dressing case
- noun
- /ˈdrɛsɪŋ keɪs/
- Archaic
:
estuche de tocador
- She opened her dressing case to take out her favorite perfume before the party.
Examples
-
Two portmanteaus, two dressing cases... two hat boxes, and a large luncheon basket.
-
"But that was fifteen minutes ago, and Pandora had got no farther than carrying her dressing-case into the bathroom and putting a few bottles out on the marble washstand.
Fiction book (1990) -
And this is one of... Your dressing case!
-
She had traveled first class, and the leather dressing case clutched in her left hand had cost more than most men earned in a month.
Fiction book (2000) -
"Julian thought of the girl's earring and the strand of her hair, which he had wrapped in paper and buried in a container of toothpowder in his dressing case.
Fiction book (1993) -
On their holiday, he packed his dressing case with all the necessary toiletries and grooming items.
-
Her elegant dressing case held everything she needed for a weekend getaway.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A box or container for holding and carrying things like bottles
1
3.0
A small bag with things like a toothbrush and soap for trips
A small bag for carrying a toothbrush, soap, and a razor when traveling
A small waterproof case for carrying soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste when traveling
A small waterproof bag for carrying soap and toothpaste when travelling
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
dressing + case
The head 'case' clearly denotes a container, and 'dressing' can refer to grooming/toiletry activities or items, so a learner who recognises that specialized sense can infer a container for grooming/toiletry things. However, the sense of 'dressing' meaning 'toilet articles' is relatively specialized and not a basic B1 meaning of 'dressing', so the exact sense is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Dressing case comes from the simple image of a small case for dressing, where 'dressing' means 'getting ready' to go out. These boxes held brushes, bottles and other 'toiletries' for travel, so the name came to mean a small suitcase or container for those items.