table-rappern.
/ˈteɪblˌrapə/, U.S. /ˈteɪb(ə)lˌræpər/ Spiritualism.
A person or spirit who practises table-rapping; (occasionally depreciative) a medium.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > spiritualism > [noun] > rapping or moving table (by spirit) > one who induces or believes in
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1854 F. Starr Vision Midsummer Mornings' Dream xvi. 154 Here are letters from ‘table turners’, ‘table rappers’, ‘mediums’ of different descriptions, claiming different powers of divination.
1893 Harper's Mag. Feb. 377/1 I could not ring a bell when there was none to ring, as spirits do in table-rappers' closets.
1936 M. Franklin All that Swagger x. 89 Familiar association with bogus lords and parsons, soothsayers, table-rappers, medical quacks, [etc.].
1957 Times 31 Oct. 11/4 They are all U ghosts; poltergeist, table rappers, and such vulgar knock-about turns were ruled out.
2001 Independent (Nexis) 18 July 11 A 12-year-old Glaswegian girl is convinced that her family's high-rise flat is haunted. Soon, the place is awash with tabloid hacks and table-rappers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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