/ ˈkjʊərət; NAmE ˈkjʊrət/ noun
( in the Anglican Church ) an assistant to a vicar (= a priest, who is in charge of the church or churches in a particular area)
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IDIOMS
- the / a curate's egg
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from medieval Latin curatus , from Latin cura care.
the/a curate's egg. early 20th cent.: from a cartoon in Punch (1895) depicting a meek curate who, given a stale egg at the bishop's table, assures his host that “parts of it are excellent”.