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to butterfly

to butterfly

1 7.1
To cut and open meat or fish so it lies flat for cooking
  • verb
  • /ˈbʌtərflaɪ/
translation icon : abrir en mariposa
  • Ask your butcher to butterfly the turkey for you, or do it yourself.
  • butterfly a turkey
  • butterfly a shrimp

Examples

  • Prepare the shrimp: Peel them down to the tail and butterfly them deeply along the back.

  • It's not like butterflied and pressed, but it's good.

  • The old friends like Alice use a filet mignon reference, you know, when they butterfly cows and they like, you know what I'm talking about.

  • Butterfly the turkey breasts by carefully slicing them through the middle, but not all the way, until you can open them like a book.

Synonyms

to spatchcock
vsto butterfly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To split a bird open and flatten it for roasting

is the general method for many meats rather than only poultry before cooking
to splat
vsto butterfly
8.1

To cut and press a fish flat so it cooks evenly

applies to various meats not only fish before cooking

Antonyms

220 1.0

Bend something so one part lies on top of another

Idioms

1 6.8

To move with light, graceful steps like a butterfly

9.9

An action much stronger than needed against something small and harmless

Compounds

A large orange and black butterfly that travels long distances and whose caterpillars eat milkweed

butterfly effect
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A small change that causes big, unexpected results far away

A shrub with groups of flowers that attract butterflies

A person who catches butterflies and moths to keep and study

A small colorful tropical sea fish with a flat body and wide fins, often near coral reefs

butterfly stroke
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A swimming stroke where both arms move forward together and the legs kick like a dolphin

butterfly valve
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A valve with a flat disc that turns to control or stop the flow of water and air

6.1

A metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand to hold things together

butterfly ray
  • Specialized
8.1

A large flat sea animal with a very wide body and a short tail

A plant with bright orange flowers that attract butterflies

butterfly flower
  • Specialized
8.2

A small garden plant with thin divided leaves and bright flowers with different colours

A shrub or small tree with clusters of pink flowers streaked with purple

An orchid with colorful flowers that look like a butterfly

A climbing plant with bright blue or purple flowers that people use to make tea and decorate gardens

A flowering plant with colorful, often fragrant flowers that look like butterflies

A flower with bright petals that look like a butterfly

8.2

A medium to large butterfly with bright wings and small front legs not used for walking

A small white butterfly whose caterpillars eat cabbage and other garden plants

A butterfly with jagged wing edges and a white mark shaped like a comma under each hind wing

danaid butterfly
  • Specialized
9.9

A large tropical butterfly with short front legs and a bad taste that keeps predators away

A large bright butterfly with blue or green wings found in Africa and parts of Europe and Asia

A small insect with bright wings whose front legs are very small and folded so it walks on four legs

A small southern European orchid with pale green and white flowers that smell sweet

lycaenid butterfly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small bright butterfly often with blue, shiny wings

A large orange and black North American butterfly whose caterpillars eat milkweed

A large dark purple butterfly with yellow edges on its wings

A European orchid with large dark green flowers that have a faint smell

hairstreak butterfly
  • Specialized
8.4

A small butterfly with thin lines like hairs under its wings

nymphalid butterfly
  • Specialized
8.6

A medium to large butterfly with bright wings and very small front legs

A small brown butterfly with spots that look like eyes on its wings

A European butterfly with reddish-brown wings and purple eye-like spots

pierid butterfly
  • Specialized
8.4

A pale butterfly like the cabbage white that visits flowers

A small flying insect with wide yellow or orange wings

A small bright butterfly with orange and black wings that often visits flowers

A small white butterfly whose caterpillars eat cabbage and other garden plants

How Flat

to flatten
23 2.6
to splat
8.1
to butterfly
1 7.1
to squash
55 2.0
crush
27 2.8
to split
513 1.3

Surface Forms

butterfly infinitive
butterflied past participle
butterflying present participle
butterflies third person singular

Etymology

Butterfly in cooking means to cut and open meat so it lies flat like a butterfly's wings, and cooks call this 'to butterfly' because the opened piece looks like wings.