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Tilt-Top Table

Furnishings
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A small table whose top can be turned upright for storage. It is often round and decorative.

Detailed Definition
A tilt-top table is a small table, often with a round top, whose surface pivots upward so that it can be stored against a wall. Its ability to appear and disappear gives it a theatrical quality in verse. A poet may describe its polished circle catching window light before it is folded away, suggesting the temporary nature of tea, conversation, ceremony, or social display within a formal room.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He tipped the tilt-top table upright, and the room became suddenly larger,” using the action to show departure or change; A poet can compare its raised top to a shield: “The tilt-top stood against the wall, a small round shield of mahogany”; “At midnight she lowered the tilt-top table for cards,” gives a scene a deliberate, ritual motion; The table’s movable top can embody instability: “Even the tilt-top knew how quickly a level surface becomes a wall”
Additional Notes
The upright top makes it a useful image of rooms being cleared or transformed. Its decorative form can imply polite domestic life.
Also Known As
Tip-Top Table Tilt Table
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