dinnern.
/ˈdɪnə/, U.S. /ˈdɪnər/ 1. Originally: the first large meal of the day, typically eaten in the late morning. Later: the main meal of the day, taken either around midday or in the evening. Also: the food served at such a meal. Often without article, possessive, or similar modifier.The time and nature of dinner varies according to history, geography, and social factors. In its early history, it was the middle of three daily meals (breakfast, dinner, and supper), whether constituting the main meal or not. The progression from being defined by the time at which it is eaten to being viewed as the main meal of the day, whose time can vary, appears to occur over the course of the 18th and early 19th centuries: for example, John Kersey's New Eng. Dict. (1702) defines dinner simply as ‘meal at noon’, but Johnson gives the definition ‘the chief meal; the meal eaten about the middle of the day’ in his Dict. Eng. Lang. (1755), and Webster ( Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1828)) has ‘the meal taken about the middle of the day; or the principal meal of the day, eaten between noon and evening.’ N.E.D. (1896) describes the meal as eaten ‘still by the majority of people, about the middle of the day.., but now, by the professional and fashionable classes, usually in the evening.’ In Britain dinner is now most commonly used to denote the early evening meal with the midday meal known as lunch, but in some regions, esp. the north of England, it remains standard to call the midday meal dinner, with the early evening meal known as tea. Similar variation in the time associated with dinner is found in the United States and other regions (with lunch and supper the usual names for the other meal), but this variation is not typically so regionally demarcated as in Britain.Often as the second element in compounds denoting a particular style or type of dinner, e.g. baked dinner n., basket dinner n., boiled dinner n., coach dinner n., field dinner n., roast dinner n., school dinner n., scrap dinner n., shore dinner n., Sunday dinner n., turkey dinner n., TV dinner n., working dinner n.
a. With article, possessive, or similar modifier, or in plural.Colloquial phrases of dinner are usually in these constructions, e.g. to have had more —— than you have (also he has, etc.) had hot dinners, done like (a) dinner, to sing for one's dinner.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > meal > [noun] > main meal or dinner
mealeOE
dinnerc1325
dinea1425
Christmas dinner1581
Sunday dinner1602
corporation dinner1732
Russian dinner1805
boiled dinner1823
pickup1848
Robin Dinner1877
course-dinner1895
shore dinner1895
din-din1905
gala dinner1934
TV dinner1952
working dinner1956
steak dinnera1964
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 11682 Sir simon þe ȝonge & is ost..nolde þanne wende a vot, ar hii dinede þere, Þulke to diners deluol were alas.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. v. l. 38 Thei wolde don for a dyner..More þan for oure lordes loue.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 26 Whos wiff that obeiethe worst, lete her husbonde paie for the dener.
1538 Iniunctions to Clergie After their dyner and supper, they shall not gyue them selfe to drinkynge or riot.
1576 U. Fulwell Ars Adulandi vii. f. 38v Better is a litle tariance then a raw dinner.
1633 T. Adams Comm. 2 Peter (iii. 3) 1131 Calling for their afternoone-bevers, before they have concocted their dinners.
1661 S. Pepys Diary 3 Feb. (1970) II. 29 So to Mr. Foxes unbidd where I have a good dinner and special company.
1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 10 Mar. (1965) I. 382 She gave me a Dinner of 50 dishes of meat.
1805 R. Parkinson Tour Amer. I. Introd. 12 The dinner was salt beef and bread.
1846 C. L. Meryon Trav. Lady H. Stanhope III. 45 His dinner was laid out on a mat,..and consisted of six or eight messes of pilau and yakhny.
1942 A. Hocking Poison is Bitter Brew 44 This dinner is really lush. I do love my food.
1992 M. Bracewell Conclave vi. 247 There would be time for a drink in the restfully lit, sumptuous drawing room, and then a late dinner.
2011 M. Kaneff Taking Over v. 65 She has to keep going into the study to tell him that his dinner is getting cold.
b. Without article or other modifier. Also: the time at which this meal is eaten; dinner time (only in certain prepositional phrases, esp. following at or by) .
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3508 His fader..Oft he fed wit gode dinere.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1874) V. 459 Syttenge with Oswaldus the kynge at dyner [L. in mensa].
1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 84 Quhy mak ȝe ȝour communioun afoir dennar, sen our Saluiour institutet His haly sacrament efter suppare?
1589 Voy. W. Towrson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 116 I had the Captaine of the towne to dinner.
1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 97 After dinner a man should sit a while, and after supper walk a mile.
a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) iii. ii. 40 I'l stay till he returns; 'twill be by dinner.
1712 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 372 At eleven Clock this Day, I being then at Dinner in Edmund Hall Buttery.
1793 A. Witts Diary 3 Sept. in Edinb. Diary (2016) 68 Francis walk'd with me to the fishmarket to buy some for Dinner.
1872 C. D. Warner Saunterings 283 Rough-looking peasants are eating dinner, a frugal meal.
1916 M. Gyte Diary 8 June (1999) 90 Mr. Sherlock came to see us and he had dinner about a quarter to 7 (stew, mashed potato and sago pudding and cheese, butter, etc.).
1987 Gourmet Apr. 90/3 The Union Bank Building validates parking at dinner but not at lunch.
2019 B. Evaristo Girl Woman Other (2020) ii. 152 I will now defrost the bush meat stew for you and we can have it for dinner tonight.
2. A formal social gathering at which a meal, usually of multiple courses, is served; (now typically) a formal meal held (often in the evening) in honour of a person or to celebrate some event, or arranged by an organization, institution, etc., as a special social occasion for members and guests. Usually with article.Often as the second element in compounds denoting specific events or celebrations, e.g. bridal dinner n., Christmas dinner n., election dinner n., gala dinner, pyx dinner n., rehearsal dinner n., Robin Dinner n., Thanksgiving dinner n., tithe dinner n., wedding-dinner n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > social gathering > [noun] > others
aleOE
carola1300
dinnerc1425
love-feast1622
family party1735
aleingc1736
street meeting1820
sausage party1848
church social1862
funfest1904
mixer1916
love-in1967
potlatch1974
raft-up1977
crafternoon1978
geekfest1987
c1425 (?a1400) Arthur (Longleat 55) l. 133 (MED) Arthour wolde of honour Hold a fest at Eestour..And feede alle hys frendess; And sende Messanger To kynges..to come to þis Dyner.
