In English, many things are named after a particular country – but have you ever wondered what those things are called in those countries?
adjectivedrier, driest
1
1.1(not wet)
(wood/washing/ground) secoshe rubbed her hair dry with a towel — se secó el pelo con una toalla- to wipe sth dry — secar algo
- [ S ]store in a cool, dry place — guardar en lugar fresco y seco
- She managed to stay mostly dry, but the cuffs of her pants were damp.
- Drain and place the blanched vegetables on an absorbent cloth and pat them dry.
- Water regularly during growth and bloom, then keep the soil fairly dry during summer.
- Her blue jeans were beginning to grow damp and she longed for the feel of dry clothes and a warm blanket.
- She sighed, realizing Hawk was right: she needed to let these clothes dry.
- I got out and wiped myself dry with a white fluffy towel.
- She climbed onto the rock and patted herself dry with one of the blankets.
- Wipe the screen daily using window cleaner, then polish it with a clean dry cloth.
- Traffic constable Paul Davenport told the inquest that at the time of the accident, the road was dry, clean and free from any obstruction.
- The affected areas should be kept as dry and as free of friction as possible.
- Katy finally broke free of the dry vegetation and hurried off the path and to the guard rail that separated her from Justin.
- They also require housing in shelter that is warm, dry and as draught free as possible.
- If the soil seems too dry or too moist, adjust the controller.
- Strain the yolk through a muslin cloth into a clean dry bowl.
- No single profession has as its duty the obligation to provide a building that is dry and free of mold growth.
- When cleaning the body of the light, it is recommended to use a dry, lint free cloth for the best possible result.
- The central glasshouse had two lean-to hothouses, one dry for cacti, the other humid for tropical plants.
- Meanwhile, the fire was busy, the wood was dry and free, and his thoughts ran just as freely on future good times until he too dozed in front of the blaze.
- Water the plant when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch.
- In the fortunate first world, we are warm, fed and dry, and largely free of the famines, pains and diseases that brought misery to our forefathers.
1.2(lacking natural moisture)
(mouth/leaves/skin/hair) seco(sobs) sin lágrimas(cough) secomy mouth was dry with fear — tenía la boca seca de miedo- I feel dry after all that talking — tengo la garganta seca de tanto hablar
- a crust of dry bread — una corteza de pan duro
- Recently I have also noticed extremely dry skin on my arms, legs and feet.
- Next Lisa applies an ‘intensive hydrating masque’ which is oil free and perfect for dry skin like mine.
- I have dry skin, so moisturising is a necessity.
- Since there is less moisture in the air, the skin can become very dry and dehydrated, as it fails to replenish the moisture that is exuded naturally into the air.
- I've always been prone to dry skin and hair, so I really noticed a huge shift when I began adding more oil to my diet.
- Her palms were feeling extremely sweaty all of a sudden, but her throat was very dry.
- If you have other telltale symptoms, such as brittle hair and nails, dry skin and a tendency to feel cold, definitely get checked out.
- That said, men with dry hair should try to limit washings to every three days or so.
- His voice surged for a moment but it was scratchy, his throat was very dry.
- However, I kept noticing things before we left, like my face was too dry, then my hair was too dry, then I had to find lip gloss because my face was looking blah!
- Cold weather and low indoor humidity can cause dry, chapped skin during the winter months.
- If your hair is very dry, damaged or chemically treated, treat yourself to a deep conditioning once a week.
- Whether your hair is dry or greasy, the following shampoos and conditioners will tame that mane of yours for good.
- If your hair is excessively dry and it does not respond to the above treatments, you may not be eating enough fat.
- If your problem is dry hair, first massage coconut or olive into your scalp.
- A regular deep conditioning treatment can also help rehydrate dry hair.
- In addition, try sucking a throat lozenge as the sucking action helps to keep a dry throat moist.
- Gary said the first warning sign is normally a sore or dry throat, the feeling most people associate with swollen glands.
- They were recommended by a friend, and helped my hair not be so dry from all of the color treatments.
- If you can't find a conditioner for black hair, try one designed for dry hair instead as these will have a similar effect.
1.3(dried-up)
(well/river) secothe cow has gone dry — la vaca no da más leche- In Australia, salt is produced by solar evaporation from sea water, saline lake waters, underground brines and harvested from dry lake beds.
- During the summer, the river was dry from its source near Kemble to Cricklade and the water basin at Ashton Keynes was waterless for two months.
