tea cart
1
2.7
- noun
- /ti kɑrt/
- A single armless chair, a sideboard, the tea cart in what I guessed had been a dining room.
Examples
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She decorated the tea cart with fresh flowers and served pastries to her friends during the afternoon gathering.
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This tea cart's pretty charming.
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Aside from that, though, there was Brianna Randall, now gazing contemplatively at the tea cart, as though wondering where to start.
Fiction book (1992) -
The waiter pushed the tea cart around the garden party, offering guests a selection of fragrant brews.
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He filled the tea cart with steaming cups of Earl Grey and delicious scones for the guests.
Synonyms
345
1.0
A small vehicle with wheels that you push or pull to carry things
7
1.0
A cart on wheels used for carrying shopping or luggage
1
3.7
A small cart on wheels used to serve tea and snacks
1
2.8
A small table with wheels for carrying and serving food and drinks
1
5.2
A small table on wheels for serving tea and light food
1
5.4
A small cart on wheels used to serve tea and light food
How Portable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'tea' (the drink) + 'cart' (a wheeled vehicle), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a cart for serving or carrying tea/refreshments. This noun-compound pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making the expression immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Tea cart paints a clear picture: a small cart on wheels carrying tea cups and a tray as a waiter rolls it to guests. So the name simply means 'a small wheeled cart used for serving tea, coffee, or light refreshments'.