphasis they give to various points during the course of the campaign. 1958 Winnipeg Free Press 27 Aug. 3/3 Two Winnipeg teachers have been elected to posts in the Canadian Teachers Federation... Other table officers are..president,..first vice-president, and..third vice-president. 1968 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 9 Nov. 1/6 John Laxton..confirmed that a..meeting of the caucus of MLA's and the provincial table officers..had agreed on the convention date. 2002 Credit Union Jrnl. (Nexis) 24 June 1 All..had to wage petition campaigns to get on the ballot because they were rejected by the board's nominating committee, as its new table officers. 2004 Orillia (Ont.) Packet & Times (Nexis) 12 June a1 She will be a messenger for the Speaker of the House, MPs and table officers. table pew n. now chiefly historical a large pew containing the communion table, esp. in a Presbyterian church. ΘΚΠ society > faith > artefacts > furniture > seat > pew > [noun] > containing communion table table pew1773 1773 R. MacGregor Contrast Infant Sprinkling & Christian Baptism (ed. 2) 39 Arguments that are used for building a meeting-house to preach in, or a table pew to administer the Lord's Supper in, are at least equally strong for having a baptistry. 1897 C. H. Spurgeon Autobiogr. iv. 26 In front of the pulpit, was the table-pew, wherein sat the elders of the congregation. 1996 Ledger (Lakeland, Florida) (Nexis) 10 Apr. f3 Reconstruction of the church, which features box pews, slip pews and table pews, began in 1829. table piano n. [perhaps after German Tafelklavier (although this is apparently first attested later: 1855 or earlier as †Tafelclavier)] = square piano n. at square adj. Compounds 3a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > pianoforte > types of piano grand pianoforte1784 square pianoforte1787 grand piano1795 cottage pianoforte1816 cottage piano1824 table piano1827 table pianoforte1827 tin kettle1827 grand1830 piccolo1831 Broadwood1832 semi-grand1835 pianino1848 cottage1850 square piano1853 street piano1855 upright1860 pianette1862 digitorium1866 Steinway1875 baby grand1879 square1882 tin pan1882 honky-tonk piano1934 minipiano1934 spinet1936 prepared piano1940 ravalement1959 rinky-tink1961 miniature1974 Mozart piano1980 1827 Mechanics' Mag. 17 Feb. 98/2 Figure 4. A front perspective view of the table Piano with the lid off. 1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 27 Apr. 11/7 The hotel furniture consists of..blankets, sheets, spreads, pillows, toilet sets in 60 rooms, 1 table piano, card tables, [etc.]. 2006 Times (Nexis) 19 Oct. 13 Hardy and his family were keen musicians and an accordion, violins and a table piano will be provided. table pianoforte n. [perhaps after German Tafelklavier (see table piano n.)] now rare = table piano n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > pianoforte > types of piano grand pianoforte1784 square pianoforte1787 grand piano1795 cottage pianoforte1816 cottage piano1824 table piano1827 table pianoforte1827 tin kettle1827 grand1830 piccolo1831 Broadwood1832 semi-grand1835 pianino1848 cottage1850 square piano1853 street piano1855 upright1860 pianette1862 digitorium1866 Steinway1875 baby grand1879 square1882 tin pan1882 honky-tonk piano1934 minipiano1934 spinet1936 prepared piano1940 ravalement1959 rinky-tink1961 miniature1974 Mozart piano1980 1827 Mechanics' Mag. 17 Feb. 98/1 I enclose a plan of a small table Piano-forte. I denominate it thus, as it is intended to stand in the middle of a room and be used as a table. 1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. IV. 1225/1 Patent square and console pianofortes; square and hexagonal table pianofortes. 1980 K. Adams Those of us who loved Her iv. 55 Before she died, Hannah gave to Frank's eldest daughter a beautiful table pianoforte. † table-picture n. Obsolete (historical in later use) a picture painted on a table (sense 3). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > painting > painting according to medium or technique > [noun] > oil-painting > an oil-painting > on board table-picture1610 panel1685 1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God ii. vii. 62 Gazing vpon a table picture. 1893 tr. F. S. Meyer Handbk. Ornament iii. 493 The transition from the fixed picture of the middle ages, built into the masonry, to the portable table picture. table plain n. now rare = tableland n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > level land > [noun] > plateau table1587 tableland1672 terrace1674 plateau1743 plat1788 table plain1812 platform1813 table-ground1823 mesa1840 1812 G. A. Thompson Geogr. & Hist. Dict. Amer. & W. Indies II. 266/2 Huehuetlan, situate between the table plains and craggy defiles [Sp. situado entre lomas y barrancas]. 1862 A. Trollope N. Amer. I. xi. 232 On the high table plains of Minnesota, and the prairies of Illinois, had God prepared the food for the increasing millions of the Eastern world. 1961 N. D. Gershevsky tr. S. P. Suslov Physical Geogr. Asiatic Russia iv. xiii. 416 Stratified table plains and degraded uplands (plains of denudation). table plan n. a seating plan for those attending a formal meal. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > table-plan table plan1884 placement1939 1884 Times 23 June 6/2 The table-plan including, among the names of other guests, those of the following members of the House of Commons. 1967 P. Larkin Let. 3 Oct. in Sel. Lett. (1992) 397 Dropping in at the Register's Office for a ‘sneak preview’ of the table plan (always a necessary precaution) I found I had been put next to a new girl in Italian called Borgia. 2000 Daily Mail (Nexis) 28 Oct. 32 Fortunately, there's more to life than being the odd number on the tableplan at silver weddings and circumcisions. table plane n. a plane for making rule-joints on table flaps, drop leaves, etc. ΚΠ 1761 G. Washington & J. Askew Agreement 22 Oct. in G. Washington Papers (1990) VII. 94 Joiners Tools..Eleven pair of Hollows & Rounds, two pair of Table Plains,..three Bead Plains, two pairs of Groving Plains [etc.]. 1840 Huron Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) 19 May (advt.) Just received a large assortment of joiners' tools... Table planes with gauge. 1903 P. N. Hasluck Handyman's Bk. 307/2 A pair of table planes includes also a gauge. 