Definition

Noun: - The front portion or section of a side of meat from a butchered animal, typically including parts of the shoulder, ribs, and sometimes the front leg.

Usage

This term is used specifically in the context of butchery, meat preparation, and culinary arts to describe a specific cut of meat. It refers to a wholesale or primal cut before further subdivision into retail cuts like steaks or roasts.

Examples

• The butcher prepared the forequarter of beef for the restaurant.
• When buying a whole lamb, you can choose between the forequarter and the hindquarter.
• The recipe calls for a pork forequarter, which includes the shoulder and front ribs.

Advanced Usage

• "Forequarter" vs. "Hindquarter": These are the two primary divisions of a carcass. The forequarter is the anterior (front) section, while the hindquarter is the posterior (rear) section.
• In some contexts, "forequarter" can be used more generally to refer to the front section of a large animal's body, even before slaughter.

Variants and Related Words

• Forequarters (plural noun): The front sections from both sides of the carcass.
  • The price listed is for both forequarters of the steer.
• Hindquarter (noun): The rear half of a side of meat.
• Quarter (noun): In butchery, one of the four main sections into which a carcass is divided (two forequarters and two hindquarters).

Synonyms

• Front quarter
• Anterior quarter (technical)
• Shoulder section (less precise, as it may refer to a smaller part of the forequarter)

Notes

• There are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs associated with this technical term.
• The word is a compound noun formed from "fore-" (meaning front or anterior) and "quarter" (in the sense of a section or part).

Noun

1. the front half of a side of meat