mouse mat
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mat1
▶noun
- 1 a thick piece of material placed on the floor and used as protection from dirt, for wiping the feet on, or as a decorative rug.
■ a piece of resilient material for landing on in gymnastics, wrestling, or similar sports.
- 2 a small piece of cork, card, or similar material placed on a surface to protect it from the heat or moisture of an object placed on it.
■ (also mouse mat) Brit. a small piece of rigid or resilient material on which a computer mouse is moved.
- 3 a thick, untidy layer of hairy or woolly material.
– phrases
on the mat informal being reprimanded by someone in authority. [with military reference, in which an accused would stand on the orderly room mat.]
on the mat informal being reprimanded by someone in authority. [with military reference, in which an accused would stand on the orderly room mat.]
– origin OE m(e)att(e), of W. Gmc origin.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mat2
▶noun short for matrix (sense 2).
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mat3
▶noun US spelling of matt.
'mouse mat' also found in these Oxford entries:
