porridge

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Variant of pottage (thick soup or stew), influenced by porray (stew of leeks). The "prison sentence" sense comes from the British tradition of serving prisoners porridge for breakfast.

Pronunciation

Noun

porridge (usually uncountable, plural porridges)

  1. A dish made of grain or legumes, milk or water, heated and stirred until thick and typically eaten for breakfast.
    Eat your porridge while it's hot!
    • 1922, Michael Arlen, “1/1/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days[1]:
      There were rumours, new rumours every morning, delightful and outrageous rumours, so that the lumps in the porridge were swallowed without comment and the fish-cakes were eaten without contumely.
    1. (chiefly British) Oat porridge; oatmeal.
    2. (Malaysia, Singapore) Rice porridge; congee.
  2. (British, slang, uncountable) A prison sentence.
    Just do your porridge and keep your head down.
  3. (rare) A type of thick soup or stew, especially thickened with barley.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English porridge.

Pronunciation

Noun

porridge m (plural porridges)

  1. porridge

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English porridge.

Pronunciation

Noun

porridge n (uncountable)

  1. porridge

Declension