In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
steelyard, lever scale, beam scale
(noun) a portable balance consisting of a pivoted bar with arms of unequal length
Source: WordNet® 3.1
steelyard (plural steelyards)
A transportable balance with unequal arm lengths.
A place where steel (and possibly other metals as well) is stored and sold.
Source: Wiktionary
Steel"yard, n. Etym: [So named from a place in London called the Steelyard, which was a yard in which steel was sold.]
Definition: A form of balance in which the body to be weighed is suspended from the shorter arm of a lever, which turns on a fulcrum, and a counterpoise is caused to slide upon the longer arm to produce equilibrium, its place upon this arm (which is notched or graduated) indicating the weight; a Roman balance; -- very commonly used also in the plural form, steelyards.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
7 May 2025
(noun) a person who is employed to deliver messages or documents; “he sent a runner over with the contract”
In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.