2001 C. H. Wendel Encycl. Antique Tools & Machinery 149/2 Table plane..Furniture makers used it for making rule joints on tables. table plank n. a board or each of a number of boards used to make a trestle table. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > trestle table > board or plank of table1440 table-board1538 taffel board1552 table plank1626 trestle-board1856 1626 in J. R. Walbran Mem. Abbey St. Mary of Fountains (1863) I. 365 One bed of wainscott..and also three table plankes. 1887 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Agric. & Prices Eng. V. 689 In the first year of this period King's College buys two fair table planks for the hall. These are to be put on trestles, and may have been for the inferior members of the foundation. 2002 N. Tosches In Hand of Dante 225 A glass flagon of dark amber..stood upon the table planks. table plate n. (a) articles of plate (plate n. 2a) used for dining (now chiefly historical); (b) = plate n. 27a; (c) Metallurgy a flat metal plate on which pulverized gold or silver ore is treated with mercury in one method of amalgamation. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] service1468 plate1545 gold plate1579 table service1664 table plate1669 dinner service1765 tableware1772 dinner set1796 dinnerware1800 dining set1805 serveware1958 foodware1961 sterling1974 the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > table-vessels > dish or plate disha700 scuttlec1050 trencherc1308 plattera1325 paten?1340 esquele1371 skelec1400 plat1415 plate?c1450 skewel1567 trencher-plate1580 goggan1586 trench1602 table plate1669 mazarine1673 discus1680 wearing plate1683 silver plate1710 nappy1731 roundel1797 muffin1820 entrée dish1846 pinax1858 society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for amalgamating pan1839 pan-amalgamator1874 amalgamator1875 table plate1877 1669 W. Montagu in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 446 The Queen's table plate. 1705 tr. W. Bosman New Descr. Coast of Guinea xv. 272 As broad as a common Table-Plate. 1769 J. Watt Let. 28 Jan. in E. Robinson & D. McKie Partners in Sci. (1970) 18 Calx exposed in a table plate 6 Inches diameter produced in a month 35gr. 1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. III. 726/1 Table plates, painted with subjects in the centre оf each. 1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 329 Amalgamation in batteries, on table-plates, in pans, and on a second set of table-plates on a floor below. 1912 A. Del Mar Stamp Milling vi. 64 The table plates are now sprinkled with mercury and rubbed with a brush. 1928 H. P. Okie Old Silver & Old Sheffield Plate ix. 137 (table vii) Large quantity of table plate. 2001 N. F. Koehn Brand New ii. 35 Other Staffordshire potters priced their best table plates at 2 pence each. table-play n. now historical and rare the playing of backgammon. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > playing table-playing1547 table-play1549 tabling1553 1549 R. Crowley Voyce Laste Trumpet sig. Bii Thy tauerne gates, and table playe, Thy cardes, thy dice. 1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 152 Let no Table-play carry away the mind. 1828 Earl of Douglas & Dame Oliphant in P. Buchan Anc. Ballads & Songs N. Scotl. II. 185 Will ye gae to the cards or dice? Or to the table play? 1970 F. G. Emmison Elizabethan Life I. xix. 221 A Little Canfield butcher and victualler, having offended in 1583 by keeping table-play ‘for bread and beer’, had been charged by John Wiseman, J.P., to leave it. † table-player n. Obsolete a player of tables (sense 18); (in later use) spec. a backgammon player. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > player table-playera1425 tabler1560 gammon player1814 a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 3 Aleator, a tabyl pleyer. 1595 A. Golding tr. J. Hurault Politicke, Moral, & Martial Disc. ii. i. 158 Mans life is like a game at tables, where if a man meet with a cast of the dice that he would not haue, he must amend it by his cunning in play, as good table-players doe. 1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas Spanish Bawd i. 15 Your Table-players, and other Gamesters never lose, but they peale foorth her prayses. † table-playing n. (also tables-playing) Obsolete = table-play n. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > backgammon > [noun] > playing table-playing1547 table-play1549 tabling1553 1547 Iniunccions Edward VI sig. bj They shal not geue themselfes to drynckyng or ryot, spendyng their time ydlely, by day or by night, at dyse, cardes, or tables plaiyng, or any other vnlaufull game. ?1577 J. Northbrooke Spiritus est Vicarius Christi: Treat. Dicing 112 Table playing and Chesse playing, may be vsed of any man soberly and moderately. 1633 W. Prynne Histrio-mastix i. 386 Clergy men..are neither to behold nor countenance any dancing, dicing, carding, table-playing. 1706 Nocturnal Revels II. 30 He that dreams much of Table-playing, shall be a great Gamester. table read n. an initial, casual rehearsal for a film or television programme, at which actors read their parts from scripts; a read-through. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > acting > [noun] > read-through read-through1947 table read1993 1993 Amer. Spectator July 45/1 A ‘table read’ for the movie in which I have a small part, a gem called North. 2003 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 21 Sept. xi. 20/3 When we did the table read, it was almost as if we were doing a show that was already on the air. 2016 J. K. Armstrong Seinfeldia xiv. 250 They all gather for table reads, rehearsals, and a taping in front of a live, laughing studio audience. † table rent n. [probably arising from the mistaken associations of bordage (see bordage n.¹).] Medieval History Obsolete a kind of feudal rent, explained as being for provision of the household (see quots.), but probably simply the rent paid by a bordar.The entry cited in quot. 1701 is repeated in legal lexicons throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > payment made for specific purpose > to bishops or prelates: for housekeeping expenses table rent1701 1701 W. Kennett Cowell's Interpreter (new ed.) sig. Fff2^v Table-Rents, Redditus ad mensam, rents paid to Bishops or Religious Prelates, reserv'd or appropriated to their Table or House-keeping. 