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crumb down

C1 formal separable transitive
In simple words

To brush or wipe crumbs off a table at a restaurant, usually before dessert.

Literal meaning: To remove crumbs downward (off the table) onto a plate or cloth.

Meanings

1 C1 formal

(Restaurant/hospitality) To brush crumbs off a dining table between courses using a special scraper or cloth.

"The server crumbed down the table skillfully before presenting the dessert menu."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

A specialized term used mainly in professional hospitality and formal dining. The tool used for this purpose is called a 'crumber'. Rarely used outside the restaurant industry.

Commonly used with

table tablecloth course dessert waiter service

Forms

Base
crumb down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
crumbs down
he/she/it
Past simple
crumbed down
yesterday
Past participle
crumbed down
have + pp
-ing form
crumbing down
continuous

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Synonyms

clear crumbs brush down clean the table sweep crumbs

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