dumbwaiter餐桌转盘

【使用地区】：英国，美国

【释义】：

A revolving tabletop server that Americans call a lazy Susan(q．v．)．It is said that the first use of the term dates back to about seventy—five years ago，when the device was named after some servant it replaced，Susan being a common name for servants at the time．But it could just as well be the creation of some unheralded advertising copywriter．Therefore，lazy may not mean a lazy servant at all，referring instead to a hostess too lazy to pass the snacks around，or to the ease with which guests can rotate the device on the spindle and bring the sections containing different foods directly in front of them．In America，a dumbwaiter is a small， usually handoperated elevator used to carry food and drink．

指置于餐桌中央便于就餐者转动取食的圆转盘，美国人称之为lazy Susan(参见该条)。据说，此词源于75年前。该用具以被取代的仆人的名字命名，字面意思是“懒惰的苏姗”。在那时Susan是仆人常用的名字。但也可能是某个匿名的广告文字撰稿人所创。因此，lazy可能根本不是指懒惰的仆人，而是指懒得不愿传递点心的女主人，或者指客人转动这个安放在轴上的用具，把放有各种菜肴的桌面直接转到面前的那种悠闲相。在美国，dumbwaiter指一种用来在楼层间运送食物和饮料，通常是手工操作的小型升降机。