Small decorative mats or pieces of lace, usually placed under vases, lamps, or on furniture for decoration.
Plural of doily; possibly from a London fabric merchant named Doiley (18th century), though the exact origin is debated. Could also relate to a Malay word or be an old merchant's name that became a product.
Your grandmother probably had doilies on every surface—they're the Victorian equivalent of putting plastic covers on your couch. Ironically, something invented to protect furniture from damage became purely decorative and was itself too delicate to actually protect anything.
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