rolltop desk
1
4.7
- noun
- /ˈroʊlˌtɑp dɛsk/
:
escritorio con tapa enrollable
- He pulled down the curved cover of the rolltop desk to keep his writing private.
- an antique rolltop desk
- an old rolltop desk
Examples
-
All I could spot in the dim was an antique rolltop desk, a cane-backed chair, and several rows of bookcases.
Fiction book (1992) -
In the twilight, Francesca poured a small glass of brandy and opened the bottom drawer of Richard's rolltop desk, the walnut piece that had passed down through three generations of his family.
Fiction book (1992) -
Continue past the oak rolltop desk.
Fiction book (1995) -
"Murphy crossed his arms and sat back against his rolltop desk.
Fiction book (1991) -
For the next hour, Helen would turn on the radio and attend to correspondence at the rolltop desk in the den.
Fiction book (1996) -
Joe was sitting motionless at his rolltop desk, his eyes seemingly focused somewhere beyond the litter of brewery correspondence.
Fiction book (1993) -
As the tape grinds on with hard-to-hear dialogue, Nixon searches through a drawer in the rolltop desk next to the fireplace.
Fiction book (1995) -
Rick slid the Pillings' letter into the rolltop desk he'd inherited from Eric, and swiveled around to face his latest painting.
Fiction book (1999) -
The room in which they were sitting contained a large, old rolltop desk, some high-backed chairs, and a table on which there were some glasses, a half-filled bottle of whiskey, and an unopened bottle of gin.
Fiction book (2001) -
He crossed quickly to the Reverend's old rolltop desk and pulled a rubber-banded bundle of yellowed newspaper clippings from one of the pigeonholes.
Fiction book (1992)
How Decorative
- UK
1
4.7
- Archaic
1
9.9
3
2.3
1
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
rolltop + desk
The meaning is directly inferable from the constituents: 'roll' (to move/turn), 'top' (the upper cover) and 'desk' (furniture), so a B1 learner who knows these words can predict a desk whose top rolls down to close. This is a straightforward compound noun following regular English composition patterns rather than an idiomatic shift.
Etymology
Rolltop desk: The noun rolltop desk comes from the desk's flexible wooden cover, made of many thin strips so it can roll down over the top like a small door. Because this cover can be pulled down to 'hide' and lock papers, the name describes the desk's shape and use.