Definition

Noun: 1. A method of cooking: The process of cooking food, especially meat, by exposing it to dry heat, typically in an oven or over a fire. The heat surrounds the food, cooking it evenly and often creating a browned surface. 2. A harsh criticism or reprimand: (Informal) A severe or mocking criticism, or the act of subjecting someone to such criticism, often in a public or humorous setting.

Usage and Examples

• As a cooking method:
  • The roasting of the turkey filled the house with a wonderful aroma.
  • Slow roasting is the best way to cook a large cut of beef.
• As a form of criticism:
  • The comedian gave the politician a brutal roasting during his stand-up routine.
  • After his mistake, he faced a roasting from his boss in the meeting.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term often implies the use of added fat (like oil or butter) or the food's own juices to baste it during cooking, preventing it from drying out.
• In its informal sense, a "roasting" is similar to a "ribbing" or "tearing apart," but it can carry a connotation of being done for entertainment, as in a celebrity roast.

Variants and Related Words

• Roast (verb): To cook by roasting.
• Roast (noun): A piece of meat that has been or is to be roasted.
• Roaster (noun): A pan or oven for roasting.

Synonyms

• For cooking: Baking, oven-cooking.
• For criticism: Berating, lambasting, reprimand, censure, teasing (less severe).

Idioms and Phrases

• To give someone a roasting: To criticize or reprimand someone severely.
  • The coach gave the team a roasting for their lack of effort.
• To be in for a roasting: To be about to receive severe criticism.
  • If you're late again, you'll be in for a roasting.

Noun

1. cooking (meat) by dry heat in an oven (usually with fat added)
   • the slow roasting took several hours