1792 Gentleman's Mag. Suppl. 1188/2 Care was usually taken to reserve a sufficient quantity of land, so as amply to supply the house with provisions, out of which very considerable portions were not unfrequently let off to tenants at an annual rent, and were then..styled bordlands, the occupiers bordarii, and the rents bordland rents, and sometimes table rents. table rock n. a flat-topped rock. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > rock formations > [noun] > flat or eroded clinta1400 table rock1745 pavement1827 flat1873 rock fan1900 1745 New Gen. Coll. Voy. & Trav. II. ii. ii. 166 A Ledge of Table Rocks which seemed to cross the River. 1853 S. Moodie Life in Clearings 365 The fall of that large portion of the table-rock has made the alteration. 1972 G. M. Brown Greenvoe (1976) iv. 113 That shameless hussy was still lying on the table rock... She was even more naked than before. 2003 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 7 Aug. The tablerock stretch ended where a current in a narrow channel of deeper water swept along a cut bank of grass and tree roots. table room n. room or place to dine at table; (more generally) available space at a table. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] > place at table table room1607 bottom1629 board-head1637 board-enda1652 foot1700 plate1917 1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. iv. sig. G3^v For table-roome, I feed on those that cannot be rid of me. 1857 Putnam's Monthly Mag. Jan. 56/1 There was table-room for two hundred, but only forty or fifty then assembled at ‘the festive board’. 1941 E. Dick Vanguards of Frontier vii. 179 Another rush occurred at meal-times, when three hundred passengers had to be fed with table room for only seventy-five. 2000 T. Whitaker et al. Motivating & Inspiring Teachers xii. 168 Make sure the chairs are comfortable and there is plenty of table room for teachers to take notes and peruse handouts. table runner n. a long narrow ornamental strip of cloth placed along a table; = runner n.¹ 33b. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > tablecloth > long ornamental strip runner1884 table runner1884 1884 Liverpool Mercury 11 July 8/9 (advt.) Traced Antimacassars 3¹/ ₂d. Table Cloths 11¹/ ₂d. Table Runners 1s 11d. 1889 Harper's Bazar 20 Apr. (Suppl.) 2/4 The cream-colored canvas grenadine centre of this table runner is a yard and three quarters long and twelve inches wide. 1939 W. Fortescue There's Rosemary xliv. 259 I cut lengths of brocatello, designed cushions and table-runners, &c. 2004 D. Dalton Rough Guide Philippines 441 A bahag, or loincloth, is an exquisitely hand-loomed piece of long cloth wrapped around a man's middle, but increasingly bought by tourists as a throw or table runner. table saw n. (originally) †a saw used in making a table (obsolete); (now) a small machine-operated saw fitted to a table. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > saw > [noun] > other saws handsaw1399 rug-saw1582 frame saw1633 nocksaw1659 bow-saw1678 lock saw1688 stadda1688 wire saw1688 panel saw1754 keyhole saw1761 web saw1799 table saw1832 rack saw1846 scroll-saw1851 fretsaw1865 back saw1874 foxtail-saw1874 tub-saw1874 gullet-saw1875 Swede saw1934 society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > saw > [noun] > power saws > circular saws circular saw1815 buzz1823 table saw1832 sawing-bench1845 saw-bench1846 buzz-saw1858 wobble saw1872 slasher1892 rift saw1906 Skilsaw1925 burr-saw- 1832 Butlers' Commerc. List 46 (heading) Table saws. 1880 Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 25 Sept. He..has made arrangements to that end by buying a..band saw, shaper, three table saws,..turning lathe, scroll saw, &c. 1947 Classical Jrnl. 43 45/1 He helped me make a set of filing drawers with the co-operation of another friend who owned an electrical table saw. 2006 Church Times 13 Jan. 12/5 I find a small tablesaw and a planer-thicknesser to be a real help. table screen n. (a) a small, usually porcelain tile, traditionally used in China, designed to be placed vertically on a table to protect other items from sunlight [rendering Chinese chā píng, lit. ‘insert screen’] ; †(b) Australian a trestle table in a woolshed (obsolete rare). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > sheep-shearing > [noun] > shearing-shed > table rolling table1749 table screen1800 table1829 wool table1865 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > screen > [noun] > other types of speer1379 traverse1400 transom-lattice1689 blind1730 window blind1730 spire1768 Venetian window-blind1769 window shade1789 tatty1792 tat1810 Japanese screen1872 fusuma1880 curtain1895 mosquito door1929 tuku-tuku1936 fly-wire door1952 table screen1971 1800 Times 10 Apr. 1/1 (advt.) Ornamental temples, epergnes, flower stands, lanterns, fans, window, fire, hand, book and table screens. 1848 H. R. Forster Stowe Catal. No. 1022 A Chinese table-screen, the panel painted with a ceremony—in rosewood frame. 1880 A. C. Grant Bush-life in Queensland vii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 71/2 The fleece, gathered carefully with both hands is conveyed to a long table-screen. 1971 Country Life 10 June 1425/3 Several table screens are on view. A rare example..is made of turquoise matrix carved with an eastern scene. 2002 H. Tan in R. Kerr & J. Ayres Blanc de Chine Catal. No. 16 The two episodes were combined, as in a relief depiction on a Dehua porcelain table screen in Hong Kong. table set n. a set of matching plates, cups, bowls, etc., sometimes also including cutlery. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > table-vessels > crockery crockery-ware1719 crockery1755 table set1766 set-out1806 delph1812 1766 R. Stevens Compl. Guide East-India Trade 98 China Ware, viz. Table Sets, gilt. 1886 Chicago Tribune 6 Nov. 12/3 (headline) The beautiful table-sets of millionaires... China collections..the Drexel plates. 2004 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 11 Aug. 16 A 14-piece table set starts at £50. table setting n. the action or activity of setting a table; the way in which a table is set; the cutlery, crockery, table linen, etc., used for this. