Shovel Board
Preserved but no longer current.
A game in which three counters, or coins, were shoved or slid over a smooth board, very popular in the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. The "two Edward shovel- boards'* mentioned by Slender in the Merty Wives of Windsor (i, 1), were the broad shillings of Edward VI used in playing the game.
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 “Shovel Board” mean?
A game in which three counters, or coins, were shoved or slid over a smooth board, very popular in the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. The "two Edward shovel- boards'* mentioned by Slender in the Merty Wives of Windsor (i, 1), were the broad shillings of Edward VI used in playing the game.
Is “Shovel Board” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.