the.com/coaster
a tiny circle of dignity standing between your drink and your grandmother's table.
means A coaster is a small mat or disc placed under a glass or cup to protect a surface from rings, heat, and condensation — or, in other senses, a person or thing that coasts, and a ship that sails along the coast.
from From the verb "coast," which traces back through Old French "coste" to Latin "costa," meaning "rib" and later "side" — hence the side or edge of the land, the coast. A "coaster" first meant a ship hugging that coastline, then anything that glides along easily. The drink-protecting sense came later: originally a "coaster" was a little tray or stand that slid (coasted) around the dinner table, passing the wine bottle from guest to guest — a small thing that moved smoothly, like the ship that gave it its name.
- origin
- Named for bottles that coasted along the dinner table
- material science
- Cork beats wood at killing condensation rings
- collectors
- Tegestology is the hobby of hoarding beer mats
- world record
- Largest beer mat collection tops 150,000 pieces
- physics
- Absorbent ones outperform coated ones against sweat
steel vengeance — wooden coaster at hersheypark, pennsylvania that won golden ticket award 11 consecutive years (2019-2024)
kingda ka — tallest roller coaster in north america at six flags great adventure, 456 feet, opened 2005
formula rossa — fastest roller coaster in the world at ferrari world abu dhabi, reaches 240 km/h