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > [noun] table setting1844 the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > a place-setting covera1612 couvert1768 table setting1844 place setting1950 setting1952 1844 Friend's Family 70 Martha's face brightened at the thought that she might be of some use after all, and the table setting went on again. 1921 C. Q. Murphy Hist. Art of Tablesetting 23 Manners improved and culinary art advanced to higher standards, the better to fit the richer and more elaborate tablesetting and silver service. 1937 Amer. Home Apr. 136/1 (advt.) It tells all the ways the Duncan Tear-drop pattern can fit into table settings, drinking ensembles, model arrangements for mantles, [etc.]. 1998 A. L. Secara tr. M. Pinçon & M. Pinçon-Charlot Grand Fortunes 87 The vast table, under its imposing chandelier, served as the practice field for the difficult art of table setting. 2002 H. Kunzru Impressionist (2003) 114 The Nawab is happier eating from a metal thali set on the floor than the fine Meissen table-setting which is brought out when they dine at the palace. † table-shore n. Obsolete a low, level shore. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > seashore or coast > [noun] sea-warthc888 sea-rimOE sea-strandc1000 sandc1275 rive1296 bankc1350 sea-banka1375 sea-coasta1400 coastc1400 warthc1450 ripec1475 landsidec1515 seashore1526 banksidec1540 brinish brink1594 shorea1616 ore1652 outland1698 sea beach1742 table-shore1849 playa1898 treaty coast1899 treaty shore1901 beach1903 1849 J. Craig New Universal Dict. at Table Table-shore, a low, level shore. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 671 Table-shore, a low level shore. 1872 Ld. Tennyson Last Tournament in Gareth & Lynette 118 As the crest of some slow-arching wave, Heard in dead night along that table-shore, Drops flat. † table-sod n. Obsolete rare (in hedging) each of the sods forming the ‘table’ (sense 23c). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [noun] > ridge on which hedge is > sod of water tabling1797 table turf1805 table-sod1844 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 575 The assistant throws the parings of the sides and bottom of the ditch upon the hedge-bank, immediately behind the table-sod. table song n. (a) [in spec. use with reference to ancient Greek songs, translating ancient Greek σκόλιον scolion n.] a song sung or performed at table, esp. at a feast or festival; (Ancient Greek History) one sung by the guests at a banquet in turn; †(b) [after German Tafellied (early 19th cent. or earlier)] a German part-song of the kind typically sung by a Liedertafel (obsolete). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > types of song > [noun] > song at banquet scolion1603 table song1788 1788 A. Jardine Lett. from Barbary, France, &c. I. xxi. 399 I think those single naked table songs are very properly wearing out of fashion, and will, I hope, remain so, till people learn to accompany themselves. 1831 Amer. Ann. Educ. & Instr. 1 243 An appropriate table song elevated their hearts. 1847 G. Grote Hist. Greece IV. ii. xxix. 109 [Archilochus] was the earliest popular and successful composer of table-songs or Skolia. 1857 Musical World 30 May 344/1 The German table-song, it cannot be denied, is rapidly declining. 1949 D. F. W. van Lennep in Euripides Sel. Plays I. Introd. 31 We cannot but agree with the advice contained in the famous Attic table-song. 1991 A. Unterman Dict. Jewish Lore & Legend 209/1 Table songs sung at family meals on shabbat and to a lesser extent on festivals. table spar n. [after Swedish †tafelspath (1814 in the passage translated in quot. 1814); the now usual word is taffelspar (1815))] now rare the mineral wollastonite, which occurs in tabular crystals; cf. tabular spar at tabular adj. 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > silicates > inosilicates single chain > [noun] > pyroxenoid > wollastonite schaalstein1804 table spar1814 wollastonite1823 grammite1826 pseudowollastonite1905 parawollastonite1935 1814 J. Black tr. J. J. Berzelius Attempt Sci. Syst. Mineral. 34 Calcareous bisilicate... Table-spar. 1876 A. P. Swineford Hist. & Rev. Mineral Resources Lake Superior. 56 The stamp rock..is associated with a great variety of beautiful minerals, such as calcite, quartz, phreite, table spar, [etc.]. 1997 Dict. Mining. Mineral, & Related Terms (Amer. Geol. Inst.) (ed. 2) 560/1 Table spar, tabular spar; wollastonite. table sport n. †(a) an object of mirth or mockery at table; the butt of a joke made amongst a group dining or drinking together (obsolete); (b) = table game n. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > fact or condition of being mocked or ridiculed > [noun] > object of ridicule > at table table sporta1616 a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 149 Let me for euer be your Table-sport . View more context for this quotation 1894 San Antonio (Texas) Daily Light 15 Aug. The Mexican, serious and depressed though he seem, loves the dance, the cock fight and green table sports. 1996 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 30 Sept. 11 Their mutual interest in this table sport, and Mr Hendry's cueing style, has brought them together. table stake n. Poker (in plural) a game of poker in which only the money a player has on the table at the start of a hand may be used to bet in that hand; (also, chiefly in plural) the money a player has on the table available to bet. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > poker > [noun] > stake blind1857 straddle1864 table stake1874 raise1921 1874 W. B. Dick Amer. Hoyle (ed. 8) 183 It..may save much time, for each player to expose his capital and play ‘table stakes’; this is now Club-House usage. 1882 Dover (Ohio) Weekly Argus 18 May 2/8 It was a big game, ‘$5 call $25’ and table stakes. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 283/1 The modern usage is to play table stakes; i.e., each player puts up such an amount as he pleases at the commencement of each deal, and he cannot be raised more than he has on the table; but he has the option of making good from his pocket a previous raise which exceeds his table stake. 1910 J. London Burning Daylight i. 13 In that early Yukon day, no one dreamed of playing table-stakes. A man was good in a game for all that he possessed, no matter where his possessions. 1999 J. May Shut Up & Deal 3 In the sixties and seventies pokers was nearly always played No-Limit, or table stakes. 