1875 Indian Antiquary IV. 173/1 I am surprised that the opponents of the Kuḍumî have not yet commenced to put down the use of the tâli. This is the Hindu sign of marriage, answering to the ring of European Christendom... It is always tied round the Hindu bride's neck.

1957 L. Dumont Hierarchy & Marriage Alliance in S. Indian Kinship (Occasional Papers Royal Anthropol. Inst. No. 12) iii. 29 The tying of a string, with or without the well-known marriage badge or tāli, round the bride's neck has certainly a sacramental value.

1963 Guardian 11 Apr. 11/4 At marriage in the wealthier, and even in the not-so-wealthy, families a good deal of gold is passed over from the bride's family to the bridegroom's. And the tokens of marriage are not the miserable rings of the Christian West but gold pendants called thalis which are then hung on solid gold necklaces.

1981 Times 24 Jan. 11/1 The thali is a phallic symbol worn by brides in the Dravidian South.

1969 Times 13 Oct. (Indian Suppl.) p. xx/4 The Apollo room in Bombay's Taj Hotel where a ‘thali’ platter of assorted spoonfuls of curries and sauces is a good introduction.

1978 F. Olbrich Desouza pays Price xxii. 137 The little serving-boy..brought..a ‘thali’, a gleaming round metal tray with an assortment of cooked vegetables and pulses arranged in small helpings.