A small restaurant where you go mainly to drink tea and eat something light with it — cake, scones, sandwiches. It is a British word, and it carries a whole picture with it: quiet, small, a bit old-fashioned, often with flowered cups and tablecloths, the kind of place you might find in a country village, a museum, or an old department store.

A small restaurant where you go mainly to drink tea and eat something light with it是一種你主要為了喝茶、配點輕食去的小餐廳──cake, scones, sandwiches蛋糕、司康、三明治。It is a British word這是個英式用字，and it carries a whole picture with it帶著一整幅畫面：quiet, small, a bit old-fashioned安靜、小小的、有點老派，often with flowered cups and tablecloths常常配著印花杯子和桌巾，the kind of place you might find in a country village, a museum, or an old department store是那種你會在鄉間小村、博物館或老百貨公司裡找到的地方。

Older customers, no loud music, no one rushing you out. That picture is why the word feels the way it does.

Older customers, no loud music, no one rushing you out客人多半年長、沒有大聲的音樂、也沒有人催你走。That picture is why the word feels the way it does這幅畫面正是這個字給人那種感覺的原因。

A modern shop selling bubble tea or takeaway coffee would not be called a tearoom, even though it sells tea — the word promises somewhere you sit down and slow down.

A modern shop selling bubble tea or takeaway coffee would not be called a tearoom一間賣手搖飲或外帶咖啡的現代店不會被叫做tearoom，even though it sells tea就算它也賣茶──the word promises somewhere you sit down and slow down這個字承諾的是一個讓你坐下來、慢下來的地方。

English people sometimes use it warmly and sometimes with a smile, to say a place feels gentle and behind the times. Written as one word tearoom, or as tea room or tea-room; all are normal.

English people sometimes use it warmly and sometimes with a smile英國人有時溫暖地用這個字，有時帶點微笑地用，to say a place feels gentle and behind the times來說一個地方感覺溫和又有點落伍。Written as one word tearoom可以寫成一個字tearoom，or as tea room or tea-room也可以寫成tea room或tea-room；all are normal這些寫法都正常。

Note also that in older American slang tearoom meant a public toilet where men met other men — this is a completely separate, dated, and rather hidden use, and you will almost never meet it, but it is why the word can raise an eyebrow in the US.

Note also that in older American slang tearoom meant a public toilet where men met other men還要注意，在較舊的美式俚語裡tearoom曾指男性相會的公共廁所──this is a completely separate, dated, and rather hidden use這是個完全不同、過時、而且相當隱晦的用法，and you will almost never meet it你幾乎不會遇到，but it is why the word can raise an eyebrow in the US但這就是為什麼這個字在美國有時會讓人挑眉的原因。