breyani, biryani, noun

/briˈjɑːnɪ//breɪˈjɑːnɪ//bir(ɪ)ˈjɑːnɪ/
Forms:
biriani, briyaniShow more Also biriani, briyani, buriyani.
Origin:
Urdu, PersianShow more Urdu biryānī, adaptation of Persian biryān fried, roasted.
a. A dish of Indian origin consisting of spicy rice and lentils with vegetables, fish, chicken, or mutton. Also attributive.
Note:
Used also in other varieties of English.
1952 Drum May 40 (advt)Curry meals our speciality Whenever you are in town do drop in for a cup of tea Wednesday is biryani day.
1961 Z. Mayat in J.B. Branford Dict. of S. Afr. Eng. (1987) 29Biriani is the dish royal amongst all the exotic rice dishes of India, and remains ‘the dish’ to serve..to welcome house guests on their first day, or..the main course of the menu in formal entertaining.
1971 L.G. Green Taste of S.-Easter 154All the good old Cape cookery books cry out for coriander; in blatjang and peach pickle, slamse wors and buriyani.
1977 Darling 16 Mar. 86Let’s use our breyani and curry spices, our fruits, game and fish, and create brand-new indigenous dishes, which we can set proudly before any gourmet.
1977 M.P. Gwala Jol’iinkomo 57Grey Street, Tripe Breyani isn’t on your menu, why?
1985 Style Apr. 30A large Indian family sit over pots of briyani which they have brought wrapped in newspaper.
1985 S. Afr. Cookbk (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 380Biriani, An Indian dish of meat, fish or chicken with rice, lentils, eggs and spices.
1990 Fair Lady 6 June 105A very popular Indian dish, biriani is traditionally served on festive occasions. It consists of partly cooked rice and curry which are then layered together before continuing to cook.
b. figurative. Especially among South Africans of Indian descent: breyani every day, endless success or fortune.
1986 F. Karodia Daughters of Twilight 42‘Too expensive. For that kind of money they should be eating biryani every day.’ Ma chuckled at his reference to the exotic dish.
1992 R. Mesthrie Lexicon of S. Afr. Indian Eng. 88To want biryani everyday,..To expect good fortune or success all the time.
A dish of Indian origin consisting of spicy rice and lentils with vegetables, fish, chicken, or mutton. Also attributive.
breyani every day, endless success or fortune.
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idiomatic
figurative or allusive
breker, nounn.bricate, nounn.
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