MSGID: 2:221/1.0 68f3c65a
REPLY: 2:221/1.0 6887c68a
PID: JamNNTPd/Linux32/IPv6 ubi386 20251012
NOTE: Sylpheed 3.7.0 (GTK+ 2.24.30; i686-pc-mingw32)
CHRS: CP437 2
TZUTC: 0300
Alexander Koryagin:

AK>    Johnson and Bell had a good supper awaiting them.  But
AK>    before they sat down to table, the doctor said in a
AK>    voice of triumph, as he pointed to his two
AK>    companions,-- ----- The end of the citation -----
AK>
AK> Can you say a formal excuse why "table" in the last sentence
AK> is used without any article?

This usage needs no excuse, being perfectly correct.  Here a
combination of a preposition and a noun in the objective case
acts as a unified proposition, cf. /on top of/, /in place of/,
&c.  Observe also the title of a Dunany short story, /Thirteen
at table/, where /at table/ is singe united proposition.

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