pantryillusion
/ˈpæntri ɪˈluːʒən/nounVerified NewAlso in: Vorratsillusion (Deutsch) · despensía (Español) · placillusion (Français)
The cupboard that appears fully stocked and contains nothing that constitutes a meal.
The pantryillusion is best observed at 6 p.m.: shelves full of tins, sauces, and one sad onion, and yet dinner is nowhere in them. The eye reads abundance; the stomach reads nothing. Ordering in resolves the illusion, and the next shop restores its conditions perfectly.
Etym. — pantry + illusion — the stocked-looking cupboard that feeds no one.
Rel. — saucehoard
Novelty check: APPROVE
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