curry
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.a dish of meat, vegetables, or fish cooked in a spicy sauce, originally from South Asia.
n.a dish originating in South Asian cuisine, typically consisting of meat or vegetables simmered in a complex, spiced sauce.
Simple“We decided to order a vegetable curry and some rice for dinner.”
In context“The chef prepared a traditional lamb curry, balancing the heat of the chillies with a rich blend of aromatic spices and coconut milk.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
v.to try to get someone to like you or give you an advantage by being extra nice or flattering.
v.to seek to advance one's own interests by providing flattery or helpfulness to a superior; almost exclusively used in the phrase 'curry favour'.
Simple“The new employee tried to curry favour with the manager by bringing him coffee every day.”
In context“The junior diplomat was clearly attempting to curry favour with the ambassador by praising his recent, rather controversial, policy decisions.”
PitfallHe tried to curry the favour of his boss. He tried to curry favour with his boss.The idiom is 'curry favour with [someone]', usually without the word 'the'.
Synonymsflatteringratiate - 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to clean and brush a horse's coat using a special tool.
v.to groom a horse using a curry comb to remove dirt and loose hair from the coat.
Simple“After the long ride, she spent an hour in the stable to curry her horse.”
In context“Proper stable management requires the handler to curry the animal daily to maintain skin health and ensure a sleek appearance.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to change a function that takes many inputs into a series of functions that each take one input.
v.to transform a function that takes multiple arguments into a sequence of functions, each taking a single argument.
Simple“The programmer decided to curry the function to make the code easier to reuse.”
In context“In functional programming, you can curry a function to allow for partial application, which simplifies the creation of specialised utility methods.”