"Dumbwaiter" is a perfectly good US English word describing a small
elevator (or lift :-) ) used for transporting items between floors of
a building. I suspect the problem here is that few Americans have
ever come across one. Are they more common in the UK? The only one
I've ever seen was in the Computer Science Center building at the
University of Maryland College Park -- I assume it was used for
printouts at one time, though it was not in use when I was there.
-- Matthew T. Russotto russotto@pond.com russotto@his.com "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue."