shovelboard
/'ʃʌv'heipni/ Cách viết khác : (shovelboard) /'ʃʌvlbɔ:d/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A historical game: A game, popular from the 15th to the 19th centuries, in which players slide large coins or flat disks down a long, smooth table or court, aiming to get them as close as possible to a marked scoring area without going over the edge. 2. The equipment for the game: The long, smooth table or marked surface on which the game of shovelboard is played.
Usage and Examples
- Referring to the game:
- In Tudor England, shovelboard was a popular tavern game.
- They spent the afternoon playing a round of shovelboard on the long oak table.
- Referring to the playing surface:
- The old inn still had its original shovelboard along one wall.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- Historical Context: Shovelboard is considered a precursor to modern games like shuffleboard and deck quoits. The name comes from the action of "shoving" the disk.
- "Shove groat": An older, synonymous term for shovelboard, as a "groat" (a coin) was often used as the playing piece.
- Court vs. Table: Originally played on a long court (up to 30 feet) on the floor, it later evolved to be played on narrower tables.
Variants and Related Words
- Shuffleboard (n): The modern descendant of shovelboard, typically played on a deck or a dedicated court with cues to push the disks.
- Shove (v): To push something roughly, which is the core action in the game.
- Shovelboard penny (n): A specific, large coin or token used for playing the game.
Synonyms
- Shove groat (n, historical): An older name for the same game.
- Slide-thrift (n, historical/regional): Another historical name for a similar game.
Idioms and Phrases
(No common modern idioms are directly derived from "shovelboard" due to its status as an archaic game. The term itself is largely historical.)
Noun
- a game in which players use long sticks to shove wooden disks onto the scoring area marked on a smooth surface