short order
1 Americannoun
adjective
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of, relating to, or specializing in short orders.
a short-order cook; short-order diner.
-
performed or supplied quickly.
They obtained a short-order divorce decree.
noun
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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.
Etymology
Origin of short order1
First recorded in 1890–95
Origin of short-order2
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Scrubs” being what it is, the joy returns in short order.
From Salon
Every decade or economic cycle, or so it seems, brings another prognostication, each of which ends up cycling from scary to silly in short order.
From Barron's
Every decade or economic cycle, or so it seems, brings another prognostication, each of which ends up cycling from scary to silly in short order.
From Barron's
Becerra, in short order, said he was “not running on inflated promises” but rather his record as a congressman, former attorney general and health secretary in President Biden’s cabinet.
From Los Angeles Times
In short order, he once again dealt away the team’s starting quarterback, trading Smith to the Raiders and scooping up Darnold in free agency after a 14-win campaign with the Vikings.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
