blue plate

[ bloo pleyt ]

noun

1. a plate, often decorated with a blue willow pattern, divided by ridges into sections for holding apart several kinds of food.
2. Also called blue plate special. a specially priced main course, as of meat and vegetables, listed as an item on a menu, especially in an inexpensive restaurant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blue plate¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

The sea lay under me like a great blue plate, the schooner a white ant crawling in its centre.

From Project Gutenberg

He asked if they still kept doughnuts in a yellow crock with a blue plate over it on the bottom shelf of the pantry—and they do!

From Project Gutenberg

The "Blue Plate Special" furnishes, in short, the chief items in a "good home meal."

From Project Gutenberg

He had new milk in a blue bowl, and johnny-cake on a little blue plate.

From Project Gutenberg

Maizie gazed for a moment at the oatmeal in her own blue plate, then with a little petulant gesture, she pushed the plate away.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• breakfast
• brunch
• dessert
• dinner
• fare
• feast
• lunch
• luncheon
• picnic
• refreshment
• snack
• supper
• table
• tea