dinner bell
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either at midday or in the evening: What time do you have dinner? | I was cooking (the) dinner when the phone rang. | It happened at/during dinner. | We're having fish for dinner. | The children have to pay for their school dinners. (=midday meal provided by the school) | It's dinner time! -> see also TV DINNER 2 [C] a formal occasion in the evening when this meal is eaten: The firm are giving/holding a dinner in honour of her retirement.
In Britain, the main meal of the day is dinner and it is usually eaten in the evening. Some people call this meal supper, but to others supper is a very small meal that is eaten just before they go to bed. Some people call this main evening meal tea, but to others tea is a small meal that is eaten in the afternoon. Some people use dinner to refer to the meal they eat in the middle of the day, but if you want to be clear that you are referring to this meal, use lunch.
3 eat one's dinners to complete the process of becoming a BARRISTER. In order to become a barrister in England, a person must study and pass exams, but must also belong to the INNS OF COURT and must eat a certain number of dinners in them: He read for the Bar, but failed to eat his dinners. 4 more ... than you've had hot dinners very very many; used particularly when someone is praising a person for their great experience: She's nursed more babies than you've had hot dinners.
'dinner bell n a bell rung (e.g. in school) to let people know that dinner is ready
'dinner dance n a social evening which includes a formal dinner and has music for dancing to: the company's annual dinner dance
'dinner jacket abbrev. DJ also tuxedo AmE -> n 1 a man's black or white JACKET for very formal evening occasions 2 a complete suit of clothes including a dinner jacket, black trousers, a white shirt, and black BOW TIE -> compare TAILS
'dinner lady n BrE a woman who serves meals to children in a school
'dinner party n a social event in which people are invited to a person's house for an evening meal
'dinner service also 'dinner set n a complete set of plates and dishes for dinner
'dinner table n [the] the occasion when people are having dinner: I wish you wouldn't talk about these nasty subjects at the dinner table. -> compare DINING TABLE
di-no-saur /'daɪnəsɔːr/ n 1 any of several types of extremely large REPTILE that lived in very ancient times and disappeared suddenly 2 something very large and old-fashioned that no longer works well or effectively: one of the dinosaurs of the computer industry
dint /dɪnt/ n by dint of by means of: She reached the top by dint of great effort.
di-o-cese /'daɪəsəs/ n (in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches) the area under the control of a BISHOP ---cesan /daɪ'ɒsəsən||-'aɪ:/ adj [A]
di-ode /'daɪəʊd/ n tech a piece of electrical equipment that makes an electrical current flow in one particular direction
Di-o-gen-es /daɪ'ɒdʒəniːz||-'aɪ:/ also called Diogenes the Cynic (412-323 BC); an ancient Greek PHILOSOPHER who said that the simple life was the best life and who, according to ancient stories, lived in a BARREL (=a round wooden container for liquids)
Di-on, Cé-line /di'ɒnl-'ɑːn, seɪ'liːn/ (1968-) a Canadian singer, popular especially in the 1990s, who performs in both English and French. Her songs include The Power of Love and My Heart Will Go On, from the film Titanic (1997).
Di-o-ny-sus /ˌdaɪə'naɪsəs/ in Greek MYTHOLOGY, the god of wine and FERTILITY. He is usually connected with uncontrolled behaviour involving lots of drinking, parties, and sex. In Roman mythology his name is BACCHUS.
Di-or, Christian /'di:ɔ: ||di:'ɔ:r/ (1905-57) a French fashion designer, whose company, Christian Dior, is known for making expensive clothes and PERFUMEs. His famous collection of clothes in 1947 was called the 'New Look'.
di-ox-ide /daɪ'ɒksaɪd||-'aɪk-/ n [C;U] a chemical compound containing two atoms of oxygen to every atom of another ELEMENT
di-ox-in /daɪ'ɒksn||-'aɪk-/ n [U] a powerful chemical used for killing plants. Adults and unborn babies have been poisoned and killed by dioxin in industrial accidents and through its use as a chemical weapon. -> see also AGENT ORANGE
dip¹ /dɪp/ v -pp- 1 [T[in, into]] to put in a liquid for a moment: I dipped my pen in the ink. | She dipped her hand into the water. 2 [I;T] to (cause to) drop slightly: The sun dipped below the western sea. | The road dips just around the corner. | You should dip your headlights when you meet another car at night. | driving through the city on dipped headlights 3 [T] to pass (animals) through a bath containing a chemical that kills insects: to dip sheep
dip into sthg. phr v [T] 1 to read or study for a short time and without much attention: I haven't read the report properly—I've only dipped into it. 2 to put one's hand into (a place) and take something out: She kept dipping into the bag of sweets. 3 to use (money that has been saved): The company had to dip into a reserve fund to pay for all the new equipment.
dip² n 1 [C] infrml a quick swim in the sea, a lake etc: I'm just going for a dip/to have a dip. 2 [C] a slight drop to a lower level: a sudden dip in the road | an unexpected dip in profits 3 [U] a thick liquid mixture into which food, such as vegetable pieces, can be dipped, especially at parties: cheese/avocado dip 4 [C;U] (a special liquid for) the process of dipping animals 5 [C] AmE slang a stupid or silly person -> see also LUCKY DIP
Dip. written abbrev. for DIPLOMA
diph-ther-i-a /dɪf'θɪəriə, dɪp-/ n [U] a serious infectious disease of the throat which makes breathing difficult, now rare in developed countries with child health care programmes
diph-thong /'dɪfθɒŋ, 'dɪp-||-θɔːŋ/ n tech a compound vowel sound made by pronouncing two vowels quickly one after the other: The vowel sound in 'my' is a diphthong. -> compare MONOPHTHONG
di-plo-ma /dɪ'pləʊmə/ n [(in)] an official paper showing that a person has successfully finished a course of study or passed an examination: She has a diploma in education/a high school diploma.
di-plo-ma-cy /dɪ'pləʊməsi/ n [U] 1 the art and practice of establishing and continuing relations between nations 2 skill at dealing with people and getting them to agree; TACT: He needed all his diplomacy to settle their quarrel. -> see also GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY
dip-lo-mat /'dɪpləmæt/ n 1 a person who is employed to represent one country in another, such as an AMBASSADOR 2 a person who is skilled in DIPLOMACY
dip-lo-mat-ic /ˌdɪplə'mætɪk/ adj 1 [A no comp.] concerning diplomacy or diplomats: the diplomatic service | They can't be prosecuted for this offence - they have diplomatic immunity. (=special rights belonging to diplomats) 2 apprec skilled in dealing with people; showing TACT: Try to be diplomatic when you refuse her invitation. -> opposite undiplomatic ---ally /-kli/ adv: She handled the situation very diplomatically.
,diplomatic 'bag n a bag or container used for sending official government documents to diplomats working abroad
diplo'matic corps n pl. -corps all the diplomats working in a country
,diplomatic re'lations n [P(with)] the arrangement between two countries that each keeps representatives at an EMBASSY in the other country: Following this incident, the United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran.
Diplomatic Service, the a part of the British FOREIGN OFFICE which employs the people who work in British embassies (EMBASSY) all over the world. In the US there is a similar department called the FOREIGN SERVICE.
di-plo-ma-tist /dɪ'pləʊmətɪst/ n a diplomat
dip-per /'dɪpər/ n 1 a big spoon for taking up liquid out of a container 2 a small bird that feeds on the bottom of streams