definitions

carpet

[ kahr-pit ]
/ ˈkɑr pɪt /
|

noun

verb (used with object)

to cover or furnish with or as with a carpet.
Chiefly British. to reprimand.

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Nearby words

carpenterworm, carpenterworm moth, carpentier, carpentier, alejo, carpentry, carpet, carpet beetle, carpet bombing, carpet bowling, carpet grass, carpet knight

Idioms

    on the carpet,
    1. before an authority or superior for an accounting of one's actions or a reprimand: He was called on the carpet again for his carelessness.
    2. Chiefly British. under consideration or discussion.

Origin of carpet

1300–50; Middle English carpete cloth covering for a table, floor, bed, etc. < Middle French carpite or Medieval Latin carpīta < Italian carpita woolen bedspread < Vulgar Latin *carpīta, past participle of carpīre, for Latin carpere to pluck, card (wool)

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for on the carpet

carpet

/ (ˈkɑːpɪt) /

noun

  1. a heavy fabric for covering floors
  2. (as modifier)a carpet sale
a covering like a carpeta carpet of leaves
on the carpet informal
  1. before authority to be reproved for misconduct or error
  2. under consideration

verb -pets, -peting or -peted (tr)

to cover with or as if with a carpet
informal to reprimand

Word Origin for carpet

C14: from Old French carpite, from Old Italian carpita, from Late Latin carpeta, literally: (wool) that has been carded, from Latin carpere to pluck, card
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with on the carpet (1 of 2)

on the carpet

see call on the carpet.

Idioms and Phrases with on the carpet (2 of 2)

carpet

see call on the carpet; red carpet. Also see under rug.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.