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) iii. viii. 149 Hit happend that hit was a day of a solempne feste, on whiche daye he gaf to his doughters and her husbonde a right noble dyner.
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxvii. 655 The solemne feastivall dinner of Iupiter was celebrated by occasion of those Games.
1631 R. Johnson Tom a Lincolne (ed. 6) ii. iii. sig. I3 A Banquet, or some solemne Dinner of State.
1747 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) II. 481 After the dinner is over the common people are let in to carry off all that remains.
1785 Daily Universal Reg. 22 Apr. 2/2 The annual Royal Academy dinner is to be given on Saturday next.
1864 Times 4 Nov. 6/6 The dinner to be given by the English Bar to M. Berryer.
1917 A. E. Metcalfe Woman's Effort ii. 42 A dinner in honour of the released prisoners was given by the non-militant Suffragists at the Savoy Hotel.
1984 Financial Times 16 June 28/1 I know it clashes with your cricket club dinner but a special effort would be appreciated.
2021 Money Life (Nexis) 5 Mar. On the last evening of their stay in Karachi he arranged a grand dinner.
Phrases
ΚΠ
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Huntington Libr. copy) sig. A3v I..retired me to Paules to seeke my dinner with Duke Humfrey.
1597 E. S. Discouerie Knights of Poste sig. C3v Through wante of meate many times they walke out their dinner in Duke Humfrey his Allie.
1641 H. Peacham Worth of Peny 22 After a long dinner with Duke Humphrey, to take a nap upon penielesse Bench.
1749 S. F. Petticoat-pensioners iii. 41 He was walking one day in the mall, to prepare his stomach for a dinner with Duke Humphrey.
1887 Birmingham Daily Post 3 May 7/5 The mere chance of including this in your dish, however savoury it may be, would make a crust of bread and a bit of cheese, or even a dinner with Duke Humphrey, preferable.
P2. colloquial (chiefly Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian). done like (a) dinner.
a. Completely exhausted; spent. Chiefly with reference to horses.Often merging into or difficult to distinguish from sense Phrases 2b; cf. quot. 1974 at that sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > weariness or exhaustion > [adjective]
wearyc825
asadc1306
ateyntc1325
attaintc1325
recrayed1340
methefula1350
for-wearya1375
matea1375
taintc1380
heavy1382
fortireda1400
methefula1400
afoundered?a1425
tewedc1440
travailedc1440
wearisomec1460
fatigate1471
defatigatec1487
tired1488
recreant1490
yolden?1507
fulyeit?a1513
traiked?a1513
tavert1535
wearied1538
fatigated1552
awearya1555
forwearied1562
overtired1567
spenta1568
done1575
awearied1577
stank1579
languishinga1586
bankrupt?1589
fordone1590
spent1591
overwearied1592
overworn1592
outworn1597
half-dead1601
back-broken1603
tiry1611
defatigated1612
dog-wearya1616
overweary1617
exhaust1621
worn-out1639
embossed1651
outspent1652
exhausted1667
beaten1681
bejaded1687
harassed1693
jaded1693
lassate1694
defeata1732
beat out1758
fagged1764
dog-tired1770
fessive1773
done-up1784
forjeskit1786
ramfeezled1786
done-over1789
fatigued1791
forfoughten1794
worn-up1812
dead1813
out-burnta1821
prostrate1820
dead beat1822
told out1822
bone-tireda1825
traiky1825
overfatigued1834
outwearied1837
done like (a) dinner1838
magged1839
used up1839
tuckered outc1840
drained1855
floored1857
weariful1862
wappered1868
bushed1870
bezzled1875
dead-beaten1875
down1885
tucked up1891
ready (or fit) to drop1892
buggered-up1893
ground-down1897
played1897
veal-bled1899
stove-up1901
trachled1910
ragged1912
beat up1914
done in1917
whacked1919
washy1922
pooped1928
shattered1930
punchy1932
shagged1932
shot1939
whipped1940
buggered1942
flaked (out)1942
fucked1949
sold-out1958
wiped1958
burnt out1959
wrung out1962
juiced1965
hanging1971
zonked1972
maxed1978
raddled1978
zoned1980
cream crackered1983
1838 Sydney Monitor 11 Apr. The old horse..took the first heat. In doing so however, he was done like a dinner, and went to the dressing ground completely lame.
1891 Quiz & Lantern (Adelaide) 2 Oct. 14/4 Glenburnie [sc. a hunting horse] being done like a dinner turned turtle on Mr. R. Beck.
1929 Morning Bull. (Rockhampton, Queensland) 29 June 6/2 The pony was done like a dinner, I'll admit, but he arrived there before the storm.
b. Utterly defeated or outwitted; (also) cheated.
ΚΠ
1845 H. Cockton Love Match xxxiii. 335 He's an artful card, and always was... We did him then, and I'm glad he's done now: such a man as that ought to be done like a dinner.
1847 A. Harris Settlers & Convicts iv. 72 If we don't give the rain time to wash out the horse-tracks we shall be done like a dinner.
1895 A. B. Paterson Man from Snowy River 13 We saw we were done like a dinner—The odds were a thousand to one.
1974 J. Powers Last of Knucklemen iii. ii. 93 ‘What the hell's goin' on here?’ ‘The Hun's rooted—that's what!’ ‘Done like a dinner!’
1991 A. Kershaw & M. Lasovich Rock-A-Bye Baby ix. 177 It was obvious, according to..her lawyer, that his client was ‘done like dinner’.