2000 B. McNally How to play Poker & Win Gloss. 148 Rat hole , to pocket part of one's table stakes secretly. It is considered unethical to take money off the playing surface. table sugar n. the white refined crystalline sugar that is the commonest sweetener, esp. in home-prepared foods and drinks, and consists almost entirely of pure sucrose (sucrose n. 1) with traces of other substances. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > additive > sweetener > [noun] > sugar > powder or castor sugar powder sugar1598 castor-sugar1855 table sugar1897 1897 Harper's Round Table 13 Apr. 590/1 The table sugar which we use is carefully put through several lengthy processes. 1962 I. Asimov Chemicals of Life (ed. 2) i. 21 They are molecules of glucose, a kind of sugar which is found in blood and which is somewhat simpler than ordinary table sugar. 2014 Guardian 27 June 19/3 People should get no more than 5% of their daily calories from so-called ‘free sugar’, a term that includes table sugar, the sugar added to food and drinks, and that found naturally in fruit juices, syrups and honey, they said. table tape n. Computing (now rare) a magnetic tape containing tabulated numerical information. ΘΚΠ society > computing and information technology > data > database > [noun] > storage > for use in calculations problem tape1948 table tape1948 1948 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 9 It was intended that the routine tapes should contain all the orders, the table tapes should contain numerical information of a general nature, comparable to function tables used in manual computing, and the problem tape should contain numerical information specific to the problem being solved. 1956 G. A. Montgomerie Digital Calculating Machines x. 213 Numbers may also be taken from the table tapes as required. 1999 I. B. Cohen Howard Aiken xvi.154 Table-tape readers that could read in either forward or reverse directions..were not ‘standard parts which could be taken from the shelves’. table-tapping n. Spiritualism = table-rapping n. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) spirit rappings1846 table tipping1846 rapping1848 table-lifting1852 table-moving1852 table-turning1852 rap1853 table-rapping1853 table-tapping1854 table tilting1858 1854 J. G. MacWalter (title) The Modern Mystery of Table-Tapping. 1934 B. Lehmann Rumour of Heaven i. ii. 30 He..spent his time, and dulled his senses, by table-tapping, spirit-writing, and unsatisfactory conversations with Miranda across the void. 2007 Times (Nexis) 14 July 11 We don't do table-tapping or photographing fairies. table tomb n. a funeral monument consisting of a horizontal slab supported on columns. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > types of tomb > [noun] > types of ancient or prehistoric table tomb1738 well tomb1843 chamber tomb1850 passage grave1865 allée couverte1870 passage tomb1870 mastaba1882 tholos1885 beehive tomb1887 circle-tomb1889 shaft tomb1895 shaft-grave1910 pit-cave1921 gallery grave1937 dyss1938 1738 D. Tovey Anglia Judaica 141 Bishop Fuller, a great Restorer of the decay'd Antiquities of his Church, erected a neat Table Tomb of Marble. 1818 Northern Star Mar. 185 In the chancel is a beautiful alabaster table-tomb. 1876 E. Venables in Encycl. Brit. V. 209/2 In the table-tomb the recess above, essential for the introduction of the corpse, is square, while in the arcosolium, a form of later date, it is semi-circular. 1995 Church Times 20 Oct. 11/1 I also remember the party afterwards in the churchyard, with oil lamps and wine glasses on old table tombs. table-topped adj. having a flat top like that of a table. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > [adjective] > having flat top platformed1632 tabulated1681 flat-headed1752 nail-headed1801 table-topped1821 tabular1826 flat-head1874 the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [adjective] > flat-topped table-topped1821 1821 G. Lyon Narr. Trav. Northern Afr. v. 211 Low table-topped hills bound the view to the northward. 1897 Daily News 3 May 7/4 A..valley lying between high, sharply scarped table-topped hills. 1998 Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 12 Feb. cc2 Its shape is reminiscent of the great table-topped rock that drove Richard Dreyfuss bananas in ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. table-tree n. (a) The tree Buchenavia tetraphylla (family Combretaceae) of tropical South America (now rare); †(b) a flat, adjustable rest on a lathe (obsolete). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine tool > lathe > [noun] > rests rest1680 slide-rest1839 table-tree1843 hand rest1849 knife-rest1858 tool-rest1864 turning-rest1889 1843 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 13 22 The first was the Cordia tetraphylla of Aublet, the table-tree of the colonists. 1853 O. Byrne Handbk. Artisan 63 A miniature lathe-head mounted on a wooden table-tree. 1934 Jrnl. Ecol. 22 106 Table tree (Cordia melanoneura). † table turf n. Obsolete = table-sod n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > [noun] > ridge on which hedge is > sod of water tabling1797 table turf1805 table-sod1844 1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 119 Care being taken..to raise the ground where they are placed with two or three table turfs. table vessel n. (originally, as a mass noun) †glasses, drinking cups, or other vessels used as tableware (obsolete); (in later use, as a count noun) a glass, drinking cup, or other vessel for use at table. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > table-vessels > a table-vessel table vessel1587 1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) ii. xi. 238/2 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I It breedeth in like manner great expense and waste of wood, as dooth the making of our pots and table vessell of glasse, wherein is much losse sith it is so quicklie broken. 1594 H. Plat Jewell House 14 One masse, whereof they make our drinking Glasses, and all sortes of Table-vessell. 1842 W. Smith & L. Schmitz tr. B. G. Niebuhr Hist. Rome III. Index 651/1 Dominia, table-vessels of noble metal. 1882 Harper's Mag. Jan. 189/1 Peculiarly delicate and graceful beakers and ornamental table vessels. 