talk, Table

talk, Table

      informal conversation at or as if at a dining table; especially, the social talk of a celebrity recorded for publication. Collections of such conversations exist from as early as the 3rd century AD, and the term has been in use in English since about the 16th century. The practice of recording conversations and sayings of the famous became especially popular in the 17th century. This material is especially useful for biographers and can be a form of literary biography in itself. One of the best-known examples of this is James Boswell's biography of Samuel Johnson, which consists mostly of Johnson's own words reproduced by Boswell.

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  • Table talk (literature) — Table talk is a species of memoir in which a collector (biographer, colleague, friend, etc.) records impromptu comments by some famous person (made generally at the dining table or in small get togethers), in anticipation of their lasting value.… …   Wikipedia

  • Table talk — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Table talk (disambiguation) — Table talk may refer to:* Table talk (literature) * Table talk (cards) …   Wikipedia

  • Table — Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair tables… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • table — Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair tables… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Table anvil — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Table base — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Table bed — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Table beer — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Table bell — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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