- They began some 190,000 years ago when a major volcano blew its top, spewing molten lava into nearby dry river beds.
- The area consists of steep mountains rising to around 1,500 metres with flat valleys, and the area is peppered with sand dunes and dry lakes.
- The chase cars began because we were using a dry lake bed for initial training before using the paved runway.
- Hesaraghatta lake, one of the biggest sources of fresh water supply to the city, went dry quite sometime ago.
- From the next bridge one can see some more sculpted rock, and round the corner the river was dry in this wettest of seasons.
- The riverine woodland diminishes daily and most rivers are dry for some of the year.
- The dams were empty, the creek was dry, all I had was two bores.
- A surge of water was barreling down on him from the far end of the dry river bed.
- Almost all of these are away from major rivers, dry creeks, and sagebrush flats, where recent sediments tend to cover the older rocks.
- Scientists hope that some of those rocks contain sediments that will reveal information about past conditions in the crater, which could be a dry lake bed.
- Hughes also notes that the aquifer runs beneath two dry lakes in the area, Cadiz and Bristol.
- On an old, dry river bend stand the ruins of an ancient chapel that Jordanians say is the site of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist.
- Since then, one of the wells used to supply the community with water has gone dry.
- Bessie and Randy were making their way out of the dry river bed that was sometimes Kiowa Creek.
- On a typical summer day, several dozen dust devils spin across the dry lake bed in Nevada's Eldorado Valley.
- Most of the time, they have to walk for kilometers or dig holes in dry ponds just for one or two pails of dirty water.
- We swooped along a dry river bed to land near the Settlers Arms Inn, in St Albans.
- Residents have turned to the murky pond for their water supply, as truck- and pipe-borne sources have been almost dry.
- The withered trees and dry streams portray the grim situation.
- Will there be an end to exports from the country as tax makes most of the oil supply go dry?
- He pulled his horses to the edge of the highway, above a stupendous array of mountains, dry rivers, scrubby hill crests.
- When water from a nearby active stream flooded into the dry watercourse, the nests and eggs, like those on the flats, were inundated with mud.
1.4(not rainy, not humid)
(climate/heat/weather) secotomorrow will be dry — mañana hará tiempo seco- Their shade reduces evaporation and keeps the soil moist during the dry season, and their roots protect the banks from erosion.
- It was a dry month, with rainfall being only 47 per cent of average and reservoirs only 59 per cent full.
- Overall, the climate is humid and cool, with very wet winters and dry summers.
- During the growing season, keep the roots moist in dry weather and take care when weeding, as blackcurrants are shallow-rooted.
- It was lovely weather and we had an indoor BBQ since there was a ban on any outdoor burning because of the dry weather we have been having the last couple of weeks.
- On my first visit to the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti, they were as parched and dry as any desert.
- The drought belt of Africa has had almost two decades of exceptionally dry weather.
- The cold winters and dry climate would stress the animals all across the Northern Hemisphere.
- New South Wales has entered an early bush fire season, which is being exacerbated by extremely low levels of rainfall, dry winds and high temperatures.
- There is seldom a long dry spell and rainfall is abundant.
- Ghana's subequatorial climate is warm and humid, with distinct alternations between rainy summer and dry winters.
- Testing during extremely dry weather or when the ground is frozen may be less desirable.
- But Scotland and Northern Ireland will see the best of the weather with mostly dry spells.
- In the winter, the winds reverse and blow in a seaward direction, which is the reason why Indian winters are so dry.
- If they have good root systems they can withstand severe dry spells without injury.
- While very little rain falls during the dry season, the amount that does fall is more variable than during the wet season.
- Saturday and Sunday looks like being drier at the moment with the chance of a light frost overnight.
- When temperatures drop, so does the skin's moisture level - a direct result of dehydrating cold, dry air.
- The polar continental is usually a dry air mass, having little distance to travel over the sea.
- During the summer, keep them moist in dry weather, apply a liquid feed every three weeks and, if necessary, give the plants a support to prevent damage by wind and heavy rain.
1.5(using no fluid)
(cell) secohe had a dry shave — se afeitó en seco- a piece of dry bread — una rebanada de pan sin mantequilla
- The modernization will change the cement-making process from the wet, slurry-type process used now to a state-of-the-art dry process that will increase production about 40 percent.
- Calvert points out that the floods triggered by the recent storm surge had demonstrated the eco friendly nature of the dry latrines.
