curry
/'kʌri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A spicy dish: A dish, originating from South Asian cuisines, consisting of meat, fish, vegetables, or legumes cooked in a spiced sauce or gravy, typically served with rice or bread.
- The spice mixture for such a dish: The blend of ground spices (such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili peppers) used to flavor the dish, often called "curry powder" or "curry paste."
Verb:
- To prepare or flavor with curry spices: To cook food using a mixture of curry spices.
- To groom an animal: To rub down or clean the coat of an animal, especially a horse, with a special comb (a currycomb).
- To treat leather: To treat tanned leather by soaking, scraping, and oiling it to improve its quality.
Examples
Noun:
- We had a delicious vegetable curry for dinner.
- She bought a jar of red curry paste to make the soup.
Verb (to flavor with spices):
- The chef will curry the lamb with a blend of traditional spices.
- Verb (to groom):
- The stable hand curries the horses every morning.
- Verb (to treat leather):
- The artisan curried the hide to make it soft and supple.
Advanced Usage
- "to curry favor (with someone)": To seek to gain favor or approval from someone through flattery or servile behavior.
- He is always trying to curry favor with the new manager.
Variants and Related Words
- Curried (adj.): Describes food prepared with curry spices.
- curried chicken
- Curry powder (n.): A commercially prepared mixture of ground spices used to make curry.
- Currycomb (n.): A metal comb or brush used for grooming horses.
Synonyms
- Noun (dish): Stew, casserole (though these are not exact synonyms, they describe similar one-pot meals).
- Verb (groom): Brush, groom, clean.
- Verb (seek favor): Flatter, fawn, toady.
Related Phrasal Verbs / Phrases
- Curry favor: This is the primary fixed phrase using the verb "curry." It is always used with "favor" (or, in British English, "favour").
- Politicians often curry favor with voters before an election.
Related Idioms
- "To curry favor" is the only common idiom. Its origin is unrelated to the food and comes from an Old French phrase involving grooming a horse.
Noun
- (East Indian cookery) a pungent dish of vegetables or meats flavored with curry powder and usually eaten with rice
Verb
- give a neat appearance to
- groom the dogs
- dress the horses
- treat by incorporating fat
- curry tanned leather
- season with a mixture of spices; typical of Indian cooking