court cupboard
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A movable buffet to hold flagons, cans, cups, and beakers. Away with the joint-stools, remove the court- cupboard, look to the plate.— SHAKESPEARE: Romeo ana Juliet, i, 5.
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 “court cupboard” mean?
A movable buffet to hold flagons, cans, cups, and beakers. Away with the joint-stools, remove the court- cupboard, look to the plate.— SHAKESPEARE: Romeo ana Juliet, i, 5.
Is “court cupboard” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.