china closet

American  

Or china cabinet

noun

1. a cabinet or cupboard for storing or exhibiting chinaware.

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Etymology

Origin of china closet

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

“To her, the world was not a china closet where you admire this and don’t touch that,” McBride wrote of Chona in the novel.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 5, 2023

Original hardwood floors, Victorian paint color scheme, ornate curved oak staircase and woodworking; sitting parlor, formal dining room with built-in china closet, eat-in kitchen, pocket doors.

From Washington Times • Jan. 7, 2016

Above her, the sun shines through a latticework of broken boards that was once the roof and onto a dust-covered china closet.

From Time Magazine Archive

As Winston Churchill once said about one of Haig's predecessors, John Foster Dulles: "He is the only case of a bull I know who carries his china closet with him."

From Time Magazine Archive

“Come and take a walk, my dear?” cried Polly, hopping toward the china closet, with a look suggestive of a lump of sugar.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott