leftovers

Thân thiện

He ate the leftovers from last night's meal.

Definition

Noun (plural form, often used with a plural verb) 1. Food remaining uneaten after a meal, especially when saved to be eaten later. It refers to the surplus food that was not consumed during a meal and is typically stored for future consumption.

Usage

• The word "leftovers" is almost always used in its plural form.
• It can refer to a single type of food or a collection of different foods from a meal.
• It commonly follows verbs like , , , , , and .

Examples

• We had leftovers from last night's party for lunch.
• She always saves the leftovers in airtight containers.
• My favorite meal is a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers.
• There are some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry.

Advanced Usage

• "To be leftover" (adjective): Describing something that remains after the rest has been used, consumed, or taken. While related, this is the adjectival form.
  • After the sale, there was only leftover stock.
• Metaphorical Use: Informally, "leftovers" can describe anything that remains from a larger group or amount, often implying it is less desirable.
  • The team felt like the leftovers after the best players were chosen first.

Variants and Related Words

• Leftover (adjective/noun): As an adjective, it means "remaining." As a singular noun, it is less common but can refer to a single remaining item, often used in the plural sense.
  • Adjective: Use the leftover chicken to make a salad.
  • Noun (rare): This fabric is a leftover from a previous project.
• Remains (noun): A more formal synonym, often used in non-food contexts (e.g., ). Can sound odd or morbid when referring to food.
• Scraps (noun): Often refers to small pieces of leftover food, sometimes implying they are for animals or waste.

Synonyms

• Remaining food
• Surplus food
• Uneaten food

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "Make a meal out of leftovers": Literally, to prepare a new meal using saved leftovers. Figuratively, to make something seem more important or complicated than it really is.
  • Don't make a meal out of leftovers; just reheat the pasta. (Literal)
  • It was a simple mistake; there's no need to make a meal out of it. (Figurative)

Học thuật

Noun

1. food remaining from a previous meal
   • he had leftovers for dinner last night