mantelpiece
- noun
- /ˈmæntəlˌpis/
- The family decorated the mantelpiece with holiday ornaments and family photos.
Is it the pistol on the mantelpiece in a Chekhov play?
- Is it the pistol on the mantelpiece in a Chekhov play?
- I think I'm just going to put these on the mantelpiece because I just think they're so cute.
- Wait, let me tell you, a gold TV And he put gold leaf around the famous mantelpiece in the Oval Office that, you know, from TV.
- He goes to a antique shop and he sees the picture that's sitting up there and he comes back and he says, Richard, put that on your mantelpiece behind you.
Examples
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We move slowly across the mantelpiece where a pair of candles glow, illuminating family photos.
Fiction book (1994) -
As we sit down, he points out a mirrored mantelpiece resting against the wall behind the bar.
Academic text (2002) -
We kept our savings on the mantelpiece.
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Mother stood by the mantelpiece with the TV remote in her hand.
Fiction book (1997) -
The poor dear thought us dead all these years, so had kept them on her mantelpiece in memoriam.
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Think how nice that statuette's gonna look on your mantelpiece.
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There's a clock on the mantelpiece and a picture between the bookshelves.
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The boy examined photos on the mantelpiece and watched the sweep of the pendulum in an ancient clock.
Fiction book (2000) -
We've also got some fairy lights on the mantelpiece and it just makes the whole room feel that little bit more cozy.
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On the mantelpiece you'll find my tobacco pouch.
Synonyms
A shelf above a fireplace that holds decorations
A shelf above a fireplace for showing clocks or photos
A shelf above a fireplace where people put clocks or photos
A shelf above a fireplace that holds pictures or small objects
A shelf above a fireplace that holds photos or candles
Idioms
To pay attention to something unimportant instead of the main task
How Ornate
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word mantelpiece comes from an old French word mantel meaning 'cloak' and the word piece meaning 'part'. So, a mantelpiece is like the 'cloak part' over a fireplace — first a cloth or cover for the fire and later the shelf above it.