Meaning & use
finger bowl
Last updated
UK/ˈfɪŋɡə bəʊl/
US/ˈfɪŋɡər boʊl/
Meaning
nouncountableold-fashioned
A small bowl of water placed at the table for rinsing fingers after eating.
Grammar: Countable: a finger bowl, two finger bowls.
Patterns
- use a finger bowl
The waiter brought a finger bowl with a slice of lemon.
She dipped her fingertips in the finger bowl after the lobster.
Guests were puzzled by the finger bowls at the formal dinner.
Word forms
| plural | finger bowls |
|---|
Common combinations
- a finger bowl of warm water
- The server set down a finger bowl of warm water.
- rinse in a finger bowl
- Rinse your fingers in a finger bowl.
- a silver finger bowl
- The silver finger bowl sat beside each plate.
- lemon in the finger bowl
- A lemon in the finger bowl cleans the fingers.
- pass the finger bowls
- The staff passed the finger bowls.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hand basin
- A hand basin is a sink for washing, while a finger bowl is a small bowl used at the table.
- rinse bowl
- Rinse bowl is a plain name, less specific than finger bowl.
Word family
Practice
When would you use a finger bowl?
Choose one answer.
A finger bowl is for rinsing fingers after eating. The other options are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “finger bowl”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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