What is "toast"

Toast \Toast\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Toasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Toasting.] [OF. toster to roast, toast, fr. L. torrere, tostum, to parch, roast. See Torrid.]

1. To dry and brown by the heat of a fire; as, to toast bread.

2. To warm thoroughly; as, to toast the feet.

3. To name when a health is proposed to be drunk; to drink to the health, or in honor, of; as, to toast a lady.

Toast \Toast\, n. [OF. toste, or tost['e]e, toasted bread. See Toast, v.]

1. Bread dried and browned before a fire, usually in slices; also, a kind of food prepared by putting slices of toasted bread into milk, gravy, etc.

   My sober evening let the tankard bless, With toast embrowned, and fragrant nutmeg fraught.
   --T. Warton.

2. A lady in honor of whom persons or a company are invited to drink; -- so called because toasts were formerly put into the liquor, as a great delicacy.

   It now came to the time of Mr. Jones to give a toast . . . who could not refrain from mentioning his dear Sophia.
   --Fielding.

3. Hence, any person, especially a person of distinction, in honor of whom a health is drunk; hence, also, anything so commemorated; a sentiment, as ``The land we live in,'' ``The day we celebrate,'' etc.

   Toast rack, a small rack or stand for a table, having partitions for holding slices of dry toast.

"to brown with heat," late 14c., from Old French toster "to toast, to grill, roast, burn" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *tostare (source of Italian tostare, Spanish tostar), frequentative of Latin torrere (past participle tostus) "to parch" (see terrain). Related: Toasted; toasting.

"to propose or drink a toast," 1700, from toast (n.1). This probably is the source of the Jamaican and U.S. black word meaning "extemporaneous narrative poem or rap" (1962). Related: Toasted; toasting.

"a call to drink to someone's health," 1700 (but said by Steele, 1709, to date to the reign of Charles II), originally referring to the beautiful or popular woman whose health is proposed and drunk. The custom apparently has its origin in the use of spiced toast (n.2) to flavor drink, the lady being regarded as figuratively adding piquancy to the wine in which her health was drunk. Steele's story ["Tatler," No. 24] is that an (unnamed) beauty of the day was taking the cold waters at Bath, when a gentleman dipped his cup in the water and drank it to her health; another in his company wittily (or drunkenly) replied that, while he did not care for the drink, he would gladly enjoy the toast. Meaning "one whose health is proposed and drunk to" is from 1746. Toast-master attested from 1749.

"piece of bread browned by fire or dry heat," early 15c., from toast (v.1); originally as something added to wine, ale, etc. From 17c. in the modern sense as something eaten on its own with a spread. Slang meaning "a goner, person or thing already doomed or destroyed" is recorded by 1987, perhaps from notion of computer circuits being "fried," and with unconscious echoes of earlier figurative phrase to be had on toast (1886) "to be served up for eating."

n. 1 Toasted bread. 2 A proposed salutation (e.g. to say "cheers") while drinking alcohol. 3 A person, group, or notable object to which a salutation with alcohol is made; a person or group held in similar esteem. 4 (context slang chiefly US English) Something that will be no more; something subject to impending destruction, harm or injury. 5 (context slang Jamaica English) extemporaneous narrative poem or rap. 6 (context computing English) A transient, pop-up informational window vb. 1 To lightly cook by browning via direct exposure to a fire or other heat source. 2 To grill, lightly cook by browning specifically under a grill or in a toaster 3 To engage in a salutation and/or accompanying raising of glasses while drinking alcohol in honor of someone or something. 4 To warm thoroughly. 5 (context slang Jamaica English) To perform extemporaneous narrative poem or rap.

1. n. slices of bread that have been toasted

2. a celebrity who receives much accalim and attention; "he was the toast of the town"

3. a person in desperate straits; someone doomed; "I'm a goner if this plan doesn't work"; "one mistake and you're toast" [syn: goner]

4. a drink in honor of or to the health of a person or event [syn: pledge]

1. v. make brown and crisp by heating; "toast bread"; "crisp potatoes" [syn: crisp]

2. propose a toast to; "Let us toast the birthday girl!"; "Let's drink to the New Year" [syn: drink, pledge, salute, wassail]

Toast is bread browned with dry heat.

Toast may also refer to:

Toast is a play written in 1999 by English playwright Richard Bean. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London in 1999. The play tells the story of seven men who all work in a bread factory in Hull. One Sunday night, Nellie is so worn down from a lifetime making dough, he loses his vest in the mix.

Toast ( 2010), a BBC One adaptation broadcast on 30 December 2010 and directed by S. J. Clarkson, is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by the cookery writer Nigel Slater. The cast includes Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Stott and Oscar Kennedy. The film received a gala at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival. It was released in cinemas on 11 August 2011.

A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast" to congratulate and for whom a third person "toasts" in agreement. The ritual forms the basis of the literary and performance genre, of which Mark Twain's "To the Babies" is a well-known example.

The toast as described here is rooted in Western culture, but certain cultures outside that sphere have their own traditions in which consuming a drink is connected with ideas of celebration and honor. While the physical and verbal ritual of the toast may be elaborate and formal, merely raising one's glass towards someone or something and then drinking is essentially a toast as well, the message being one of goodwill towards the person or thing indicated.

Toast is sliced bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning is the result of a Maillard reaction, altering the flavor of the bread as well as making it firmer so that it is easier to spread toppings on it. Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable. Bread is often toasted using a toaster, an electrical appliance with heating elements. Toaster ovens are also used for toasting bread.

Toast is commonly eaten with butter or margarine and sweetened toppings such as jam or jelly. Regionally, savoury spreads such as peanut butter or yeast extracts may also be popular. Toast is a common breakfast food. When buttered, toast may also be served as accompaniment to savoury dishes such as soups or stews, or topped with other ingredients such as eggs or baked beans as a light meal. While slices of bread are a commonly toasted food, bagels and English muffins are also toasted. Toast may contain carcinogens caused by the browning process.

Toast is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Tar, released in 1993 through Touch and Go Records.