antimacassar

Everyday

An antimacassar is a small cloth, often lacy, put over the back or arms of a chair or sofa to keep it clean. tree →

In the lessons

In Victorian and Edwardian times men put Macassar oil on their hair, which stained chairs; the cloth was «anti» (against) the Macassar oil. In history lessons about Victorian homes and in old books, the word shows an old-fashioned, tidy parlour. Trains and planes still sometimes have them on headrests.

Examples

• Grandma's armchair had a lace antimacassar. tree →
• Antimacassars kept hair oil off the chairs. tree →
• The Victorian parlour was full of antimacassars and ornaments. tree →
• The train seats had white antimacassars. tree →
• She crocheted an antimacassar for the sofa. tree →
• The word comes from Macassar hair oil. tree →

Note

Countable. A long word: an-ti-ma-CASS-ar. Old-fashioned; today people may say «chair back cover».