2019 @Frank_Davies 9 Aug. in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2021) I don't know anyone who has owned up to voting for them, they know they've been done like a dinner by these grifters again.
P3. British, Irish English, Australian, and New Zealand. colloquial. to have had more —— than you have (also he has, etc.) had hot dinners and variants: used to emphasize the subject's great experience of the specified thing. Also with a verb of action, as he had run more conferences than we'd had hot dinners.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > be versed or skilled [verb (intransitive)] > be highly experienced
to have had more —— than you have (also he has, etc.) had hot dinners1929
1929 Daily Tel. 14 Sept. 8/1 I will fight the lot of you. I have had more fights than you have had hot dinners.
1965 J. Osborne Inadmissible Evid. i. 31 She looks as though she could do with a bit. She's got the galloping cutes all right. Joy. She's had more joy sticks than hot dinners.
1976 Daily Mirror 17 Mar. 23/3 Mr. Essex has been subjected to more ‘East End wonderboy’ rubbishings than he has had hot dinners.
2021 @DeanMears 20 Apr. in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2021) The guys on last night have been to more Chelsea matches then I've had hot dinners (and some nights I have two dinners).
P4. to lose a dinner: see lose v.1 3j. to sing for one's dinner: see sing v.1 1d.
Compounds
C1. As a modifier.
a. In general use with the sense ‘of or for dinner’, as in dinner dish, dinner menu, dinner reservation, etc. See also dinner hour n., dinner time n.
ΚΠ
1748 D. W. Linden Treat. Chalybeat Waters x. 280 The Effects of their Dinner-Meal have recruited it.
1827 Domest. Econ. & Cookery for Rich & Poor 514 This makes an excellent family dinner dish: any cold white meat or old fowls will answer, but they must be stewed.
1854 F. Greenwood Loves of Apothecary vi. 76 Elated with the excellent light dinner-wine and a bottle of full fruity port, he made the hands spin round the clock with his quips.
1918 Daily Mail 6 Mar. 4/2 Here is a one-dish dinner recipe: ‘Fish Chowder.’
1989 I. Murdoch Message to Planet (1990) vi. 531 Her appetite unimpaired, she scrutinised the dinner menu, chose a wine, and enjoyed a leisurely meal.
2021 @ekangart 12 May in twitter.com (accessed 14 May 2021) I just made my first NYC dinner reservation in over a year and a half.
b. In relation to dinner as an occasion for socializing, as in dinner companion dinner conversation, dinner guest, etc. See also dinner club n., dinner dance n., dinner date n., dinner party n.
ΚΠ
1772 T. Nugent tr. J. F. de Isla Hist. Friar Gerund II. v. i. 221 There were now added to the dinner-guests many of the neighbouring clergy who had been present at the function.
1785 E. Sheridan Let. in Betsy Sheridan's Jrnl. (1986) ii. 52 Our young Man is I find only a Bird of passage so the Lady will be our only dinner companion.
1816 J. Austen Emma II. vii. 119 Their love of society..prepared every body for their keeping dinner -company. View more context for this quotation
1891 Vassar Misc. Nov. 77 Dinner conversation is much encouraged, while to speak of one's work is almost prohibited.
1944 Crisis Jan. 27/2 When he could be persuaded to go out people found him to be a jolly, entertaining dinner companion.
1959 I. Gershwin Lyrics on Several Occasions p. iv My apologies to any dinner guest who may have felt he was singing for his supper by having to listen to a couple of the notes in progress.
1992 P. Auster Leviathan (1993) i. 44 The first time I went to their apartment..the dinner conversation came around to the subject of children.
2009 J. Patterson & M. Paetro Swimsuit lix. 199 His dinner companion..had a daring streak, was willing to try the horsemeat sashimi and the edomae.
c. Designating a speech at a formal dinner, given after the meal has finished but while the guests are still seated at the table, or with the sense ‘of or relating to such a speech’, as in dinner-speaker, dinner-speaking, dinner speech. Cf. after-dinner adj. 1. Now North American and Australian.
ΚΠ
1787 World 11 Oct. The expectation of Mr. Fox divulging the secrets of foreign cabinets, in his dinner speech to the Electors of Westminster, kept many of the Brokers in awe.
1835 E. W. Observations 91 The argument a dinner-speaker always lays down at the commencement of his oration is, that he is ‘quite unqualified’.
1890 Harper's Mag. Apr. 799/2 The modern dinner speech is a happy blending of sparkling banter, timely allusion, pleasant sentiment, and serious thought.
1910 Westm. Gaz. 11 Apr. 8/3 Mr. W. W. Jacobs..said..Dinner-speaking was a gift which was never put into his stocking.
2020 Australian (Nexis) 21 Feb. (Deal ed.) 16 In his November dinner speech, Reed outlined four main areas of focus for his term as president.
d. Designating crockery, cutlery, etc., used for serving or eating dinner, as in dinner bowl, dinner napkin, dinner plate. See also dinner service n., dinner set n., dinnerware n.
ΚΠ
1775 Northampton Mercury 18 Dec. The Laundry..was broken open last Night, and the following Linen stolen..two Irish Diaper Dinner-Napkins.
1788 J. Wedgwood Let. 5 May in F. Doherty 18th-Cent. Intellect. Friendship (1986) 257 If you could tell me how many dozen of dinner and soup plates..or what number of persons you would have the service to dine I could guess at the rest.
1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations xxii, in All Year Round 2 Mar. 483/1 A dinner-napkin will not go into a tumbler.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. ii. 5 An innocent piece of dinner-furniture that went upon easy castors.
1917 Pop. Mech. Apr. 123/1 (advt.) Six dinner plates,..6 breakfast plates,..6 cups, 6 saucers, 6 fruit dishes,..1 meat platter, [etc.].
