short order

¹

noun

1. a dish or serving of food that is quickly prepared upon request at a lunch counter.

short-order

²

[shawrt-awr-der]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or specializing in short orders.

   a short-order cook; short-order diner.

2. performed or supplied quickly.

   They obtained a short-order divorce decree.

short order

noun

1. 1. food that is easily and quickly prepared

   2. ( as modifier )

      short-order counter

Word History and Origins

Origin of short order¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of short order²

First recorded in 1900–05

Idioms and Phrases

Quickly; see in short order .

An order of food to be prepared and served quickly, as in It's just a diner, serving short orders exclusively . This expression, dating from about 1890, gave rise to the adjective short-order , used not only in short-order cook , a cook specializing in short orders, but in other terms such as short-order divorce , a divorce quickly obtained owing to liberal divorce laws.