Brewer's: Dumb-waiter

A piece of dining-room furniture, fitted with shelves, to hold glasses, dishes, and plate. So called because it answers all the purposes of a waiter, and is not possessed of an insolent tongue; a lift for carrying food from a kitchen to the dining-room, etc.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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