To Table a Motion Means Opposite Things in Britain and America
A table is a piece of furniture or an arrangement of data. The parliamentary verb causes real confusion across the Atlantic.
A table is a piece of furniture with a flat top, and also data arranged in rows and columns. The verb divides the English-speaking world: in Britain *to table a motion* means to bring it forward for discussion, while in America it means to set it aside indefinitely. The same words produce opposite outcomes, and the difference has caused genuine muddles in international meetings. Latin *tabula* meant a board or plank, and gives *tablet* and *tabulate*.
- A piece of furniture. *A dining table.*
- Arranged data. *A results table.*
- To propose (UK). *Table a motion.*
- To postpone (US). *Table the motion.*
- Latin — *tabula*, a board. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | table | A table. |
| Plural | tables | Tables. |
| Verb | table | Table it. |
| Related | tablet | A tablet. |
| Related | tabulate | Tabulate. |
- Set the table for six.Furniture.
- The results are in table three.Data.
- The two countries mean opposite things.Usage.
Table phrases
- Turn the tables — reverse a situation, from board games
- Under the table — secretly, especially of payments
- On the table — available for discussion
- Round table — a meeting of equals, from Arthurian legend
- Water table — the level below which ground is saturated
Old English *tabule* and Old French *table*, both from Latin *tabula*, a board, plank or list.
Does tabling a motion mean proposing or postponing it?
Proposing in British usage, postponing in American. The same phrase produces opposite results.
Where does turn the tables come from?
From board games such as backgammon, where the board could be turned so each player took the other's position.