main course

American  

noun

1. Nautical. a square mainsail.

2. the principal dish or course of a meal, typically including meat or fish.

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main course British  

noun

1. the principal dish of a meal

2. nautical a square mainsail

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Etymology

Origin of main course

First recorded in 1505–15

Example Sentences

Now, thanks to inflation and stubbornly high grocery bills, they’re more often getting promoted—sometimes to the main course.

From The Wall Street Journal

The ground has just served Woo up to me like a main course on a platter of sand and diamond.

From Literature

But the main course was a different story.

From Salon

The main course, a whole fried sea bream, served with a ginger fish sauce caramel, peanuts, herbs, lemon, and wild pepper leaves to delicately wrap each fried morsel, truly blew me away.

From Salon

So if you fire up the grill this weekend — even attempting one of Ramsay’s barbecue favorites — still, make sunscreen the main course.

From Los Angeles Times