below the chair
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Said of one who has not yet reached the presidential position, as of an alderman who has not yet served the mayoralty.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “below the chair” mean?
Said of one who has not yet reached the presidential position, as of an alderman who has not yet served the mayoralty.
Is “below the chair” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.