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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear ewein: since the new posters seem to be hanging back, I hope I may be forgiven for being first to reply;. I thought "doilies" meant the small pieces of linen, decorated with crocheting that used to be put on arm rests of upholstered chairs, but a peek at dictionary says they were also to protect furniture surfaces under vases, etc. I guess the 'dust' is just for alliteration. And it is constructed to avoid saying something profane. I confess that most of my expressions of annoyance are not as proper. So I can't match yours.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Dear wwh,
I think the linen or lace hung to protect chair arms were part of a set that included those hung over the chair backs and were all called "antimacassars". The name stems from the macassar hair oil used by gentlemen, I guess during the Victorian period, hence antimacassar.
I will think about my favourite phrase - I'm sure I have one. Mrs dxb is bound to know!
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I always thought doilies were the round circles of white paper with cut outs to look like lace (or snow flakes) that you use to put underneath cakes for decoration.
As to phrases 'gets my goat' has to be up there along with 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic'.
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Carpal Tunnel
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I just noticed that you became a journeyman with the starting post of this thread!  Hope the journey gets easier and welcome.
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(with apologies to Jackie because I know she doesn't think a person should be called a poster!)grr!  Yes, that really dusts my doilies! 
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she doesn't think a person should be called a poster!)That's cause she gets all confused when offered a four-poster bed (do Southern men believe in fourplay?)
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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she doesn't think a person should be called a poster!
Just an aside…….
In Britland, but less commonly now than in times past, on brick walls and other tempting external vertical surfaces one would see a small plate bearing the phrase “Bill Posters Will Be Prosecuted”. When we were children we thought this a real hoot and would have been overjoyed to have found a real Bill Posters. Was this just a phrase used in Britain I wonder, or was it in use elsewhere?
dxb.
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Oh dear, ewein--your thread has fallen victim to what I was afraid it would, and what seems inevitable, here---not only was your subject ignored, it's taken a 90-degree turn or two... I nearly didn't post, for that very reason, but was utterly unable to resist your "challenge"! But I WILL say, that is the reason I am refraining from responding to that ol' maverick in the way he deserves!
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