chop-house
Definition
- Noun:
- A low-cost restaurant: "chop-house" refers to a restaurant that offers inexpensive meals, often specializing in simple meat dishes like chops (cutlets of meat, such as lamb or pork).
Usage Examples
- (A cheap restaurant known for simple meat dishes.)
- (A low-cost dining establishment.)
Advanced Usage
- "A chop-house atmosphere": a casual, no-frills dining environment typical of such establishments.
- The restaurant had a chop-house atmosphere, with wooden tables and a menu written on a chalkboard. (The setting was simple and unpretentious.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chop (n): a small cut of meat, usually with a bone, such as a lamb chop or pork chop.
- He ordered a grilled chop with mashed potatoes. (A specific cut of meat served at a chop-house.)
Synonyms
- Diner: a small, inexpensive restaurant.
- Café: a casual eatery, though often less meat-focused.
- Tavern: a place serving food and drink, historically similar to a chop-house.
Related Idioms
- "To chop and change": to keep changing one's mind or plans (unrelated to the word "chop" in the restaurant sense, but a common idiom).
- He's always chopping and changing his orders, never satisfied with one meal. (He frequently alters his decisions.)