- Under this Act construction of a dry latrine and its manual cleaning was made an offence.
- The camp has solar panels, revolutionary dry latrines, a whole lot of candlelight and kerosene light, and a mandate to be good to the land and people.
- But even where activists have successfully sealed dry latrines, the fate of the people is pathetic.
- His duties consisted of grooming the magistrate's horse, cleaning out the stable, cutting firewood and keeping clean the dry earth closet out in the yard.
- Recommendations resulting from the meeting included the use of dry sanitation facilities in informal settlements.
2
(prohibiting sale of alcohol)(state/county) (donde está prohibida la venta de bebidas alcohólicas) seco- The distillery, you see, lies in a parish that's been dry since prohibition.
- It's hard to find a country where a great many of the social ills aren't related to drink or drugs, particularly in the ones that are dry or have prohibition.
- Do dry campuses stem student drinking - or aggravate the problem?
- But the Wilson Act also left a loophole, in that it did not allow dry states to prohibit the importation of alcohol for personal use.
3
(not sweet)(wine/sherry) seco(champagne) brut(champagne) seco- Beginners sometimes describe dry wines as sweet because they confuse fruitiness with sweetness.
- For whites we waived Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for the more aromatic Chenin Blanc and dry Riesling.
- Oloroso is an aromatic, nutty sherry made in both dry and slightly sweet styles.
- The large, copper-coloured grapes make pleasant sweet as well as dry wines.
- A dry sherry seemed just the thing, so I asked for one.
- In the white category, Peel has done very well with Sancerre, Austrian wines like dry riesling and white Burgundy.
- I went to the bar and asked for a dry sherry and sat in a discreet corner behind a decorative shrub.
- Wedding cake does not taste good with dry champagne - no, not even Krug.
- Although many of the wines are dry, sweet Vermentino wines are also produced.
- You don't have to stick with sweet wines, some dry reds can make suitable chocolate partners as well.
- With spring swigging in mind, Somerfield is introducing a juicy new range of Antipodean Riesling, dry muscat, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdelho wines.
- The light-bodied liqueur is pleasantly dry and aromatic, impressive in every respect.
- While the wines are technically dry, their ripeness suggests sweetness to many palates.
- It is a very dry wine best drunk as an aperitif, and served slightly chilled.
- If you are having trouble figuring out whether a wine is dry or not, look at the alcohol.
- My friend thought the champagne was too dry so she wanted it mixed with orange juice.
- Alsace wines that used to be dry are often medium sweet nowadays.
- Clearly a dry wine such as a Fino Sherry or Sercial Madeira is most appropriate at the start of the meal, not the end.
- We enjoyed a glass with some Chambord Liqueur, a nice twist to this moderately dry champagne.
- This was a very agreeable crisp, dry wine which could stand its own against an equivalent French, Italian or New World offering.
4
4.1(ironic)
(remark/wit/humor) mordaz(humor/remark/wit) cáustico- Given the vantage point of 35 years, LeWitt's art scarcely seems emotionally dry.
- I have a dry sense of humor, which the girls love me for.
- I always love the incredibly dry, spare tone of the Times when it approaches ultra-weird subjects.
- She has a very dry sense of humor, much like mine actually.
- The dry, silent male mourning seemed much worse than the noisy grief of the women.
- It's made me laugh from your dry humor and weep for the victims of corporate crime tactics.
- His sense of humour was dry, he could be irascible, and he was razor sharp.
- ‘What an elaborate scheme,’ a dry voice commented.
- Marty flails about on stage for a while, desperately trying to drum up some enthusiasm and energy for what is a dull, dry performance.
- Dr. House has the perfect dry wit to deal with his rather depressing field of work.
- A dry skepticism likewise informs her views on the art world, and on the varying fortunes of Duchamp's work and reputation within it.
- His comments were made in dull, dry tones, suggesting he'd rather be anywhere else.
- The rail workers are blessed with a down-to-earth sense of humor and dry wit that is more than a match for any managerial staff.
- There is a fine line between dry wit and wicked sarcasm.
- I wanted to think this was some kind of dry joke, but 3 years of servile apologetics from some broadcasters prevent me.
- In contrast to what he sees as the dry formalism of his forbears, Morrison offers a self-consciously passionate response to the play.
- It stays true to its roots of biting satire and dry wit and avoids becoming nonsensical.
- Add to that the invention, intelligence and dry wit this title contains, and it deserves to top the charts.
