dish night

American

noun

(formerly) a night, usually held weekly, when a movie theater distributed a free dish or piece of chinaware to each patron as an inducement to visit the theater.

Etymology

Origin of dish night

First recorded in 1930–35

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.

Decent acting in movies of this sort is, of course, merely an extra added attraction�a sort of dish night for the sobersides.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was also a dish night when they gave away dishes.

From The Biography of a Rabbit by Benson, Roy, Jr.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023