1997 S. I. Rotroff Hellenistic Pottery: Athenian & Imported Wheelmade Table Ware 204 The rhyton, pierced at the bottom, would be an awkward table vessel. table water n. water, esp. bottled mineral water, suitable for drinking at table. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > water > [noun] > for drinking at table table water1867 1867 Times 14 May 15/3 (advt.) Schwalheim mineral table water.—This remarkable water, so highly appreciated by continental Courts and Embassies, is now introduced into England for the first time. 1895 Westm. Gaz. 23 Oct. 5/2 The Rosbach table-water, a fresh sparkling table-water. 1997 Daily Tel. 18 Sept. 12/2 Brands of ‘table water’ sold in restaurants and bottles used in office coolers were tap water that had been subject to a second treatment. † table wheel n. Obsolete an implement used in rope-making (see quot. 1794). ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > device for laying ropes on board ship table wheel1794 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 57 Table-wheel, to lay ropes, from a six-thread ratline to a two-inch and half rope, is fixed in the wheel-house, at the upper end of the rope-walk, in a frame fixed in the ground, with two sliding cheeks, and bands to work the whirls, which go separately over each whirl, and round the turning-wheel. 1819 Times 17 Apr. 4/2 (advt.) All the valuable fixtures and utensils in trade, consisting of..jacks, sledges, spinning and table wheels, two waggons. table work n. Printing the printing of matter arranged in tables or narrow columns; printed matter of this kind, as distinguished from ordinary letterpress. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > tables table matter1755 table work1755 1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. iv. 99 Divisions are used instead of rules, in Table-work of narrow Columns. 1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. xx. 167 Work with irregular lines and many figures, and what the printers call rules,..is called table-work. 1879 London Scale of Prices for Compositors' Work Tabular and Table Work is matter set up in three or more columns and reading across the page. 1994 Seybold Rep. on Desktop Publishing (Nexis) 7 Mar. 19 There are certainly other programs earmarked for table work that could handle complicated or large tables better than TB Grids. Derivatives ˈtable-like adj. ΚΠ 1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby Ornithol. 62 The Legs are almost wholly bare of feathers, and both Legs and Feet intensely yellow, both being all over covered with square Table-like Scales. 1864 W. Chambers Hist. Peebles. 295 Throuchs or flat table-like stones. 1998 Time Out N.Y. 31 Dec. 57/3 Here, Caldas fashions tablelike formations, or boxes, out of stainless-steel rods. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022). tablev. Brit. /ˈteɪbl/, U.S. /ˈteɪb(ə)l/ Forms: see table n. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: table n. Etymology: < table n. Compare post-classical Latin tabulare (see tabulate v.), Middle French, French tabler to have a meal, to dine (1583; c1290 in Old French in sense ‘to sit down to a meal’, used reflexively), German tafeln to have a meal, to dine (Middle High German tavelen ). Compare later tabulate v. 1. a. transitive. To enter in a table or list; to tabulate.In quot. ?c1450: to appoint (a person) to some duty by entering his or her name in a list. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > list > [verb (transitive)] > enter in list > enter in table table?c1450 intable1611 intabulate1656 tabulate1734 tabularize1853 ?c1450 in G. J. Aungier Hist. & Antiq. Syon Monastery (1840) 324 The secunde and thryd antemes and matens schal be bygon of them that be tabled unto them. a1525 Contempl. Synnaris l. 468 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 204 Of truble the teynd I can nocht table That we incure be wicious warians. 1540 in W. Cramond Rec. Elgin (1903) I. 105 That the baillies..tabill certane honest men for gadering of Sanct Gelis lycht. a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. iv. 6 Though the Catalogue of his endowments had bin tabled by his side. View more context for this quotation a1646 T. Hope Minor Practicks (1726) 5 There can be no Protestation granted upon the Copy, till the Copy be tabled. 1674 T. Duffett Amorous Old-woman v. vi. 67 Cic. Be sure none be forgotten. Fur. I'le table them exactly. 1769 J. Rayner Inq. Doctr. lately Propagated sig. c 2 (heading) Acts of Parliament tabled in chronological Order. 1849 Eng. Rev. Mar. 64 In numberless cases..he has given of his time, and advice, and sympathy; matters not to be tabled in a statistical return. 1901 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 196 309 I myself tabled the data and calculated the constants. 1963 Connecticut Hist. Soc. Jan. 9 There were others yielding gold, through the figure per day runs lower than those tabled above. 2003 J. L. Myers & A. D. Well Res. Design & Statist. Anal. (ed. 2) v. 126 We continue to use the normal distribution, tabled in Appendix Table C.2. †b. transitive. Scots Law. To enter (a person, summons, etc.) in the rolls of matters to be dealt with in a court. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > [verb (transitive)] > lay before court leadc825 presenta1325 pursue1384 propone1400 to put in1447 enterc1503 table1504 to bring in1602 deduce1612 lodge1708 lay1798 to bring up1823 1504 in R. K. Hannay Acts Lords of Council Public Affairs (1932) p. lxi [Persons are to] wate apon the said day as thai sall be than tabulit. 1532 Acts Sederunt Scotl. (1811) i. 7 That the said summondis sa tikkatit or tabulit to be thre dayis on the tolbuth dur befor the calling therof. 2. a. transitive. To provide (a guest or customer) with food or hospitality at table; to provide with daily meals; = board v. 8. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > feed or nourish [verb (transitive)] > supply with meals table1457 common1598 board1600 diet1635 mess1811 the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > feed or nourish [verb (transitive)] > entertain with food feasta1325 festya1382 rehetec1400 cheerc1425 table1457 treata1578 banquet1594 kitchena1616 junket1642 regale1656 collation1662 fete1812 sport1826 sock1842 blow1949 1457–8 in J. T. Gilbert Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) I. 297 Every of the Baylyfys to tabyll one of them. 1553 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 414 Every Maior..shall tabull and vittaill towe massons or carpinders in his own housse. 