1929 W. Faulkner Sartoris iii. 177 While the ladies are backstage washing the dinner dishes.
1968 Daily Mail 20 Apr. 12/2 The salivating expectancy with which we eyed it, like a spaniel about to be presented with its dinner bowl.
2012 L. Belanger Boston Homegrown Cookbook 115 If you encounter one on your dinner plate, it's typically loligo pealei, longfin squid.
e. Designating clothing suitable for wearing at a formal dinner, as in dinner gown, dinner suit, dinner wear, etc. See also dinner coat n., dinner dress n., dinner jacket n.
ΚΠ
1814 La Belle Assemblée Feb. 85/2 For the dinner costume black bombazeen frocks are very general, though crape is occasionally worn.
1841 C. I. Johnstone Violet Hamilton in Edinb. Tales (1846) II. 388/2 He was carefully dressed in his dinner suit.
1847 Illustr. London News 3 Apr. 210/1 For the evening, dresses will be made in black moire, for dinner wear, and for balls, in black tulle.
1891 Truth 10 Dec. 1240/2 Ecstasies of admiration over a superb dinner-gown.
1933 Daily Mail 20 Oct. 22/4 Mrs. Brandt left in dinner attire at a quarter to eight.
1937 Times 27 Sept. 19/2 A knife-pleated vermilion dinner gown.
1963 P. C. Conerly Backseat Quarterback (2003) xi. 115 Several of the wives..change..from game clothes to dinner wear and remain to rendezvous with their player-husbands.
2003 J. Drury Ian Dury & Blockheads iii. 75 For that week's appearance on Top Of The Pops the band decided to celebrate in style by visiting a Moss Bros store and renting dinner suits.
f. Designating a basket or other receptacle used to carry a labourer's or schoolchild's dinner, as in dinner bag, dinner basket, dinner box, etc. See also dinner bucket n., dinner pail n.
ΚΠ
1822 Westmorland Gaz. 11 May The dinner-basket of a miller in a neighbouring county, having been lately pilfered by some wags for fun, was found to contain—nine hard-boiled duck eggs—upwards of three pounds of cheese, with a proportion of loaf-bread—a quantity of oat-bread..and..an immense preserve pasty.
1882 D. C. Angus Eastern Wonderland viii. 193 Mothers bring..their husbands the provisions in the dinner-box.
1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge i, in Graphic 2 Jan. 17/2 His implement on his shoulder, and his dinner-bag suspended therefrom.
1939 F. Thompson Lark Rise i. 15 The leazer's water-can and dinner-basket.
1946 Cornishman 24 Oct. 2/4 A wooden dinner box firmly attached to the carrier of a cycle.
1997 C. Offutt Good Brother iv. 52 Virgil opened his dinner sack.
2014 D. McCaig Ruth's Journey (2015) 105 Ruth offered Jehu their dinner basket. ‘Eat some,’ she urged.
g. Designating a sound used to announce that dinner is ready to be served and eaten, or the device used to make this sound, as in dinner alarm, dinner siren. See also dinner bell n., dinner call n. 1, dinner gong n., dinner horn n.
ΚΠ
1829 in Monthly Mag. Oct. 376 Hark! I hear..The sweet-toned dinner chime!
1850 Daily Picayune (New Orleans) 31 Aug. 2/3 The dinner alarm sent the crowd to table.
1921 A. E. Coppard Adam & Eve & pinch Me (1922) 211 They then busied themselves in the garden until the dinner siren warned them that Mother would be coming home.
1986 F. Parkin Mind & Body Shop 28 The refectory dinner klaxon sounded far above them.
C2. With participles, agent nouns, and verbal nouns, forming compounds in which dinner expresses the object of the underlying verb, as in dinner-eating, dinner-giving (adjectives and nouns), dinner-eater, dinner-giver (nouns).Much less common after early 20th cent.
ΚΠ
1777 Morning Chron. 24 Sept. A Cockney Dinner-Eater.
1829 W. Hazlitt in Compl. Wks. (1934) XX. 236 Dinner-hunters..never being in time.
1851 A. Helps Compan. Solitude iii. 29 Foolish gad-about, dinner-eating, dancing people.
1856 N.-Y. Daily Times 3 May 4/4 Mr. Thackeray..had to go through a terrible ordeal of dinner-eating, party-going, and personal attentions.
1881 Cent. Mag. Dec. 175/2 He regarded formal dinners as a bore, and avoided them as much as a famous man well could whose company was much sought by the dinner-giving people in Washington.
1893 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. 19 May 5/2 The change in dinner giving most marked is that of greater simplicity in serving wines.
1922 E. Wharton Glimpses of Moon (1992) i. 19 We're both rather unusually popular..and it's such a blessing for dinner-givers to be able to count on a couple of whom neither one is a blank.
2014 Irish Independent (Nexis) 28 Apr. (National ed.) (Health & Living section) 22 I'm not really a dinner lover. I hate eating big meals.
C3. † dinner-doctrine n. Obsolete theological doctrine motivated only by material or self-interested concerns; cf. belly n. Compounds 1c.Apparently an isolated use, but compare Milton's earlier use of belly-doctrine in the same sense (see quot. 1645 at belly n. Compounds 1c).† dinner pair n. British Politics Obsolete a parliamentary pair (see pair n.1 5c) in operation for the duration of dinner, customarily from 7 to 10 p.m.
dinner break n. a period when people stop what they are doing to eat dinner, esp. one in the middle of the working or school day; cf. dinner hour n. 2.
ΚΠ
1898 Glasgow Herald 21 Jan. 7/7 The Wagner performances will..commence at five o'clock in the afternoon, and after the dinner break will be resumed at eight.
1933 C. Brooks Jrnl. 13 Jan. (1998) 44 At the office all as usual save that my dinner break was bedevilled by the Boots affair.
1999 A. Hadley Tough Choices 69 It was November and we were doing our mock GCSEs. I went to the doctor's for a pregnancy test and got the results a few days later in my dinner break, between exams.