- There are really dry jokes throughout the whole thing.
- The show was hosted by a young woman who also injected a dry sense of humour into her performance.
- Kev's dry wit and quiet sense of humour was much appreciated.
- Each page of The Finishing School is alive with her customary ironic, dry wit, and yet she somehow leaves the reader thirsty for more.
- He had a great sense of humour and a ready, dry wit but he embodied a certain kind of simplicity and humility.
- The politician's agenda does tend to be as dry and unemotional as his personality.
- Subtle jokes and dry humour set up some nice character development, backed by worthy acting.
- Many found his manner abrupt at times, but his sardonic humour and dry wit were much enjoyed.
- His voice sounded dull and dry to him, without depth or meaning anymore.
- ‘Is that a problem?’ she asked in a dry tone that I thought I may have imagined.
- But viewer beware, a dry sense of humour is needed to enjoy this movie to its fullest.
- He had a very dry sense of humor that made her think of her father.
- So any construal of forgiveness that seems flat or dry is obviously lacking.
- As a result he is often referred to as a philosopher of art, giving the impression of being dry and detached from the world around him.
- He will be remembered for his quick wit, his one-liners and his dry sense of humour.
4.2(lacking warmth)
(laugh/greeting/style) seco
5
(dull, boring)(lecture/book) áridojust the dry facts, with no embellishment — la verdad a secas, sin adornos- This comparison might make history seem somewhat dry and unimaginative.
- Menand suggests that the author's avoidance of such metaphysical pathos was what made much of his writing awkward and dry.
- It not only conveys information, the dry facts and figures of the events, but also their full emotional weight.
- While this book certainly qualifies as a scholarly work, it is not a dry history filled only with facts and figures.
- So, if you thought history was a dry subject, you obviously haven't read a new book that basically makes history one big drinking game.
- This approach has put their opponents at an unfortunate disadvantage; for, again, no one wants to go to a drama and be presented with dry facts.
- We must assume his comments were deliberately provocative to attract interest to the rather dry topic of female participation in public life.
- The rest of the book is filled with such anecdotes turning what could have been quite a dry subject into something real and gripping.
- And the most remarkable thing of all is that she makes this normally dry subject very funny in her highly effective popular book.
- It is a welcome break from the dry writing style of many manuals with little or no supporting graphics.
- The aim is to take what was once a dry topic confined to the history text books and bring it alive for the younger generations.
- In between are 11 pages of useful information, including dry facts and quirky anecdotes, encompassing every area of life.
- New teaching methods were about trying to engage kids rather than forcing them to digest dry facts.
- Written for the educated, informed individual, the book does not get bogged down in dry information.
- It could be argued that such an approach was necessary in order to inspire the audience's interest in a dry subject.
- This topic is necessarily dry and even tedious because it is an exhaustive exercise in the logic of all possible relationships.
- You have to admit that's a pretty good reason, but still, students find the OSI model information to be very dry.
- Such anecdotes illuminate the dry facts and dates in which the past was formerly embalmed.
- For such a dry subject, the move to international accounting standards generates a surprising amount of heat.
- He does not spout dry information, but colours facts with his own thoughtful perspective.
transitive verbdried, dries, drying
1
(with cloth, heat)(clothes/crockery) secarto dry oneself — secarse- to dry one's eyes/tears — secarse las lágrimas
- [ S ]dry on a flat surface — no colgar
- ‘I'll wash, you dry,’ said Jake, turning on the tap and staring at the water that gushed out.
- Wash and dry the potatoes, prick with a fork and place on a baking tray.
- I also advise using moisturiser, especially in winter, as the cold air dries the skin.
- He has my window open and my space heater running to try to dry out the carpet, and he'll replace that if necessary.
- She quickly hopped in the shower, washed her hair, then dried it.
- David finished drying and washing the dishes and headed off to take a shower.
- Isn't it obvious that such an elaborate grooming procedure would be left to after one has washed and dried one's hair?
- So, my job was to dry out the string - I microwaved it, would you believe - and then to hang up the cards.
- Thankfully, some high winds have helped to dry off the playing pitches.
- After I worked out, I showered and dried my hair and fixed my face, and generally returned myself to a reasonably presentable state.
- They were washing and drying dishes and chattering when the doorbell rang.
- I move to the sink, wash my hands, dry them and set the timer.
- When I helped Gemma to dry up, the tea towel slid on oily cutlery.
- During roasting, lard is spread over it to avoid drying out the meat.
