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| {{Short description|Coarse woollen cloth, similar in texture to felt}} | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Other uses}} | |||
| {{More citations needed|date=January 2011}} | |||
| ] | |||
| '''Baize''' is a coarse ] (or in cheaper variants ]) ], similar in texture to ], but more durable. | |||
| {{merge|Felt}} | |||
| ==History== | |||
| '''Baize''' is a coarse ] or ] ], sometimes called "felt" in American English based on a similarity in appearance, often coloured red or green. It is often used on ] and ] tables (it is the ] cloth that covers the top and is often referred to as 'the green baize'). As the surface finish for baize is not exceptional, it is generally not used for tables used on the professional circuit. Instead, ] is preferred. | |||
| A mid-17th-century English ] – much quoted in histories of ale and beer brewing in England – refers to 1525:<br /> | |||
| {{blockquote|Hops, heresies, bays, and beer;<br />Came into England all in one year.}} | |||
| The term is related to the cloth term "bays" (sometimes under the heading "bays and says"). | |||
| ''Heresies'' refers to the Protestant ], while ''bays'' is the ] spelling for ''baize''<ref>{{cite web |work=Life in Elizabethan England |url= http://elizabethan.org/compendium/75.html |title=Good English Ale |date=22 March 2008 |first=Paula Kate |last=Marmor |access-date=20 February 2011}}</ref> (though ''bay'' and ''baize'' eventually came to describe two similar but distinguishable types of cloth, as described below). | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ==Applications== | |||
| {{textile-stub}} | |||
| Baize is often used on ] to cover the {{cuegloss|slate}} and {{cuegloss|cushions}}, and is also used on different kinds of gaming tables (usually gambling) such as those for ], ], ] and other ] games. It is also found as a writing surface, particularly on 19th century ]s. | |||
| The surface finish of baize is coarse, thus increasing rolling resistance and perceptibly slowing ]s. Baize is available with and without a perceptible ]. ], in which understanding nap effects is part of the game, uses the nappy variety, while ] and ] use the napless type. | |||
| ] | |||
| For gaming use, baize is traditionally ]d green, in mimicry of a lawn ''(see ])'', though wide variety of table colours have become accepted. ] was similar material to baize, but lighter in weight and with a shorter nap.<ref>{{cite book |title=Textiles in America 1650–1870 |last=Montgomery |first=Florence M. |date=1984 |location=New York / London |publisher=Norton |page=152 |isbn=978-0-393-01703-8 |quote=Heaton distinguished between bay and baize: 'the bay was light, baise is heavy and with a long nap' (''Letter Books of Joseph Holroyd'', p. 11n). |url= https://archive.org/details/textilesinameric00mont/page/152/mode/2up?q=Bay+and+say |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> | |||
| {{Gallery | |||
| |title=Baize | |||
| |width=295 | |||
| |height=295 | |||
| |File:Baize closeup.jpg|alt1=Baize closeup|A closeup of the weave of ] baize. This particular sample is Simonis 760, a high-end ] cloth; it is ], unlike ] cloth. | |||
| |File:Baize and ball.jpg|alt2=Baize and ball|A similar cloth sample as in the previous image, from further away and with a ] for scale. | |||
| }} | |||
| ==Idioms and catchphrases== | |||
| * "Let's get the boys on the baize!" has been a ] of ] ] presenter ] since 2008.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Reason |date=4 May 2008 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/snooker/2299341/Ronnie-OSullivan-greater-than-Tiger-Woods.html |title=Ronnie O'Sullivan greater than Tiger Woods |work=] |access-date=5 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
| * At one time, "the green baize door" (a door to which cloth had been tacked to deaden noise) in a house separated the servants' quarters from the family's living quarters;<ref>{{cite book |first=Graham |last=Greene |author-link=Graham Greene |title=The Basement Room |publisher=Penguin |date=1976 |orig-year=1935 |page=125<!--Specific page number in a specific old edition not identified by ISBN. It would be better to find and re-cite this material in a newer edition that can be ISBN-identified.-->}} Also republished as ''The Fallen Idol''.</ref> hence the phrase's usage as a ] for ]. Moving men in the children's book '']'' wore green baize aprons. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * '']'' | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Wiktionary}} | |||
| {{Commons category|Baize}} | |||
| * {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Baize|volume=3 |short=x}} | |||
| {{Fabric}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 06:27, 13 November 2024
Coarse woollen cloth, similar in texture to felt For other uses, see Baize (disambiguation). | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Baize" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Baize is a coarse woollen (or in cheaper variants cotton) cloth, similar in texture to felt, but more durable.
History
A mid-17th-century English ditty – much quoted in histories of ale and beer brewing in England – refers to 1525:
Hops, heresies, bays, and beer;
Came into England all in one year.
Heresies refers to the Protestant Reformation, while bays is the Elizabethan spelling for baize (though bay and baize eventually came to describe two similar but distinguishable types of cloth, as described below).
Applications
Baize is often used on billiard tables to cover the slate and cushions, and is also used on different kinds of gaming tables (usually gambling) such as those for blackjack, baccarat, craps and other casino games. It is also found as a writing surface, particularly on 19th century pedestal desks.
The surface finish of baize is coarse, thus increasing rolling resistance and perceptibly slowing billiard balls. Baize is available with and without a perceptible nap. Snooker, in which understanding nap effects is part of the game, uses the nappy variety, while pool and carom billiards use the napless type.
For gaming use, baize is traditionally dyed green, in mimicry of a lawn (see Cue sport, "History"), though wide variety of table colours have become accepted. Bay was similar material to baize, but lighter in weight and with a shorter nap.
Baize-
A closeup of the weave of worsted baize. This particular sample is Simonis 760, a high-end pool cloth; it is napless, unlike snooker cloth.
-
A similar cloth sample as in the previous image, from further away and with a pool ball for scale.
Idioms and catchphrases
- "Let's get the boys on the baize!" has been a catchphrase of BBC TV snooker presenter Rob Walker since 2008.
- At one time, "the green baize door" (a door to which cloth had been tacked to deaden noise) in a house separated the servants' quarters from the family's living quarters; hence the phrase's usage as a metonym for domestic service. Moving men in the children's book The Railway Children wore green baize aprons.
See also
References
- Marmor, Paula Kate (22 March 2008). "Good English Ale". Life in Elizabethan England. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles in America 1650–1870. New York / London: Norton. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-393-01703-8 – via Internet Archive.
Heaton distinguished between bay and baize: 'the bay was light, baise is heavy and with a long nap' (Letter Books of Joseph Holroyd, p. 11n).
- Reason, Mark (4 May 2008). "Ronnie O'Sullivan greater than Tiger Woods". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- Greene, Graham (1976) . The Basement Room. Penguin. p. 125. Also republished as The Fallen Idol.
External links
- "Baize" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911.