The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
passable
(adjective) able to be passed or traversed or crossed; “the road is passable”
adequate, passable, fair to middling, tolerable
(adjective) about average; acceptable; “more than adequate as a secretary”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
passable (comparative more passable, superlative most passable)
That may be passed or traversed.
Tolerable; adequate; no more than satisfactory.
(sociology) able to "pass", or be accepted as a member of a race, sex or other group to which society would not otherwise regard one as belonging.
Source: Wiktionary
Pass"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. passable.]
1. Capable of being passed, traveled, navigated, traversed, penetrated, or the like; as, the roads are not passable; the stream is passablein boats. His body's a passable carcass if it be not hurt; it is a throughfare for steel. Shak.
2. Capable of being freely circulated or disseminated; acceptable; generally receivable; current. With men as with false money -- one piece is more or less passable than another. L'Estrange. Could they have made this slander passable. Collier.
3. Such as may be allowed to pass without serious objection; tolerable; admissable; moderate; mediocre. My version will appear a passable beauty when the original muse is absent. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
21 April 2025
(noun) a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.