lazy Susan
noun phrase

- a circular piece of wood or plastic which is put on a table and can be turned around so that everyone can reach the food that is on it

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The term "Lazy Susan" was first seen in print in a 1917 Vanity Fair advertisement, described as a "Revolving Server or Lazy Susan”. However, the concept of a rotating serving tray dates back to the 1700s, long before it got its modern name. Back then, they were multi-level trays known as "dumbwaiters”.

The term "dumbwaiter" originally described these trays because they silently ("dumb" meaning mute) served food, essentially replacing human waiters. Nowadays, "dumbwaiter" more commonly refers to a small food elevator in buildings.

The origin of the name "Lazy Susan" is unclear. One theory suggests it may have been named after Susan, a common name for servants at the time. However, it's more likely that the name follows the tradition of English phrases that use common names, like "Peeping Tom”, "Jim Dandy”, or “Jolly Roger”. It's also possible that the combination of the "z" sound in "lazy" and the "s" sound in "Susan" made the term marketable.

Nowadays, "Lazy Susan" can refer to any object that rotates to make items more accessible to the user.

sources: Word Detective, Jewish World Review, Wikipedia

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SYNONYMS

apathetic, armchair athlete, asleep at the wheel, avoidant, bone idle, comatose, couch potato, couldn't be bothered, dilatory, disengaged, do-nothing, dormant, drag-ass, draggy, drowsy, easygoing, energyless, faineant, feet-dragging, good-for-nothing, half-hearted, heedless, idle, inactive, indifferent, inert, lackadaisical, laggard, languid, languorous, lax, LAZY, lethargic, listless, loafing, loitering, lumpish, lying down on the job, meandering, neglectful, negligent, nonchalant, otiose, out to lunch, passive, procrastinating, remiss, rubbernecking, shiftless, shirking, slackadaisical, slothful, slow (as molasses, -footed, -going, -moving), slowpoke, sluggish, slumbering, snail-paced, snoozy, somnolent, spineless, spiritless, stagnant, stagnating, stay-at-home, tardy, time-wasting, torpid, unbothered (caring, committed, concerned, energetic, engaged, unenthusiastic, excited, uninvolved, motivated, unresponsive, willing), vegetable-like, vegetating, work-shy

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“I just searched Amazon for ‘LAZY SUSAN’ — they’re not expensive, shall we order one for next time we have guests?”

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THANKS to Elaine for suggesting today’s word.

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