E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Mantel-piece (A).
A shelf over a fire-place, originally used for drying clothes.
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“Around the spacious cupola, over the Italian fire-places, is a ledge to which are affixed pegs, on which postillions hung their wet clothes to dry. We call the shelves over the fire-places ‘mantel-pieces,’ but we no longer hang our mantles on them to dry.”—Memoirs of Col. Macaroni.