2020 @meganjade_306 22 Sept. in twitter.com (accessed 14 May 2021) Keith's playing candy crush on his dinner break pls no I'll cry.
dinner bucket n. U.S. a bucket in which a labourer's or schoolchild's dinner is carried and kept warm; a dinner pail.
ΚΠ
1833 Southern Recorder (Milledgeville, Georgia) 13 Mar. A lad who from mere wantonness of mischief, and who coveting fight more than his dinner bucket, would place a chip upon his head and banter without rhyme or reason the whole School to knock it off.
1901 Scribner's Mag. 29 404/2 Billy put on his coat, took his dinner-bucket.
2016 Register-Herald (Beckley, W. Va.) (Nexis) 4 Nov. 15 a/5 It makes me feel so good just to see our people to get their dinner bucket and get back to work.
dinner camp n. (chiefly in stock driving) a place to make camp for food and rest late morning or midday during an overland journey of several days or weeks; (also in later use Australian) the break itself, typically taken late morning or midday.In quot. 1859, with reference to a British expedition to explore an uncharted region of the far west of North America in 1859.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal enclosure or house general > [noun] > resting place for animals
lairc1420
bed1694
dinner camp1859
bed-ground1880
bedding-ground1884
camp1891
the world > food and drink > food > meal > meal-time > [noun] > lunch-time
midday mealtimec1400
luncheon-time1823
lunchtime1859
dinner camp1925
1859 J. W. Sullivan Let. Oct. in Explor. N. Amer.: Further Papers Exped. Capt. Palliser (1860) 15 in Parl. Papers XLIV. 427 At our night camp..we were at least 10 miles still further to the northward, for we made a very long journey from our dinner camp.
1867 in Proc. Parl. S. Austral. 1868–9 (1869) II. No. 24. 11 Sent the stockmen..back with Tommy to yesterday dinner camp, to look for a double-barrelled pistol that Tommy lost.
1925 M. Terry Across Unknown Austral. 81 At dinner camp that day (midday).
1947 W. E. Harney Brimming Billabongs 107 A place would be chosen as dinner camp, and to this spot the pack-horses would go, to be unpacked by the cook and horse tailer so that we could have dinner as soon as we arrived.
2013 ABC Transcripts (Austral.) (Nexis) 21 Feb. [A] short time ago I was up on a cattle station in the Kimberleys sitting under a tree at dinner camp with the rest of the ringers.
dinner club n. a club whose members meet for dinner; (also) a restaurant or nightclub serving dinners and usually providing entertainment; cf. supper club n.
ΚΠ
1763 Public Advertiser 15 Apr. A weekly Dinner-club.
a1862 B. Brodie Autobiogr. (1865) 88 During the latter part of the time, some other members were added to it, and it degenerated into a mere dinner club.
1942 San Antonio (Texas) Light 20 Mar. 2B/2 Zorima..will give her farewell performances Friday and Saturday nights at the Mountain Top Dinner club.
2009 Richmond (Virginia) Times Disp. (Nexis) 8 Mar. J2 Starting a dinner club is a great way to get your gang together to share some good food and drink on a regular basis.
dinner dance n. a formal social event in which guests have dinner, which is then followed by dancing, typically held in the evening at hotels, social clubs, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > dancing > ball or dance > [noun] > other balls or dances
carolc1300
buttock-ball1698
redoubt1698
ridotto1708
race ball1770
county ball1771
dress ball?1772
promenade1778
waltz1802
hunt ball1807
dignity ball1834
ball-royala1843
polkery1845
jigging-party1872
prom1879
Cinderella dance1883
dinner dance1887
white ball1891
cotillion1898
taxi dance1910
Stampede Dance1950
go-go1965
the world > food and drink > food > meal > feast > [noun] > breakfast, dinner, or supper party
dinner party1749
supper party1754
breakfast-party1814
dinner dance1887
bachelor-dinner1902
American supper1916
kitty party1991
1887 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 29 Jan. 15/5 These dinner dances, which proved such a success last year, are decidedly acceptable.
1901 Lady's Realm 10 613/1 From one dinner-dance to the next.
1924 Abilene (Texas) Daily Reporter 20 Jan. ii. 1/2 An outstanding social affair of the month will be a costumed dinner-dance.
2019 Enniscorthy (County Wexford) Guardian (Nexis) 24 Aug. The members of Moyne Rangers FC held their annual dinner dance recently in the Riverside Park Hotel.
dinner dancing n. the activity that takes place at dinner dances.
ΚΠ
1920 Independent (Kansas City, Missouri) 11 Sept. 5/1 Hanlein's String Orchestra of carefully chosen artists has been selected for the musical programs and dinner dancing.
1965 Observer 18 Apr. (Suppl.) 46/1 Dinner-dancing after 11.30.
2009 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 4 Jan. b1/1 The owners plan to shutter the Italian-themed Rainbow Grill restaurant temporarily while keeping the establishment's bar, banquet space and dinner-dancing going on the 65th floor.
dinner date n. (a) an arrangement to dine with someone (now esp. someone in whom one has a romantic interest), typically in a restaurant; (also) an appointment to attend a formal dinner; (b) a person, (esp. someone in whom one has a romantic interest) one has arranged to meet for dinner, typically in a restaurant.
ΚΠ
1887 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 24 Oct. (Last ed.) Chauncey M. Depew's private secretary is kept busy booking dinner dates for his famous chief. The date of the dinner is placed in one column, Mr. Depew's acceptance or declination in another, and the subject on which he is expected to speak in still another.
1913 Salt Lake Tribune 16 Feb. 44/3 A dashing, lively story of white lights, dinner dates, pretty girls, suspecting wives, near-faithless husbands and taxicab secrets—plenty of fun, lots of spice.
1930 Ironwood (Michigan) Daily Globe 8 May 6/4 (advt.) Bring Your Dinner Date Here to Reed's Tomorrow—refined atmosphere.
