Grill

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Grill

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun and verb

Pronunciation

gril  /ɡrɪl/

Definition

As a noun: a device with bars over which food is cooked; the part of a cooker under which food is cooked by radiant heat; a restaurant serving grilled food. As a verb: to cook food on a grill or under a broiler; (informal) to question someone intensely and persistently.

Plain meaning

A grill is a cooking device with metal bars over heat — used to cook meat, fish, and vegetables. In British kitchens, the grill is the overhead element of a cooker. To grill someone informally means to question them intensely.

Register

Neutral in cooking contexts. The informal sense — to grill someone — is widely used in everyday speech and journalism for intense questioning. The mixed grill is culturally British. Grill as a restaurant name implies casual, approachable dining with a focus on grilled food.