dish
dish / dish/ • n. 1. a shallow, typically flat-bottomed container for cooking or serving food: an ovenproof dish. ∎ the food contained or served in such a container: a dish of oysters. ∎ a particular variety or preparation of food served as part of a meal: fresh fish dishes | pasta was served as a main dish. ∎ (the dishes) all the items that have been used in the preparation, serving, and eating of a meal: it was our turn to wash the dishes. ∎ a shallow, concave receptacle, esp. one intended to hold a particular substance: a soap dish. ∎ (also dish aerial) a bowl-shaped radio antenna. See also satellite dish.2. inf. a sexually attractive person: I gather she's quite a dish. ∎ (one's dish) dated a thing that one particularly enjoys or does well: as a public relations man this was my dish and the campaign was right up my street.3. (the dish) inf. information that is not generally known or available: if he has the real dish I wish he'd tell us.4. concavity of a spoked wheel resulting from a difference in spoke tension on each side and consequent sideways displacement of the rim in relation to the hub.• v. [tr.] 1. (dish something out/up) put (food) onto a plate or plates before a meal: Steve was dishing up vegetables | fig. pop stars who dish up remixes of their old hits. ∎ (dish something out) dispense something in a casual or indiscriminate way: the banks dished out loans to all and sundry. ∎ (dish it out) inf. subject others to criticism or punishment: you can dish it out but you can't take it. ∎ [intr.] inf. gossip or share information, esp. information of an intimate or scandalous nature: groups gather to brag about babies and dish about romances.2. give concavity to (a wheel) by tensioning the spokes (see sense 4 of the noun ).PHRASES: dish the dirt inf. reveal or spread scandalous information or gossip.DERIVATIVES: dish·ful / -ˌfoŏl/ n. (pl. -fuls) .
dish
Hence as vb. XIV.