1957 B. Allen & M. P. Briggs Mind your Manners ii. 9 Suppose you are invited out on a dinner date and you are uncertain as to the size of your escort's bank roll. How do you know what to order?
2002 Pop. Sci. Oct. 54 Nothing spoils the mood of a romantic dinner date like a jangling cellphone at the next table.
2012 A. James Legend of White Dragon 476 Her dinner date was already there when she arrived.
ΚΠ
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xix. 172 Farr holier and wiser Men then Parasitic Preachers. Who, without their dinner-Doctrin, know that neither King, Law, civil Oaths, or Religion, was ever establish'd without the Parlament.
dinner dress n. (a) (as a mass noun) clothing suitable for wearing at a formal dinner; (b) (as a count noun) a dress intended to be worn at a formal dinner.
ΚΠ
1796 Bell's Weekly Messenger 8 May 15/3 Afternoon, or dinner dress... Robe..of muslin, trimmed with lace or captive chain; the Siddons or Grecian turband, the hair drawn through.
1806 Caledonian Mercury 24 Nov. 1/4 (advt.) For dinner dresses. Imperial Lustre, Italian Cambric Figured and Plain.
1956 J. D. Carr Patrick Butler for Def. vi. 62 Helen, in her dark-blue dinner-dress, stood in the doorway.
2012 Daily Mail (Nexis) 21 June [He] finds it hard to imagine himself trussed up in dinner dress addressing the elite of London's merchants and bankers at the annual Mansion House dinner.
dinner gong n. a gong sounded to announce dinner, esp. in a grand house or hotel, or at a formal event.
ΚΠ
1818 ‘T. Brown’ Bath I. i. 13 The distant sound of the dinner gong only left her time to say, ‘We will resume this interesting subject to-morrow.’
1922 D. H. Lawrence Aaron's Rod (N.Y. ed.) xiv. 200 He did not notice the dinner-gong, and only the arrival of the chamber-maid..sent him down to the restaurant.
1986 J. P. Walsh Lapsing ii. 167 Let's have some sherry before the dinner gong, shall we?
2008 Independent 30 Sept. (Life section) 5/3 The stately homes of England are a law unto themselves, what with their dinner gongs, their pollarded elms, [etc.].
dinner horn n. chiefly U.S. a horn sounded to announce dinner, esp. on a farm.
ΚΠ
1798 M. G. Lewis Castle Spectre i. i. 5 But hark! 'tis the dinner-horn.
1829 Carolina Observer (Fayetteville, N. Carolina) 15 Jan. Presently he heard the dinner horn—it was noon!
1867 ‘T. Lackland’ Homespun iii. 290 From that time until the dinner-horn sounds, no tented field..ever furnished a busier..spectacle.
1922 L. E. Roy Polly of Pebbly Pit viii. 135 At that moment the dinner-horn sounded and the girls started for the house.
2016 Stouffville Sun-Tribune (Nexis) 15 Jan. (Final ed.) (Opinion section) 1 I'll immediately turn off my computer when my wife honks the dinner horn.
dinner house n. now chiefly U.S. a dining establishment.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating place > [noun] > eating-house or restaurant
eating-housec1440
feast house?c1475
victualling-house1541
cookshop1542
cookhouse1548
feasting house1563
treating-house1680
suttling-house1691
shop1695
chop shop1733
restaurateur1782
slap-bang shop1785
restorator1797
dinner house1803
restaurant1806
snack-house1820
grubbery1823
refreshment house1825
restauration1832
trattoria1832
slap-bang1836
ristorante1874
tavern-restaurant1880
foodery1892
eatery1901
taverna1914
chop-house1915
nosh1917
diner1924
noshery1952
ryotei1953
lokanta1954
Chinesery1956
relais routier1960
hotel1968
tratt1969
robata1975
fast foodery1979
Chinky1981
rodizio1981
taqueria1982
resto1988
paladar1994
1803 A. Grant Poems Var. Subj. 192 Then 'twas so good a dinner-house, The prudent pastor and his spouse Composed their minds to stay at last, And order'd in a choice repast.
1903 Southern Atlantic Q. Oct. 303 He telegraphed to the proprietors of a certain dinner-house on the railroad to know if, on the arrival of the train, he and his party could be given breakfast.
2018 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 23 Aug. d1 Downstairs, accessed via a dramatic staircase, will be the dinner house—an old-school Italian restaurant.
dinner lady n. chiefly British a woman whose job is to supervise schoolchildren during meals and in the playground during the school dinner hour; (also) a woman whose job is to serve food in the canteen at a school or (by extension) a place of work.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [noun] > server of food > in a school
dinner lady1966
school dinner lady1969
society > education > teaching > teacher > schoolteacher or schoolmaster > [noun] > other school staff
dinner lady1966
1966 Compar. Educ. 2 134/1 Not just the teachers... Student teachers, nursery assistants, ‘dinner ladies’ and the caretaker.
1967 Economist 23 Sept. 1072/3 ‘Dinner lady’ is a popular part-time job for many women, especially where small children are concerned—and where extra supervision is most needed.
1983 Daily Tel. 30 Nov. 8/1 Dinner ladies helping with playground supervision have been jostled and abused while trying to tackle unruly pupils.
1984 Listener 22 Mar. 4/2 He hopes that the majority of the dinner ladies will, in the end, accept.
2021 Guardian (Nexis) 1 Mar. She is a nurse but she also used to be a dinner lady at school and a cleaner at night.
dinner money n. chiefly British money used to buy one's dinner during the working or school day, typically money given to schoolchildren for this purpose.
ΚΠ
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 14 Investing part of the day's dinner-money in the purchase of the stale tarts.
1888 F. Langbridge Happiest Half-hour vii. 53 I began with an allowance of sixpence for dinner-money, and rose by slow degrees to tenpence.
1990 Daily Star 20 Mar. 19 This man has never in his life had to worry about paying a rates bill or scraping together dinner money for his kids.
