Groaning Chair
Preserved but no longer current.
A rustic name for a chair in which a woman sits after her confinement to receive congratulations. Similarly "groaning cake" and "groaning cheese" (called in some dialects kenno, because its making was kept a secret) are the cake and cheese which used to be provided in "Goose month" (q.v.)., and "groaning malt" was a strong ale brewed for the occasion.
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 “Groaning Chair” mean?
A rustic name for a chair in which a woman sits after her confinement to receive congratulations. Similarly "groaning cake" and "groaning cheese" (called in some dialects kenno, because its making was kept a secret) are the cake and cheese which used to be provided in "Goose month" (q.v.)., and "groaning malt" was a strong ale brewed for the occasion.
Is “Groaning Chair” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.