Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Formerly, in England, an officer of the royal household whose business was to see the king's lodging furnished with tables, chairs, stools, and firing, also to provide cards, dice, etc., and to decide disputes over games.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word groom-porter.
Examples
-
The function of the groom-porter was to furnish cards and dice for all gaming at Court, and to decide disputes arising at play.
Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois George Chapman
-
To wear a pair of velvet breeches, with panes or slashes of silk, an enormous starched ruff, a gilt handled sword, and a Spanish dagger; to play at cards or dice in the chambers of the groom-porter, and smoke tobacco in the tilt-yard or at the play-house, were then the grand characteristics of a man of fashion.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce E. R. Billings
-
About the time of the settlement of Jamestown, in 1607, the characteristics of a man of fashion were, to wear velvet breeches, with panes or slashes of silk, an enormous starched ruff, a gilt-handled sword, and a Spanish dagger: to play at cards or dice in the room of the groom-porter, and to smoke tobacco in the tilt-yard, or at the playhouse.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 11 John [Editor] Rudd 1885
-
Edward Lewkner, who according to Machyn's Diary had been groom-porter to Edward VI. and Mary, "was cast to suffer death" in the third year of
-
These, as has been said, are calculated with mathematical nicety, are proclaimed by the groom-porter, and are never varied.
-
Again, each player has the privilege of ` ` calling dice, '' even when the dice are in transitu, which, if done, renders the throw void, and causes another set to be handed to the caster by the groom-porter.
-
` The players assemble round a circular table, a space being reserved for the ` ` groom-porter, '' who occupies a somewhat elevated position, and whose duty it is to call the odds and see that the game is played correctly.
-
If one die lands on the top of another, it is removed by the groom-porter and declared a throw.
-
From her they learned that he had been promoted to the office of groom-porter at a gambling house: and in fact he proved to be the very man who had been present at the transaction between Edward and Mr. Mac Fane.
Anna St. Ives Thomas Holcroft 1777
-
Under this pretence, the groom-porter had a room appropriated to gaming all the summer the court was at Kensington, which his Majesty, accidentally being acquainted of, with a just indignation prohibited.
The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 2 Alexander Pope 1716
Gammerstang commented on the word groom-porter
(noun) - An officer of the royal household whose business is to see the king's lodging furnished with gambling-related tables, chairs, stools and firing, and to decide disputes arising at cards, dice, bowling, &c. --Ephraim Chambers' Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, 1728
April 22, 2018