2009 D. Nicholls One Day (2010) viii. 166 The other kids are frightened of Sonya Richards, and even Emma sometimes fears for her dinner money.
ΚΠ
1858 Essex Standard 17 Nov. As there are generally men on both sides who want to eat, there is what is called a ‘dinner pair’.
1894 Westm. Gaz. 24 Apr. 1/3 He frequently secures a dinner-pair, and manages to get away from the House..at 6.30.
1902 Daily Mail 3 Feb. 4/4 The men in white waistcoats who have done honour to the dinner pair and have voted straight.
dinner pill n. now historical any of various proprietary pills or tablets claimed to promote digestion or prevent constipation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > preparations treating or preventing specific ailments > [noun] > for indigestion > tablet
dinner pill1793
Maalox1951
1793 World 11 June (advt.) Mr. Wade respectfully informs the Nobility and Gentry, that he is by sole Appointment, enabled to supply them with the Genuine Preparation of that excellent Medicine, The Dinner Pills.
1823 Monthly Gaz. Health July 587 An aperient pill..composed of aloes and gum mastic, has been for some time in fashion as a dinner pill.
1936 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 22 Feb. 374/2 Aloe is the active ingredient of many ‘dinner pills’ and proprietary remedies. It is an admirable tonic laxative.
1988 Biography 11 115 Hobson sold a variety of medicines in his store, from the ubiquitous Morison's Pills and such commonplaces as Bocock's Dinner Pills, Parr's Life Pills, and Haigh's Spinal Ointment.
dinner pot n. a large cooking pot.
ΚΠ
1775 P. V. Fithian Jrnl. 1775–6 24 July (1934) 68 Tea..is boild in a common Dinner-Pot, of ten or fifteen Gallons.
1871 H. B. Stowe Oldtown Fireside Stories v. 168 A gret iron pot as big as your granny's dinner-pot with an iron bale to it.
2018 Times (Nexis) 20 Dec. 27 Celebrity foodies spend days with an animal destined to be slaughtered and then decide whether to dispatch it to the dinner pot.
dinner ring n. an eye-catching dress ring, typically having an elaborate setting of a vertical design with several gemstones, suitable for wearing when dining out or at a social gathering.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > ring > [noun] > other types of ring
kine-ringc1225
pontificala1500
hoop-ring1545
death's head1577
ring of remembrance1659
serjeant's ring1690
garter-ring1709
bath-ring1771
solitaire1832
regard ring1853
key ring1856
bodylet1870
portrait ring1877
tower-ring1877
whistle-ring1877
marquise1885
princess-ring1886
dinner ring1890
cluster ring1897
eternity ring1939
1890 Chautauquan Dec. 364/2 It is not good form to wear even handsome rings in the morning, and clerks at Tiffany's will show a case of glittering circlets, with an explanatory, ‘These are dinner rings’.
1929 Pop. Mech. Dec. 117 (advt.) Gorgeous lace design hand pierced 18K Solid White Gold dinner ring: 3 fiery..blue-white diamonds: 2 French-blue sapphires.
2013 C. D. Jones Angel in Attic 203 She wore a large topaz and diamond dinner ring on the ring finger of her right hand.
dinner roll n. a small bread roll served as an accompaniment or side dish at dinner.
ΚΠ
1819 Caledonian Mercury 12 Apr. (advt.) To accommodate their numerous customers..with Small Bread and Dinner Rolls.
1833 Chambers' Edinb. Jrnl. 2 Mar. 33/2 You find Mrs B...flying about the dining-room,..marshalling glasses and dinner rolls.
1882 Mrs. Meldrum Story of Two Years I. xiv. 160 I've been searching in that Country House Cookery-book, to see if there is any way of extemporizing dinner-rolls out of plain loaf-bread.
1982 M. Leigh Goose-pimples i. ii, in Abigail's Party & Goose-pimples (1983) 76 (stage direct.) He sets the table for three, quickly and efficiently, putting a plate of melon and a dinner roll at each place.
2017 Dayton (Ohio) Daily News (Nexis) 29 Nov. sa4 When, as a grown-up, I admired her dinner rolls—simple, tender, always served warm with butter—she was delighted.
dinner room n. a room in a house, hotel, etc., for serving and eating dinner; = dining room n.
ΚΠ
1853 Queen Victoria Highland Jrnls. 28 Sept. (1980) i. 78 The workmen will then leave the dinner-room, and amuse themselves upon the green with Highland games.
1908 Rev. John Smith died—& went to Jupiter via Hell 158 As they proceeded toward the dinner room Colonel Tuck arose.
2000 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz. (Nexis) 11 Jan. 1 c A dinner room, kitchen and library that would work well together for informal entertaining.
dinner set n. a set of matching plates, bowls, etc., used for serving dinner; = dinner service n.
ΚΠ
1796 Morning Chron. 21 Jan. A Quantity of the best French China; Tea, Desert, and Dinner Sets.
1907 Instructor Nov. 40/1 (advt.) We are giving every lady who reads this Magazine a chance to own this beautiful ‘Blue Willow’ Dinner Set.
2021 Brighton & Hove Independent (Nexis) 27 Jan. The gifts to the hostel included duvet sets, dinner sets, toasters, kettles, pillows and cutlery.
dinner table n. the table at which people sit and eat dinner together; the group of people gathered around the table on such an occasion; (also) a particular table used for this purpose; a dining table.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > dining table
meat-boardc1275
tablec1330
meat-table1381
dining table1553
board1606
dinner table1785
mahogany1837
trough1930
1785 New Ann. Reg. 1784 Biogr. Anecdotes 33/1 By him the friend was sure to be introduced to the dinner-table.
1842 Bentley's Misc. Feb. 169 The gossip of one fashionable dinner-table alone..is sufficient to disperse throughout the town rumours enough to set a hundred families of consideration into a ferment.
