dumbwaiter
/ˈdəm-ˌwā-tər ˌdəm-ˈwā-/ (ame, mw)
dumbwaiter — noun
1. a small lift inside a building that carries food, plates, or other things betwee
a small lift inside a building that carries food, plates, or other things between floors.
The waiter loaded soup into the dumbwaiter and sent it up to the third floor.
send something up in the dumbwaiter
After dinner, Yuna lowered the dumbwaiter with a stack of empty plates.
lower the dumbwaiter with dishes inside
The old house still has a dumbwaiter between the kitchen and attic room.
Hotel staff use the dumbwaiter to move clean towels without blocking the stairs.
- service lift
broader and slightly more formal, often used in buildings for staff use
- food lift
narrower term that especially stresses moving meals or dishes
- passenger elevator
built for carrying people rather than trays, dishes, or supplies
文法句型
send/lower/raise + the dumbwaiter
load + something + into + the dumbwaiter
a dumbwaiter between + floors/rooms
用法筆記
Usually refers to a fixed lift inside a house, hotel, or restaurant. Unlike sense 2, it is built into the building and moves things between levels.
常見錯誤
2. a movable stand used to bring dishes from the kitchen and set them out for guest
a movable stand used to bring dishes from the kitchen and set them out for guests.
During the banquet, Constanza rolled a dumbwaiter beside the table with extra plates.
roll a dumbwaiter beside the table
The butler left the roast on the dumbwaiter until the guests were ready.
leave food on the dumbwaiter
In the museum dining room, a polished dumbwaiter held tea cups and jam jars.
The hostess parked the dumbwaiter near the sideboard before bringing out dessert.
- serving trolley
close modern term, especially for a wheeled piece used to move dishes
- tea trolley
usually smaller and often associated with tea or light snacks
文法句型
roll/push + a dumbwaiter + beside/to + table
leave/set + dishes + on + the dumbwaiter
用法筆記
This older sense refers to dining-room furniture, often in historical writing. Unlike sense 1, it is a stand on wheels or legs, not a lift inside the wall.