butter-boat
Definition
Noun: - A container for sauce: "butter-boat" refers to a small, often boat-shaped dish or vessel used for serving melted butter or sauce at the table.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- She poured the warm butter into the butter-boat before serving it with the seafood. (A small dish used to hold melted butter.)
- The antique butter-boat was made of silver and had a delicate handle. (A decorative container for sauce.)
Advanced Usage
"to pass the butter-boat": to offer the dish of melted butter to someone at a meal.
- At the dinner party, he politely passed the butter-boat to his guest. (He handed over the sauce container.)
"butter-boat as a collectible": the term is sometimes used by antique dealers to describe a specific type of serving dish.
- She collects vintage butter-boats from the 19th century. (She gathers old sauce dishes.)
Variants and Related Words
Butter dish (n): a flat or covered container for holding solid butter, distinct from a butter-boat.
- He placed the butter dish on the table for the bread. (A dish for solid butter.)
Sauce boat (n): a similar vessel used for serving gravy or other liquid sauces.
- The gravy was served in a porcelain sauce boat. (A container for liquid sauce.)
Synonyms
- Gravy boat: a dish for serving gravy, often similar in shape.
- Sauce dish: a small container for sauce.
Related Idioms
- Butter up: to flatter someone excessively (not directly related to "butter-boat", but shares the word "butter").
- He tried to butter up his boss with compliments. (He flattered to gain favor.)
Note on Usage
- "Butter-boat" is a specific culinary term, not commonly used in everyday conversation. It is most often encountered in descriptions of tableware, antique collecting, or formal dining contexts.