1951 V. Randolph Pissing in Snow (1986) 110 She told everybody that the boarders made fun of her twitchet right at the dinner table.
1966 H. Nielsen After Midnight (1967) xv. 194 A small, circular dinner table..had been meticulously set with china, silver and stemware.
2018 W. R. Miller Listening Well xiii. 59 Some have family conversations at the dinner table, turning off music or TV and silencing phones or other devices.
dinner-tea n. now rare a substantial tea (tea n.1 4a), eaten at the end of the afternoon or start of the evening.
ΚΠ
1844 H. M. Smythies Jilt III. v. 90 She shared with sweet good-humour the uninviting dinner-tea.
1852 J. W. Carlyle Lett. II. 162 I am to have a dinner-tea with them next Wednesday.
1875 ‘E. Garrett’ By Still Waters x. 202 To Sarah's fancy a dinner-tea was the most social and enjoyable of compromises.
1933 Nottingham Evening Post 14 July 4/2 A cotton evening frock, a dinner-tea gown, and a beach suit.
dinner theatre n. North American a theatre in which dinner, included in the price of the ticket, is served before, or during intervals in, the performance; (also) the type of play or entertainment performed in such a theatre.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
1959 Paterson (New Jersey) Evening News 26 Mar. 16/2 The opening night of Dailey's Meadowbrook Dinner Theatre in Cedar Grove... Those attending this premiere will enjoy a full-course roast beef dinner, a two-hour musical comedy performance with professional Broadway cast, followed by two hours of dancing to the music of two orchestras.
1984 New Yorker 18 June 44/1 She is very beautiful. She is always playing countesses at the local dinner theatre.
1994 Toronto Star 28 May (Metro ed.) j11/3 (advt.) PEI is sure to please, with street theatre, cabaret theatre, off-stage theatre and dinner theatre in locations all across the island.
2005 Time Out N.Y. 13 Jan. 139/2 The kitschy, pushy mother of all interactive dinner theatre continues its unstoppable 16 year run.
dinner wagon n. a small table with wheels or castors like a trolley, having two or more levels for holding dishes of food, cutlery, etc., and used in serving meals in a dining room; (also more generally) a trolley used in serving meals.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [noun] > utensils for serving > tea-trolley
dinner wagon1826
tea-wagon1840
wagon table1844
wagon1906
silent butler1912
tea-trolley1937
1826 G. Smith Cabinet-maker & Upholsterer's Guide 201 The two designs in this Plate are denominated running sideboards and sometimes vulgarly termed dinner waggons.
1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. xxx. §5719 A wainscot sideboard; dinner wagon, to correspond.
1927 Western Times (Exeter) 4 Nov. 11/5 The presents included..a dinner wagon and set of pictures from Barnstaple Motor Company with which the bridegroom is associated.
2005 New Yorker 5 Dec. 81/1 Desserts were wheeled up to the table on a dinner wagon.
2016 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 20 Feb. (ed. 1) (Traveller section) 6 About 90 minutes after takeoff the dinner wagons roll out.
dinnerware n. tableware used for serving and eating dinner.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun]
service1468
plate1545
gold plate1579
table service1664
table plate1669
dinner service1765
tableware1772
dinner set1796
dinnerware1800
dining set1805
serveware1958
foodware1961
sterling1974
1800 Hull Packet 29 Apr. A complete set of tea china, green edge dinner ware, best double flint decanters, tumblers, wines, &c.
1905 Daily Chron. 2 May 7/1 The kitchen was strewn with smashed dinner-ware.
2011 Daily Tel. 18 Mar. 15/2 According to Debenhams, sales of boxed sets of dinnerware have fallen by 10 per cent in the past year.
Derivatives
ˈdinner-like adj. reminiscent or characteristic of dinner.
ΚΠ
1824 J. G. Lockhart Hist. Matthew Wald xxii. 272 I gave dinners and dinner-like suppers to the notables of the several places.
2000 Brandweek (Nexis) 1 May 82 The entry combines more dinner-like ingredients including green onions, jalapenos and olives.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
dinnerv.
/ˈdɪnə/, U.S. /ˈdɪnər/ΚΠ
?c1570 Buggbears i. i, in R. W. Bond Early Plays from Italian (1911) 88 Ame. Ah cowardlie wreche, who shall se my diner dreste. Bion. Diner me no diners.
2. intransitive. To eat dinner; to dine. Also transitive with it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating meals > eat meal [verb (intransitive)] > eat main meal
dinec1325
dinnera1796
a1796 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 297 I dinner'd wi' a Lord.
1818 T. Moore Fudge Family in Paris viii. 20 Where in temples antique you may breakfast or dinner it.
1970 Rhinelander (Wisconsin) Daily News 20 June 3/1 We dinnered on juicy hamburger broiled over the coals of an evening campfire.
2014 @Passions_Grace 12 June in twitter.com (accessed 23 Mar. 2021) Lunched and dinnered with favourite friend today.
3. transitive. To entertain (a person) by providing dinner; to provide dinner for. Also: to hold a dinner in honour of (a person).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > feed or nourish [verb (transitive)] > entertain with food > entertain with specific meal
dinec1475
sup1609
supper1622
breakfast1793
dinner1822
bedinner1837
tea1844
tiffin1866
lunch1892
1822 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae ii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 481 Hogg would have been dinnered to his death.
1826 Examiner 337/1 Before that worthy governor..left the Cape, he was twice dinnered.
1885 G. Stebbing Aggravating School-girl xxxiv I'll dinner them and I'll supper them, but if they want rooms..they may go elsewhere.
1936 Mansfield (Ohio) News 3 Aug. 4/3 He was dinnered by a group of austere Gold Coast big-wigs for his commendable part in a hospital charity drive.
2002 Daily Record Rochester (N.Y.) (Nexis) 24 July I've been breakfasted, lunched, and dinnered non-stop.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021).
<
n.c1325
v.?c1570