grandfather's clock

American  

Or grandfather clock

noun

1. a pendulum floor clock having a case as tall as or taller than a person; tall-case clock; long-case clock.

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Etymology

Origin of grandfather's clock

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Other noteworthy historical pieces include the secretary in the third floor hallway that belonged to Shadrach Bond, Illinois’ first governor, and a pre-Revolutionary War grandfather’s clock in the library.

From Washington Times • Aug. 30, 2020

He was joking about the fake grandfather’s clock but not about the fireman’s pole.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2011

I’d love if we could pop out the front of a fake grandfather’s clock, like Webster, but maybe we’ll settle for a fake refrigerator facade instead.”

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2011

In the hall outside her room, the grandfather’s clock ticked deliberately, unimpressed with anyone’s impatience, and Winnie found herself rocking to its rhythm—forward, back, forward, back, tick, tock, tick, tock.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

A grandfather's clock of oak to match the dresser stood to the left of the fireplace; it had a very large white dial with a grinning face in the centre.

From Anna of the Five Towns by Bennett, Arnold