I. dish 1 S2 W3 /dɪʃ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: disc , from Latin discus 'disk, plate' ]
1 . a flat container with low sides, for serving food from or cooking food in ⇨ bowl :
a serving dish
an ovenproof dish
dish of
a large dish of spaghetti
2 . the dishes all the plates, cups, bowls etc that have been used to eat a meal and need to be washed
do/wash the dishes
I’ll just do the dishes before we go.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often use the expression do the washing-up (BrE) or do the dishes (AmE), rather than wash the dishes .
3 . food cooked or prepared in a particular way as a meal:
a wonderful pasta dish
The menu includes a wide selection of vegetarian dishes.
This soup is substantial enough to serve as a main dish (=the biggest part of a meal) .
4 . something that is shaped like a dish:
a soap dish
5 . informal old-fashioned someone who is sexually attractive
⇨ ↑ side dish , ↑ satellite dish
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THESAURUS
▪ food noun [uncountable and countable] things that people and animals eat:
You can buy good fresh food in the market.
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Do you like Japanese food?
▪ dish noun [countable] a type of food that is cooked in a particular way:
a traditional English dish
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They also offer vegetarian dishes.
▪ speciality British English , specialty American English noun [countable] a type of food that a restaurant or place is famous for:
Fish dishes are a specialty of the region.
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Home made pies are one of the hotel’s specialities.
▪ delicacy noun [countable] an unusual food which people in a particular place like to eat:
The local delicacies include laverbread (boiled seaweed).
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I was keen to try out the local delicacies.
▪ diet noun [countable] the type of food that someone usually eats:
You shouldn’t have too much salt in your diet.
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In the Andes, the main diet is beans, potatoes, and corn.
▪ cooking noun [uncountable] food made in a particular way, or by a particular person:
Herbs are used a lot in French cooking.
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I love my Mum’s home cooking.
▪ cuisine /kwɪˈziːn/ noun [countable] formal the food you can eat in a particular restaurant, country, or area:
Italian cuisine
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Trying the local cuisine is all part of the fun of travelling.
▪ nutrition noun [uncountable] food considered as something that is necessary for good health and growth:
a book on nutrition
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Many homeless people suffer from poor nutrition.
▪ nourishment /ˈnʌrɪʃmənt $ ˈnɜː-, ˈnʌ-/ noun [uncountable] goodness that you get from food, which helps your body to stay healthy:
There's not much nourishment in fast food.
▪ fare noun [uncountable] formal the kind of food that is served in a place – used especially when saying how interesting it is:
In China you can feast on bird’s nest soup and other exotic fare.
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Dinner was pretty standard fare (=the usual kind of food) .
II. dish 2 BrE AmE verb
[intransitive and transitive] informal to give a lot of information about something or someone, especially something that would usually be secret or private
dish on
She’s ready to dish on boys, beauty, and break-ups in her new column.
dish the dirt (=tell people shocking things about someone’s private life)
dish something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . to give something to various people in a careless way:
We dished out some leaflets there too.
Paul tends to dish out unwanted advice.
2 . to serve food to people:
Sam’s dishing out sandwiches if you want one.
3 . somebody can dish it out but they can’t take it used to say that someone often criticizes other people, but does not like being criticized
dish something ↔ up phrasal verb
to put food for a meal into dishes, ready to be eaten:
Could you dish up the vegetables?