1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. K7^v They haue..ten pound a yeere..and table themselues also of the same. 1601 J. Marston et al. Iacke Drums Entertainm. i. sig. B^v If you table him, heele deuoure your whole Lordship, hee is a quicksand, a Goodwin, a Gulfe, as hungry as the Iawes of a Iayle. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. ii. 166 He entertained the Freers & tabled them at his owne charges. a1714 F. Brokesby Life H. Dodwell (1715) 306 Mr. Cherry..procured a Place for him where he might be tabled. 1792 S. Gunning Anecd. Delborough Family V. lxi. 104 Master liked his entertainment so well, that he said, if we would table him and the like of that, he wou'd pay us a hundred pounds a year. 1861 F. B. Goodrich Flirtation iii. 51 I've tabled him with the sherry, and there I'll leave him. 1903 Westm. Gaz. 12 Sept. 8/1 At ten o'clock the establishment is closed, after having often tabled between four and five hundred persons. 1920 M. Reynolds Learned Lady in Eng. ii. 72 Mr. Hutchinson, ‘tabled’ at the same house, was attracted by the vivacious child. 2003 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 15 Feb. b29 I was the great chef's guest in Paris, by the way, and could not have afforded the $1500 lunch he tabled for Mme Downes and me. b. intransitive. To have a meal, dine; esp. to eat habitually at a specified place or with a specified person. Usually with at, with. Cf. board v. 9a. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating meals > eat meal [verb (intransitive)] mealc1480 table1562 1562 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 139 He came to Schole to Northerden,..and tablid at Withinshawe, with James Barlowe. 1602 S. Rowlands Greenes Ghost 14 Comming to Ordinaries about the Exchange where Merchants do table for the most part. 1650 S. Ward Two Hymns 5 God is become an earthly guest: 'Tis the sweet pride of his Humility, To board himself at Maries brest; And where he tables, there to lie. 1675 G. Fox Jrnl. (1952) 227 I went to a professor's house that I had formerly tabled at, and he was drunk. 1705 J. Ellesby Caution against Ill Company 124 He had fed upon Husks and tabled with the swine. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xlvii. 273 O that..as she boarded there, she had oftener tabled with them. 1857 J. Raine Mem. J. Hodgson I. 14 It seems to be pretty clear that Hodgson had tabled with this talkative but hearty man. 1955 D. Mathew Scotl. under Charles I xviii. 262 The Earl's sons tabled at the ‘high buird’, where they found Wigton's son and Linlithgow's and their respective pedagogues. 2004 Sunday Times (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 2 May 4 We tabled at the back so we could sneak out at will unnoticed. †3. a. transitive. To picture, depict, represent. Cf. table n. 3. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > communication > representation > [verb (transitive)] depaint?c1225 paintc1275 figurec1380 resemblea1393 portraya1398 represent?a1425 impicture1523 portrait1548 shadow1553 to paint forth1558 storize1590 personate1591 limn1593 propound1594 model1604 table1607 semble1610 rendera1616 to paint out1633 person1644 present1649 to figure out1657 historize1668 to fancy out1669 to take off1680 figurate1698 refer1700 display1726 depicture1739 depict1817 actualize1848 1607–8 F. Bacon Let. in Remaines (1648) 79 This last Powder Treason, fit to be tabled and pictured in the Tables of meditation as another Hell above the Ground. 1845 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 2) 240 That we, in the dark chamber of the heart,..see the world tabled to us. b. transitive. To fix as on a tablet. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1852 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 5) 530 Thine the stars Tabled upon Thy bosom like the stones Oracular of light, on the priest's breast. 4. a. To lay on the table of a legislative assembly or other deliberative meeting. Now frequently in extended use. Cf. table n. Phrases 4a(a). (a) transitive. To present or submit formally for discussion or consideration.Common in English-speaking regions outside the United States. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse with [verb (transitive)] > discuss or confer about > submit for discussion table1653 1653 T. Urquhart Logopandecteision Ded., sig. A3 Upon the presenting of a petition thereanent, whereof at least a hundred, at several times were tabled: your wisdome remedied the plaintif. 1695 J. Clark Presbyterial Govt. 7 Appeals ascend Gradatim from the lesser subordinate Courts (where the cause was first tabled) to the superior till they finally sist in the Solemn sentence of a National Assembly. 1709 W. Steuart Coll. & Observ. Church Scotl. Table of Contents p. xv How scandals are to be tabled before church-judicatures. 1726 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 245 Provost Campbell's appeal..was tabled, and the President and others moved a committee might be named to take it up. 1783 W. Gordon tr. Livy Rom. Hist. II. v. xxiv. 132 They declared they would sooner die in sight of the Roman people, than suffer such a bill to be tabled. 1862 Star & Dial 14 Mar. Mr. Walpole has tabled a set of resolutions devised in the true Conservative spirit. 1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 3 Jan. 11/1 If any more ‘Old Residents’ wish to be heard they must table their names. 1955 Times 19 July 5/4 Mr. Page, a Conservative back bencher, has tabled a number of amendments. 1974 Weekly News (Glasgow) 31 Aug. 28/2 The player..no longer thinks he has a future at Rugby Park and has tabled a transfer request. 2000 Newsline (Karachi) Feb. 46/3 The Eighth Amendment was tabled in the partyless National Assembly. 2006 Daily Tel. 12 May 17/2 Jeremy Corbyn..tabled a motion in the Commons yesterday calling on the government to accept the verdict. (b) transitive. Originally and chiefly U.S. To postpone consideration of, esp. indefinitely; to shelve. ΘΚΠ the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > delay or postponement > delay [verb (transitive)] > for later treatment or consideration reservec1384 to put in suspense1421 resplait1447 to put in resplait1452 to leave over?c1475 sleep1519 refer1559 suspend1581 seposit1657 pigeonhole1840 shelve1847 table1849 pend1953 1849 Whig Almanac1850 22/1 Senator Westcott tried to table the bill, but failed: it became law. 1866 Daily Tel. 30 Jan. To table a resolution has nearly the same effect in America as the order to read a bill ‘this day six months’ has in England. 