pin table
- noun
- /pɪn ˈteɪbəl/
- UK
:
máquina de pinball
- When visiting England, I learned that a pin table is what they call a pinball machine.
Examples
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The old pub still has a pin table in the corner, attracting both locals and tourists.
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He spent hours trying to beat the high score on the pin table.
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I love playing on the pin table at the arcade.
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Have you ever played a pin table?
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Children gathered around the pin table to see who could achieve the highest score.
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The pin table in the cafe was always busy with players trying their luck.
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After dinner, we all enjoyed a few rounds on the pin table at the local pub.
Synonyms
8
3.0
A coin-operated game with a tilted table where flippers keep a metal ball moving to score points
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'pin' + 'table' give a basic clue (a table with pins or a game surface), so a learner may guess it refers to a gaming surface or device; however the specific conventional meaning 'pinball machine' and the British colloquial use are lexicalized and not fully derivable from the literal nouns. Because the precise referent (a pinball machine) requires familiarity with the hobbyist term rather than simple composition, the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrase pin table may come from old games that were played on a flat table covered with many small metal pins. A ball would roll and bounce among the pins, so people called the device a 'pin table', and today pin table means 'pinball machine'.