canvas n From painted ship's canvas, or from the heavy fabric used in manufacturing floor covering. Commercial floor covering; linoleum; freq with defining word floor.
   1877 ROCHFORT 57 Canvas, for the manufacture of floor oil cloth, not less than 18 feet wide, and not pressed or calendered. 1944 LAWTON & DEVINE 22-3 Stoves, floor-canvas and lucifer matches came into use about [1870]. The sand was swept off the floor and the gayly-flowered canvas put down. T 39-64 [You'd] have some dances in their houses and have some sport. There's nothing now, too much canvas on the house floors. 1976 Evening Telegram 21 Feb, p. 2 There was no canvas on the wooden floor, she recalled. 1979 TIZZARD 36 The floors in the dining room, living room and hall downstairs were all covered with floor canvas and on top of that, of course, were many hooked mats. 1981 Evening Telegram 4 Apr, p. 12 I see [what's under my feet] every time I go in the kitchen and walk on canvas we bought from Henry Blair and that wasn't yesterday,

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