As an American, I can't see the logic in having the relationship between a proposal (which is an idea that may be embodied in documentation) and a table (which is a thing that we rest our beer upon) as having any importance at all -- regardless of which way it goes.

It seems like plain speech could be used, but this profoundly-irrational jargon was selected instead.

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footydude an hour ago | parent [-]

I think in the UK sense 'tabled' is borne out of a pretty literal meaning - based on the proposal literally being brought to the table where the committee are meeting to assess (and potentially vote) on its viability.

	▲	ssl-3 16 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah, perhaps. But the table also has all kinds of other things on and around it. Random papers of varying importance, microphones, Representative Smith's porn phone with the privacy filter, and maybe a ham sandwich. A table (if there even is one present at all) seems like about the least important part of a group discussion of an idea.