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Glite Dictionary
spicy dipping sauce

spicy dipping sauce

2.5
A sauce that tastes hot from spices for dipping food like chicken or dumplings
  • noun
translation icon : salsa picante
  • Many Asian restaurants offer a spicy dipping sauce for dumplings and fried snacks.

Examples

  • The spring rolls are even better with the spicy dipping sauce on the side.

  • I love the spicy dipping sauce with my spring rolls.

  • He prepared a homemade spicy dipping sauce to serve with the chicken wings.

  • Can you pass me the spicy dipping sauce?

  • I served the fried chicken with a spicy dipping sauce on the side.

  • The spicy dipping sauce added a kick to the fresh spring rolls.

  • For the appetizer, we enjoyed shrimp with a zesty, spicy dipping sauce.

Synonyms

salsa
vsspicy dipping sauce
94 1.2

A spicy tomato sauce with onions and chili peppers served with Mexican food

is similar but focused on being a spicy accompaniment for putting food into the sauce
dip
vsspicy dipping sauce
68 1.0

A thick sauce you put food into before eating

is spicy and served as an accompaniment for putting food into the sauce
hot sauce
vsspicy dipping sauce
34 1.0

A spicy sauce made from chili peppers that people add to food for heat

is served in the same dipping role while emphasizing spicy accompaniment
barbecue sauce
vsspicy dipping sauce
17 1.0

A spicy, sweet and tangy sauce used on grilled or smoked meat

is not mainly for putting food into the sauce but for glazing and flavoring meat
Sriracha
vsspicy dipping sauce
7 4.8

A spicy chili sauce from Thailand that people put on food to add heat

is used similarly but specifically served for putting food into the sauce
cocktail sauce
vsspicy dipping sauce
  • US
4 2.0

A spicy red sauce made from ketchup, horseradish, and lemon juice, served with seafood

is used alike but more generally as a spicy accompaniment for putting food into the sauce
chili sauce
vsspicy dipping sauce
  • US
1 1.0

A spicy sauce made from peppers, tomatoes, and vinegar to add heat to food

is used the same way but specifically meant for putting food into the sauce
sambal
vsspicy dipping sauce
1 7.6

A spicy Indonesian sauce made from chili peppers to put on food

is served as a spicy accompaniment meant for putting food into the sauce
Tabasco sauce
vsspicy dipping sauce
1 2.8

A hot sauce that uses aged red peppers and vinegar

is milder and thicker, made to serve as a spicy accompaniment for putting food into the sauce
harissa
vsspicy dipping sauce
1 6.9

A hot red paste made from chili peppers and garlic used to add spice to food

is less often served for putting food into the sauce and more for flavoring dishes
tomato ketchup
vsspicy dipping sauce
1 1.0

A thick red sauce made from tomatoes and used on foods like fries

is specifically spicy and intended as an accompaniment for putting food into the sauce
spicy hiam
vsspicy dipping sauce
7.9

A spicy sauce that adds heat and flavor to food

is designed specifically to accompany food by putting items into the sauce

Antonyms

mild-tasting
1 3.4

Having a gentle, not strong taste

Surface Forms

spicy dipping sauce singular
spicy dipping sauces plural

Morphology

spicy + dip + sauce

The phrase is fully compositional: 'dipping sauce' is a sauce used for dipping (derivable from 'dip' + -ing) and 'spicy' describes its hot flavor. A B1 learner who knows 'spicy', 'dip', and 'sauce' can readily infer the meaning; the modifier+noun pattern is common cross-linguistically.

Etymology

Spicy dipping sauce gives a simple picture: spicy means hot, dipping shows you put food into it, and sauce is the liquid you eat with food. So, the name may come from the image of dipping a fry or a piece of food into a small bowl of hot sauce, and that's why it means 'a sauce with a spicy flavor served for dipping'.