Old China Patterns

1 Comment

1. Bromeliad
   10/06/2010 at 11:59 pm

   WoodOhio
   Lazy Susans – A Background
   Lazy Susans – also popularly called turntables – have been in popular use since at least the 1700s. Thomas Jefferson is often credited with the invention of the Lazy Susan. In colonial times, wooden lazy susans would be used for food and condiments, and for writing utensils and inkwells. In those times Lazy Susans were called "dumbwaiters." Today in America, a dumbwaiter has come to mean a freight elevator for transporting food and dishes between levels. Even today in England, however, people still refer to Lazy Susans as dumbwaiters.

   The term "Lazy Susan" came into popular usage no earlier than 1917. The origin of the term is sometimes thought to have originated from a notoriously lazy house servant; however this theory is unlikely, as its emergence was well past the time when house servants were common. It is more likely that the term "Lazy Susan" was hit upon simply because of its rhythmic appeal. It has also been speculated that the lazy house servant story was concocted by the same marketers.