1916 J. B. Thoburn Standard Hist. Oklahoma II. 715 [The bill] was sent to the council where it was considered, amended, and finally tabled. 1921 Daily Tel. 15 Oct. 12/1 The Leader of the house has to give an assurance that the bill will be tabled until the Conference ends. 1950 W. S. Churchill Second World War III. ii. xxxvi. 609 The British Staff prepared a paper which they wished to raise as a matter of urgency, and informed their American colleagues that they wished to ‘table it’. To the American Staff ‘tabling’ a paper meant putting it away in a drawer and forgetting it. 1974 Sumter (S. Carolina) Daily Item 22 Apr. 5 a/7 Various plans for fundraising were discussed but it was decided to table any such plans until the fall. 1998 W. Shatner et al. Spectre xx. 240 Kirk tabled his curiosity about the mirror Picard. 2004 Time 29 Mar. 60/3 The one big-budget project they planned..was tabled..because the high costs would have brought in the panicky suits. b. transitive. To put down (money) as payment; to pay or provide (money). ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [verb (transitive)] > place on table table1827 1827 T. Carlyle tr. J. P. F. Richter in German Romance III. 224 Could he tell what to..table [for the lackey]? 1832 T. Carlyle James Carlyle 45 A refreshment of ale, for which he too used to table his twopence. 1878 P. Bayne Chief Actors Puritan Revol. v. 177 When the Short Parliament of 1640 refused to grant supplies, Laud's clergy in Convocation tabled their money. 1914 J. M. Hay Gillespie vii. 188 The money was tabled; no receipt was asked or given. 1994 Mismanagem. DOE's Super Collider 251 The Texas money has been tabled. The foreign investments have materialized and resulted in no actual hard cash. c. transitive. To play (a card); (Bridge) to expose (one's hand) as the dummy. ΚΠ 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. iii. vi. 187 Royalty has always that sure trump-card in its hand:..yet never tables it, still puts it back again. 1913 H. R. Haggard Child of Storm iv. 84 This card also having failed, I tabled my last. 1952 Times 25 June 9/2 South led the two of hearts and West tabled her cards. 2003 D. Roth Pathways Better Bridge Def. 5 Once the opening lead has been made and dummy is tabled, all is revealed! d. transitive. gen. To place upon a table. ΚΠ 1892 Gardeners' Chron. 27 Aug. 248/2 The nurserymen and florists tabled a large and fine assortment of cut flowers. 1952 A. M. Sullivan Last Sergeant xxiii. 222 Up to my term of office he personally opened and tabled the wine. 1969 G. Friel Grace & Miss Partridge vii. 99 The man with him had just tabled an empty glass and stood up on the point of leaving. 1997 J. Sylvester Mark of Flesh 39 Clear still is the tulips' wax, orange, sere, their black wands tabled in a florist's vase. †5. transitive. Woodworking and Shipbuilding. To join (timbers) firmly together lengthways by means of coaks. Cf. table n. 20c, tabling n. 7. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > build or construct with wood [verb (transitive)] > join joinc1386 table1794 saddle1857 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 23 Cheeks..sometimes table on to the mast-head thus. 1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 402/1 The customary way of putting them together is to table them; and the length of the tablings should be one-half more than the depth of the beam. 1826 C. F. Partington Ship-builders' Compl. Guide 103 Beams are either tabled or douelled. 1869 R. W. Meade Treat. Naval Archit. & Ship-building (ed. 2) 471 The large flat timber fayed edgeways upon the forepart of the stem..is formed by an assemblage of pieces of oak, coaked or tabled together edgewise by reason of its breadth. 6. transitive. Nautical. To strengthen (a sail) by making a broad hem at the edge or, in later use, by reinforcing the edge with a narrow strip of sailcloth. Cf. tabling n. 6. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > build a ship [verb (transitive)] > fit out or equip > rig > furnish with sails > sail-making operations rope1790 table1794 roach1838 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 89 Tabled, the edges turned over and sewed down. 1797 in Encycl. Brit. XVII. 433/1 That the lower side of the band may be tabled upon or sewed over the end of the buntline pieces. 1797 in Encycl. Brit. XVII. 433/1 The buntline cloths and top-linings are carried up to the lower side of the middle band, which is tabled on them. 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 39 Topsails..are tabled all round the edges. 2002 J. Winch Gentleman of Colour iii. 72 Sailmakers and captains had their own ideas about exactly how a sail should be cut, sewn together, or tabled. †7. transitive. Founding. To remove substandard pieces from (a batch of newly made lead shot) by placing on an inclined surface (see quot. 1841). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > produce or develop arms [verb (transitive)] > sift shot table1841 1841 W. Greener Sci. Gunnery 311 About three different sizes come out by one pan, which are separated by the aid of riddles; tabled, as they term the process of placing a quantity on a slight incline, and refusing those that do not run off; [etc.]. 8. transitive. To furnish (a room) with tables. rare. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [verb (transitive)] table1843 1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xxvii. 324 The offices were..newly tabled. 1995 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 24 Oct. 3 The L-shaped dining room is large, spacious and spotlit, floored with glossy marine plywood and tabled with smart blonde wood namesakes. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.eOEv.?c1450
随便看	θ176425 θ176426 θ176427 θ176428 θ176429 θ172217 θ172218 θ172219 θ17222 θ172220 θ172221 θ172222 θ172223 θ172224 θ172225 θ172226 θ172227 θ172228 θ172229 θ17223 θ172230 θ172231 θ172233 θ172234 θ172235

tablen.

Phrases

Compounds

Derivatives

tablev.