baize
/beiz/
Definition
- Noun:
- A thick, typically woolen fabric with a short, soft nap on one side. It is traditionally dyed green and is most commonly used to cover gaming tables, such as billiard, card, or snooker tables, providing a smooth, durable, and felt-like playing surface.
Usage
- Noun: "Baize" is an uncountable noun. It refers to the material itself, not a single item. It is used to describe the cloth covering on specific types of furniture, primarily tables used for games.
- The old billiard table was recovered with fresh green baize.
- He brushed the baize to remove any chalk dust.
Advanced Usage
- Metonymy: The word "baize" can be used metonymically to refer to the gaming table or the activity associated with it.
- He spent his life on the green baize. (This implies a life spent playing billiards, snooker, or cards.)
- Historical/Other Uses: While strongly associated with gaming, baize has also been used historically for other purposes, such as covering doors or linings, often for its insulating and sound-dampening properties.
- The door to the study was padded and covered in baize.
Variants and Related Words
- Felt: A non-woven fabric matted together by heat, moisture, and pressure. While baize resembles felt in texture, it is a woven fabric.
- Broadcloth: A different type of dense, plain-woven cloth, typically of wool, but without the distinctive nap of baize.
- Nap: The raised, fuzzy surface on fabrics like baize, velvet, or flannel.
Synonyms
- Cloth
- Fabric
- Covering
Related Phrases
- Under the baize: A phrase that can imply the hidden or underlying aspects of a situation, playing on the idea of something being beneath the table's surface.
- The real negotiations happened under the baize.
Idioms
- A roll of the baize: A playful, non-standard variation referencing the gaming table surface, implying a turn of events in a game of chance or skill.
- It all came down to a final roll of the baize.
Noun
-
a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tables
