place-card

A small, elegant place-card sits beside each dinner plate.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small card indicating a seat: A "place-card" is a small piece of card placed at a dining table to show where a specific guest is intended to sit, typically used at formal dinners, banquets, or receptions.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The hostess arranged the place-cards carefully on the table before the guests arrived. (Small cards showing each guest's assigned seat.)
  • I found my name on a place-card next to the bride's family. (A card indicating where I should sit.)

Advanced Usage

• "to have a place-card": to be assigned a specific seat at a formal event.

  • Every guest had a place-card, so seating was orderly. (Each person knew exactly where to sit.)

• "to write a place-card": to inscribe a guest's name on a small card for seating.

  • She wrote the place-cards in elegant calligraphy. (She wrote names on the cards in beautiful handwriting.)

Variants and Related Words

• Place setting (n): the arrangement of utensils, dishes, and other items at a single seat at a table.

  • The place setting included a fork, knife, spoon, and a place-card. (The complete arrangement for one diner.)

• Seating chart (n): a diagram showing where each guest is to sit.

  • The wedding coordinator used a seating chart to match the place-cards. (A visual guide for seat assignments.)

Synonyms

• Name card: a small card bearing a person's name, often used for seating.
• Seat marker: a card or object that indicates a specific seat.

Related Idioms

• "To pull a place-card": (informal) to remove or change a place-card, often to alter seating arrangements.

  • He discreetly pulled his place-card to sit next to his friend. (He moved his assigned seat card.)

• "Place-card diplomacy": the practice of using seating arrangements to influence social or political interactions.

  • The summit involved careful place-card diplomacy to avoid conflicts. (Strategic seating to manage relationships.)