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boiled dinner

American  

noun

Northern and North Midland U.S.
  1. a meal of meat and vegetables, as of corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes, prepared by boiling.


Etymology

Origin of boiled dinner

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

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.

My early memories cemented cabbage as little more than root vegetable filler in a boiled dinner starring brackish corned beef, or encasing humble beef and rice filling in my German-born grandmother's stuffed cabbage rolls.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2022

Even corned beef and cabbage is a mixture of what the Irish eat and a New England boiled dinner.

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2018

A pot of beef and vegetables popular all over is New England boiled dinner, and it’s essentially a pot roast simmered in water with lots of root vegetables.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 28, 2015

New Hampshire Smoked pork shoulder Smoked pork shoulder is the foundation of the New England boiled dinner, a very appetizingly named stew that also contains root vegetables and cabbage.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2014

Why, they had a stew, or a boiled dinner, or something, cooking in a tin pail over a fire, and they wouldn’t give me a thing to eat.

From The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence The Lost Channel by Gordon, Harry

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