topcloth

English

Alternative forms

• top-cloth

Etymology

top +‎ cloth

Noun

topcloth (plural topcloths)

1. A cloth used to cover the top of anything, such as a table or a person's torso.
   • 1992, Renny Reynolds, Elaine Louie, The Art of the Party: Design Ideas for Successful Entertaining:

     On one table, for example, we placed a silver topcloth over a rose cotton undercloth.

   • 2002, Harold Bloom, Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart, page 79:

     In the market Nwibe's wife hurriedly removes her topcloth to cover her husband: behaviour that would be mad in many a non-African context.

2. (nautical) A piece of canvas used to cover the hammocks which are lashed to the top in action to protect the topmen.