chef's kiss

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word chef's kiss. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word chef's kiss, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say chef's kiss in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word chef's kiss you have here. The definition of the word chef's kiss will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofchef's kiss, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

This entry needs a photograph or drawing for illustration. Please try to find a suitable image on Wikimedia Commons or upload one there yourself!

Etymology

From the stereotypical association of the gesture with a French or Italian chef.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

chef's kiss (plural chef's kisses)

  1. A gesture in which the fingers and thumb of one hand are pinched together, kissed, and then blown away, signifying that something is delicious or exquisite.
    • 1975, Frederick Exley, Pages From a Cold Island, New York: Random House, →ISBN, pages 175–6:
      They would sample a spoonful of the sauce, go Ahhh, blow a French chef's kiss, and make their suggestions as to what little touch would lift it to the airy regions of perfection.
    • 2017 September 6, Matthew Schneier, “Rachel Comey Wants to Show You Her Clothes. But First, Dinner Is Served.”, in The New York Times:
      Some are, like the actress Tavi Gevinson, 21, who reviewed the experience by bringing her fingers to her lips and smacking a “chef’s kiss,” []
    • 2019, Amanda Push, "Chang Thai Durango is the latest gold-at-the-end-of-your-chopsticks heaven", DGO, 15 August 2019 - 28 August 2020, page 18:
      The cheese Rangoon was worthy of a dramatic chef's kiss.
    • 2020, Latonya Banton, “Aye And Latonya Presents: Top 5”, in Aye, number 3, page 30:
      But the songs on this album makes me give it a chef's kiss.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:chef's kiss.
  2. (informal) A thing considered extraordinary of its kind.

Interjection

chef's kiss

  1. (Internet slang) Used to express that something is exquisite.
    • 2019 January, Derek Baker, “The Gauntlet staff's best of 2018”, in The Gauntlet, University of Calgary, page 22:
      And when Jacobin tweeted that "Gritty is a worker." Ooohh boy. *chef's kiss*
    • 2020 March, “So, Mallorca needs to be on your bucket list STAT”, in Cosmopolitan, South Africa, page 119:
      Try the bluefin tuna, the crispy nori roll with wagyu steak tartare (so good), and the yuzu mousse (lemon, cream and thyme crumble disguised as a whole lemon) for dessert. *Chef's kiss*
    • 2020 April, Erin Docherty, “Scents of Identity”, in Men's Health, Australia, page 63:
      While this has all the vibrant bergamot and zesty lemon you'd expect from a classic Mediterranean scent, the woody, leathery notes gives it an unexpected, contemporary twist – it's a true celebration of the brand's strong Italian roots *chef's kiss*.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:chef's kiss.