ANTIQUES- MISCELLANEOUS

            This series of definitions is not meant to be comprehensive but rather an aid to help fiction writers make their characters’ dialog sound “authentic.” Some are occupational slang. Recording studio musicians for example hate “clams” (sour notes).

Others are basic terms. To a sailor a hold is where cargo is stowed aboard a ship. To a gambler a hold is the bet percentage held back by a casino.

            The world of antiques is so vast and complicated that each genre has its own slang and terms used by appraisers, dealers and collectors alike. From Hepplewhite furniture to Chippendale; from carnival glass to cranberry, knowing each field requires skill and an encyclopedic knowledge. Still, here are a few general terms an antique dealer might use in conversation, maybe while marrying different shakers to make a go with.

                                                                                                              Michael McKeever

    

ANTIQUES-MISCELLANEOUS:

armorial:          engraved crest or coat-of-arms.

bride’s basket: fruit bowl with a metal frame.

etui:                 small case for holding small implements like scissors.

fairy lamp:       1840s candle-burning night lamp for household use.

go with:           salt and pepper shaker set, each piece related, Dutch boy and girl for example.

marriage:         assembling different items to make a complete “set,” a tea set for example.

ormolu:            decorative brass used to imitate gold.

rolled gold:      thin gold layer fused over base metal.

scent bottle:     small bottle, often pear-shaped.

snuffer:            glass ball to snuff out cigarettes in ornate ashtrays.

vermicelli:        thin gold wire used in a decorative design.