[f. TEA sb. 4 + TABLE sb. 6.]
1. A table at which tea is taken, or on which tea-things are placed for a meal.
a. As a special piece of furniture, usually small and of a light and elegant make.
In quot. 1804, a table for the sale of tea and refreshments.
1703. Lond. Gaz., No. 3891/3. Lackered Tea-Tables.
1740. Lady Hartford, Corr. (1806), II. 12. The Duchess of Dorset was presented with … a tea-table with a gold tea-canister, kettle and lamp.
1804. Naval Chron., XII. 307. I fell foul of a … woman’s tea-table, at the corner of a street, and had like to have thrown the … tea-things all about.
1898. G. B. Shaw, Plays, II. You never can tell, 274. The bamboo tea table, with folding shelves.
b. A table spread for tea, or as the place of a social gathering for tea and conversation.
1688. Shadwell, Sqr. Alsatia, Epil. 37. Here no Chit chat, here no Tea Tables are.
1700. Congreve, Way of World, IV. v. To the Dominion of the Tea-table I submit … but … I banish all Auxiliaries to the Tea-table, as Orange-brandy, all Aniseed [etc.].
1792. A. Murphy, Ess. Johnson, 88. During the whole time he presided at his tea-table.
1854. Mrs. Gaskell, North & S., x. She stood by the tea-table … as if she was not attending to the conversation, but solely busy with the tea-cups.
2. transf. The company assembled at tea.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 536, ¶ 1. The … publication of it would … oblige … a whole tea-table of my friends.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., II. i. 19. Explaining to the tea-table this evening’s outfit.
3. attrib. (chiefly in reference to social gatherings: see 1 b).
1700. Congreve, Way of World, IV. v. Restrain yourself to … simple Tea-table Drinks, as Tea, Chocolate, and Coffee. As likewise to genuine and authorised Tea-table Talk—Such as mending of Fashions, spoiling Reputations, railing at absent Friends.
1724. Ramsay (title), The Tea-table Miscellany.
1779. (title) Tea-Table Dialogues, between a Governess and Miss Sensible.
1852. H. Spencer, Use & Beauty, in Ess. (1858), 387. While ghost stories … enliven tea-table conversation.
Hence (humorous nonce-wds.) † Teatabellically adv., at the tea-table, in familiar conversation at tea; Tea-tabular a., pertaining to the tea-table.
1768. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), I. 475. The vast Pacific Ocean, commonly, yea, vulgarly, not to say, news-paperically, nor yel, teatabellically,… called the South-sea.
1855. Bagehot, Lit. Stud. (1895), I. 125. Torpid, indoor, tea-tabular felicity.
