Word.ws English Dictionary

boardinghouse reach

boardinghouse reach noun: the ability to reach a long distance across a table to get desired food.

Noun

boardinghouse reach (plural boardinghouse reaches)

  1. The ability to reach a long distance across a table to get desired food.
    • He developed his boardinghouse reach in the oil fields.
    • There is nothing contrived about this restaurant — it is strictly the basics — good food, good service, and good prices. All you need is a good boardinghouse reach and if you don't have one, then ask for the food to be passed.2003, Judy Barnes, Jolane Edwards, Carolyn Lee Goodloe, Coasting: An Expanded Guide to the Northern Gulf Coast, page 38
  2. The act of reaching across a table to get desired food, often considered poor etiquette because it invades others' personal space.
    • Avoid the boardinghouse reach. Reach for something only within the invisible boundary that separates your personal space from the other diners'.2005, Peggy Post, Collins Gem: Emily Post's favorite party & dining tips, page 102

Forms of boardinghouse reach

pluralboardinghouse reaches

Origin of boardinghouse reach

So called because the lodgers at a boardinghouse, dining at the same time, might have to reach past each other for dishes and condiments.

Questions about boardinghouse reach

What does boardinghouse reach mean?
Boardinghouse reach means the ability to reach a long distance across a table to get desired food.
What part of speech is boardinghouse reach?
Boardinghouse reach is a noun.
What is the plural of boardinghouse reach?
The plural of boardinghouse reach is boardinghouse reaches.

Words near boardinghouse reach in the dictionary

  1. boarding-houses
  2. boarding-master
  3. boarding-masters
  4. boarding-school
  5. boardinghouse
  6. boardinghouse reach
  7. boardinghouse reaches
  8. boardinghouses
  9. boardings
  10. boardless
  11. boardlike

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: boardinghouse reach (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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