moo goo gai pan
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of moo goo gai pan
From dialectal Chinese; compare Chinese mógu Mongolian-type mushroom (probably from Mongolian; compare Dagur (Mongolian language of northwestern Manchuria) muugee “mushroom”), jī “chicken” ( Guangdong dialect gāi ), piān “slice(s)”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dishes like moo goo gai pan and chop suey — which roughly translates to “odds and ends” — were the beginnings of a culinary tradition.
From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2021
After the moo goo gai pan and sweet and sour shrimp arrived, out of the clear blue, he announced he was going back to the girlfriend.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2018
At first glance, Great Wall’s menu is packed with dishes familiar to unadventurous palates: Kung Pao chicken, beef with broccoli, moo goo gai pan.
From Washington Post • Jul. 28, 2016
“This doesn’t look like the moo goo gai pan I usually get. This looks spicy. You know I don’t like spicy food, Melissa.”
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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“It’s regular old moo goo gai pan, Dad,” my mom says.
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.