I'm American, and I generally understand 'to table a debate' to mean 'suspend discussion'. Use of the word 'suspend' is probably more common in informal use, bu

I'm American, and I generally understand 'to table a debate' to mean 'suspend discussion'. Use of the word 'suspend' is probably more common in informal use, but I often hear 'table' used to mean 'suspend discussion' when the point of the discussion is to reach a formal decision. For instance, my local paper might report that 'discussion on the proposed ordinance was tabled after hours of heated debate at City Council'. If we've been talking about a point for too long without reaching a conclusion at work, somebody might suggest we table it. I first encountered the 'present for discussion' meaning in Model U.N., which I found very confusing. The BBC World Service uses that meaning, which is extremely confusing when they are reporting on American politics.