cupboard

views updated May 21 2018

cupboard.
1. Properly, a board, or table on which to place cups and other vessels.

2. Piece of furniture for the display of plate, etc.

3. A sideboard.

4. Closet or cabinet with shelves for the storage of dishes, cups, etc. In some cases (1) was combined with (4), the board forming the door of the cupboard, which, when lowered on its hinges, stood on a folding leg and provided a table. A zcupboard-bed was one either fitted within a recess, or capable of being folded away when not in use.

cupboard

views updated May 23 2018

cupboard cupboard love affection that is feigned in order to obtain something; the expression is recorded from the mid 18th century, but there is a mid-17th century example of ‘all for the love of a cupboard’, in which the cupboard represents the food it contains.

See also skeleton in the cupboard.

cupboard

views updated May 14 2018

cup·board / ˈkəbərd/ • n. a cabinet or closet, usually with a door and shelves, used for storage: a kitchen cupboard.