Words / B1

DIN-uh-layd-ee/ˈdɪnə ˌleɪdi/

A dinner lady (id: dinner-lady) is a woman who serves school meals or supervises at lunchtime (UK). A cook prepares the food; a form tutor is a teacher. Lunch: a dinner lady can send you to the back of the queue; she is not your form tutor.

Meaning

A woman who serves school meals or supervises at lunchtime (UK).

Examples

• “A dinner lady can send you to the back of the queue; she is not your form tutor.”
• “Dinner-lady instructions in the hall still count as staff; arguing is a behaviour log.”

Good to know

a dinner lady (UK). Contrast: a cook / a teacher. School lunch. Countable jobs. Mix-up: dinner at school often means lunch; a lady is the woman, not the meal.

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