I've never seen 'table' being used as 'postpone' by any American, either in literature or on the intertubes; is it some sort of professional / niche usage?
Winston Churchill wrote about a misunderstanding during World War 2 which was caused by the different meanings for this expression:
The enjoyment of a common language was of course a supreme advantage in all British and American discussions. The delays and often partial misunderstandings which occur when interpreters are used were avoided. There were however differences of expression, which in the early days led to an amusing incident. The British Staff prepared a paper which they wished to raise as a matter of urgency, and informed their American colleagues that they wished to "table it." To the American Staff "tabling" a paper meant putting it away in a drawer and forgetting it. A long and even acrimonious argument ensued before both parties realized that they were agreed on the merits and wanted the same thing.
Interesting bit of history. The usage I've heard is that 'tabling' means to postpone, putting something on the table means to present something. Generally just 'table' means, well a table. Then again, Canadian here.
I'm a Canadian too, but my understanding matched the British usage. Newspapers are full of stuff like this quote from The Globe and Mail: "Mr. McCallum told reporters Tuesday that the government will table its annual immigration report before March 9."
Hmm, guess I need to read more newspapers. I do find though that as time goes on our language tends to use both American and British spellings/meanings seemingly at random, due to the various influences (plus a few Canadianisms).
I'm american, and I've definitely seen it used "Alright, let's just table the issue" implying "let's come back to that issue later". I can't say that the slang makes any sense, but that's slang for you heh
I'm an American. The use of "table" in colloquialisms while participating in meetings has many different distinctions/meanings.
"let's put it all on the table" - I would like for you and I to be completely honest with each other, even if I don't like what you are about to say.
"let's table that" - I would like for you to remember what you wanted to say, but please don't say it now. Also, talk to me later in a separate discussion if what you wanted to say is still relevant.
"it's off the table" - That particular item/thought is no longer relevant to the discussion, please ignore it.
"clear the table" - Please get ready to discuss something entirely new of a higher priority. Or, I would like to start the same discussion over, but this time I have a better understanding of what I would like to communicate.
I'm American, and I generally understand 'to table a debate' to mean 'suspend discussion'. Use of the word 'suspend' is probably more common in informal use, but I often hear 'table' used to mean 'suspend discussion' when the point of the discussion is to reach a formal decision.
For instance, my local paper might report that 'discussion on the proposed ordinance was tabled after hours of heated debate at City Council'. If we've been talking about a point for too long without reaching a conclusion at work, somebody might suggest we table it.
I first encountered the 'present for discussion' meaning in Model U.N., which I found very confusing. The BBC World Service uses that meaning, which is extremely confusing when they are reporting on American politics.
No. That is specifically what it means for parliamentary proceedings in the US. Any discussion that's postponed for another time under Robert's Rules of Order is done so with a "motion to table."
(BTW: what's the British counterpart to Robert's Rules?)
Yes, in formal meetings, to "Table the issue" means to agree to stop talking about it until later. It then becomes part of "unfinished business" on future agendas.
It comes from our legislature, but it's been adopted into somewhat common parlance in business. Normal people wouldn't say it in casual conversation, though.
