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Topic: Lazy Susan & dumbwaiter

Some youngsters we know take great pride in pointing out the efficient Susan on their family's kitchen table. They learned this name from the visitor whose name, believe it or not, was also Susan. Until their helpful visitor had dropped by, they had been under the impression the revolving tray holding their napkins and condiments was known as a lazy Susan.

We doubt the renaming will catch on outside this household, but we're happy to visit the issue of how the tray came by that particular name.

What we now know as a lazy Susan—"a revolving tray used for serving food, condiments, or relishes"—was once called a dumbwaiter. Although nowadays we think of a dumbwaiter as a small elevator used to convey food and dishes (or small goods) from one story of a building to another, way back when, dumbwaiter also named a portable stand, often one with revolving shelves arranged in tiers.

The dumb in dumbwaiter refers to its silent sound, not to a slur on the waiter at work. But does the laziness of a lazy Susan describe a servant worthy of contempt? No one knows for sure, and no one is even certain if the name Susan recognizes a particular servant. Because the first print appearance of the term lazy Susan dates to an early 20th century advertisement, some folks theorize the name owes a debt to a copywriter savvy enough to savor the sibilance.

Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.