- Finished painting the conservatory, had something to eat, washed up, dried up, and ironed a top for tomorrow.
- Local companies have also provided dehumidifiers to dry out the classroom damaged by the van.
- Mrs Dunn said she left a bedroom window slightly ajar for about half an hour to dry off some washing.
- Many contain sugar, which feeds odor-causing bacteria, and sprays and mouthwashes generally contain alcohol, which dries out your mouth.
- Wash and dry your hands or use soft cotton gloves.
- The samples were further dried overnight under vacuum.
- I hurriedly washed and dried some jeans - just in time for my train.
- To sterilise your jars before potting, wash them well then dry them in a low oven.
- What she remembers most clearly about that afternoon is her mother's anger because Anny had taken so long to wash and dry one of her nighties.
2
(preserve)(fruit/fish/meat) secar- Fresh fruit or dried fruits can play an important role in satisfying the sweet tooth and combating obesity.
- Among other things, Sakhi inmates are given training in flower arrangement using dried parts of plants.
- Fragrant barks and dried flowers hold their own appeal.
- Baskets woven from leaves and grass held fruit and dried meat.
- Because I am currently burning the candle at both ends, got home and made my bread, left it to rise, and made my Moroccan dried fruit salad.
- Healthy nibbles, for me, would be dried fruit, fruit and yoghurt.
- Spinach, dried beans and dried fruit are all natural products rich in iron.
- They shouldered baskets of vegetables and dried fruits which they had brought to change for salt and candies.
- Flowers can be dried and used in arrangements, wreaths, potpourri, sachets, and more.
- Try dried apricots and almonds, dried mangoes and Brazil nuts, and dried figs and walnuts.
- Dates or dried fruit are great for satisfying sweet cravings.
- Muntries is a native plant that's well-known to local Aboriginal people; they ate the fruits and dried them to trade with other tribes.
- When fresh fruits are dried, the sugar in them becomes much more concentrated: about 70 per cent of the weight of a raisin comes from sugar.
- Wire flowers before drying them; after they're dried, they may shatter.
- The atmosphere is heavy with the scents of a dark corner of the garden or even of the inside of one of the sheds, all damp wood and dried flower heads.
- Some salad dressings contain sulfites, and so do dried fruits like apricots or golden raisins.
- The meat was dried in the malting kiln and ground in the malt mill.
- Peony flowers also can be dried and used in arrangements.
- If I crave something sweet it's usually dried apricots or dried cranberries.
- Most of us know that dried chamomile flowers infused to make a tea, calm, soothe and help you sleep.
intransitive verbdried, dries, drying
1
(become dry)(dishes/paint/washing/concrete) secarseyou wash and I'll dry — tú lavas y yo seco- I hung it out to dry — lo tendí para que se secara
- Have to keep the throat from drying out, no matter how much it hurts to swallow.
- Bare rooted plants ordered from nurseries at the end of the summer will arrive this month and should be planted out straight away to stop the roots drying out.
- After swimming we sat on a log to dry off in the sun.
- The sun is finally out in Calgary, and despite a quick thunderstorm this afternoon, things seem to be drying out.
- There was a downpour so we went to his apartment to dry off.
- Soil dries faster in terra-cotta pots, high temperatures and wind.
- Moisturize your skin constantly to help prevent your skin from drying out and from getting wrinkles.
- He uses a piece of unsliced smoked salmon, and slices it slightly thicker than normal so that it will pan-fry without drying out.
- Once you are satisfied with the colors, let the paints and inks dry.
- My companion ventured back to the beach to dry off.
- Have you ever watched your clothes dry in the clothes dryer at the laundromat?
- Leave the shower doors or curtain open after bathing so that it dries faster.
- The flood victims either install themselves at our campsite or head back to London to dry off and restock, while I snatch a couple of hours sleep.
- Let the pots stand in a saucer of water, ideally rainwater, then let them dry off a bit over the winter.
- She looked up and over at me in surprise, tears slowly drying up.
- The tape survived, but only after it had spent Boxing Day drying on the radiator.
- If blistering does occur, allow the paint to dry for a few days.
- We sleep in the cheapest motel we can find, hanging up our clothes and sleeping bags in the room so that they can dry off.
- Barely had the ink dried on last week's column than the phone rang.
- The ink dried quickly on glossy paper and didn't have a strong odor.
2
→ dry up
nounPlural dries
1
come into the dry — entra
Further reading

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