Dish the Dirt and Satellite Dish Use the Same Shape
A dish is a shallow container for food. The word extends to anything with that curved shape.
A dish is a shallow container for food, the food served in it, and by extension anything of that curved shape. A satellite dish is named for the form, and the shape is not decorative: a parabolic curve reflects every parallel incoming wave to a single focal point, which is why the receiver sits on an arm in front of the bowl. *To dish* meaning to serve up gave *dish the dirt*, spreading gossip as freely as food.
- A shallow container. *A serving dish.*
- A prepared food. *The main dish.*
- A curved receiver. *A satellite dish.*
- Dish the dirt — gossip. *Dish the dirt.*
- Latin — *discus*, a plate. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dish | A dish. |
| Plural | dishes | Dishes. |
| Verb | dish | Dishing. |
| Compound | dishwasher | A dishwasher. |
| Related | desk | A desk. |
- Bring the dish to the table.Container.
- The dish took two hours.Food.
- A dish on the roof.Satellite.
Why a dish is parabolic
- Parallel waves arrive from a distant source
- A parabola reflects them all to a single focal point
- The receiver sits at that point, on an arm in front
- A bigger dish gathers more signal, which is why remote stations use huge ones
- The same geometry works in reverse for headlamps and torches
Old English *disc*, a plate, from Latin *discus*, from Greek *diskos*.
Why are satellite dishes curved?
A parabolic curve reflects all parallel incoming waves to one focal point, where the receiver sits.
Where does dish the dirt come from?
From dishing up food. Serving gossip as freely as a meal gave the phrase its sense.