0 a small piece of paper or cloth with a pattern of little holes in it, used as a decoration on a plate or under a cake
A doily goes under the finger bowl, and a fruit knife and fork on either side.
If the dessert is fruit, a fruit napkin may be used in place of the doily, the real purpose of which is to prevent the bowl from sliding about the plate in moving it.
The pretty present-day fashion of using individual plate doilies on a polished table at breakfast and luncheon is also labor-saving.
When youngsters complete an activity successfully, they will receive a doily.
It is typically served before the dessert course, arriving with the dessert plate and with a linen doily between plate and bowl.
At the time, it was used as an adjective, as in doily stuffs or doily suit.
