The middle and upper class homes had a large removable board as their dining table. The board was used for many purposes.
"ABOVE BOARD"
Sometimes people would play card games on the board . If you held your cards on top of the board in full view of the other players you were not able to cheat. You were being honest in the game--YOU WERE "ABOVE BOARD"
"CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD"
The head of the household would sit at the head of the table during meals. Sometimes he was the only one with the chair. Others might sit on benches, or even stand. Therefore , the head of thehousehold would be the:
CHAIR-MAN OF THE BOARD
"TURN THE TABLES ON SOMEONE"
The top of this board was very smooth and looked new. The bottom side was rough. When people came to dinner ,they would first see the smooth side. But just before they were about to eat , the board would be turned over and they would eat on the rough side. Therefore,
"THE TABLE(s) WERE TURN ON THEM"
"BED AND BOARD"
Sometimes people would come to a house for an overnight visit. If there weren't enough beds in the house, the board would be turned into a bed. The person would therefore eat and sleep on the board. He would be given:
"Bed and Board"