duchesse
(ˈdʌtʃɪs, ‖ dyʃɛs)
[Fr., = duchess.]
1. A kind of chaise-longue, consisting of two armchairs facing each other, with a stool connecting them. So duchesse brisée (see quot. 1937).
| 1794 Cabinet-Maker (A. Hepplewhite & Co.) (ed. 3) 16 (caption) Duchesse and Confidante. [1803 T. Sheraton Cabinet Dict. 337 Duchess, a kind of bed, composed of three parts, or a chair at each end and a stool between them.] 1936 ‘R. West’ Thinking Reed i. 12 André..poured out a glass of Evian and sat back on the duchesse sofa. 1937 Burlington Mag. June 286/2 Our chaise-longue..consists of a bergère and a bout-de-pied. In this form it is usually called duchesse brisée. 1955 R. Fastnedge Eng. Furnit. Styles ix. 200 The duchesse..was formed by two facing ‘Barjier chairs..with a stool in the middle’. |
2. duchesse dressing-chest, duchesse-table, a dressing-table with a swing-glass; also ellipt.; duchesse toilet-cover, duchesse-set, a cover for a dressing-table, or a set of covers usually consisting of one long runner, one smaller, and two very small mats.
| 1863 M. B. Chesnut Diary from Dixie 10 Sept. (1905) xv. 240 The bride had a duchesse dressing-table, muslin and lace. 1881 C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork iii. 210 The Duchesse Dressing Table... Dear to woman's heart is the convenient little ‘Duchesse’..with its snowy draperies. 1895 Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 15 Sept. 1102/2 Duchesse Toilet Covers. 1906 Lady's World Nov. 156/1 Very dainty Duchesse toilet sets can be made by placing some of these floral squares on a foundation of coloured silk. 1922 Daily Tel. 12 June 20/1 Burr walnut duchesse tables and washstands. 1930 Ibid. 5 Apr. 21/7 Duchesse dressing chests. 1957 J. Frame Owls do Cry i. xii. 54 The tweezers..stayed in exactly the same place on the duchesse. |
3. (See quot. 1878.)
| [1873 Young Englishwoman July 338/2 The bodice and open Duchess sleeves are also trimmed.] 1878 Cassell's Family Mag. IV. 168/2 For balls..there are the Duchesse and Marquise sleeves. The Duchesse covers two-thirds of the arm, and is finished off with frills..and lace. |
4. duchesse satin, satin duchesse, a very soft, heavy kind of satin.
| 1878 Cassell's Family Mag. IV. 365/1 Duchesse satin is the widest, and at the same time far the best. 1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 9 Aug. 9/1 A long train of cream duchesse satin. 1894 Times 19 Sept. 10/4 Charged..with stealing a large quantity of silk and satin duchesse. 1895 Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 15 Sept. 1095/2 Coloured Satins. Duchesse. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 248 Duchesse, a highly lustrous, heavy, firm, yet soft satin. |
5. Duchesse lace, a variety of Brussels pillow-lace, worked with fine thread in large sprays.
| 1882 Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlework 166/2 Duchesse Lace is worked with a finer and different thread to that of Honiton. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 110/2 ‘Duchesse’ and Bruges lace are the chief pillow-made laces. 1926–7 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 1110/3. Duchesse and lace-trimmed blinds. |
6. duchesse potatoes, mashed potatoes mixed with egg and either baked or fried in small cakes or used as a decoration (see quots.).
| [1930 R. Wakefield Toll House Recipes 172 Duchess potatoes.] 1947 I. B. Allen Food for Two 106 Pipe duchesse potato around the edge. 1948 L. Marion Be your own Chef xii. 209 Duchesse Potatoes... When you have a compact mash of potatoes..add two tablespoons of grated cheese and beat in a yolk of egg..melt a tablespoon of butter in the frying-pan..place your little pieces in it and turn them on both sides, until they are of an even golden colour. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 481/1 Mashed or Duchesse potatoes may be piped into fancy shapes or borders. |