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dish

English translation: cookware / tableware

21:41 Dec 27, 2010
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / trade in used cars - in a Ph. Dick's novel written in 1950s-1960s
English term or phrase: dish
Luke trades big. Summer is here and Luke is mighty ready to make a deal with you, mighty ready, at three big lots, all of them busting with cars-cars-cars. What d'you think your old car's worth? Maybe it's worth more than you think on a brandnew Plymouth or Chevrolet fourdoor sedan or a Ford custom deluxe Ranch Wagon. Luke is trading big these days, buying big and selling big. Luke thinks big. Luke is big!

Before Luke came, this wasn't much of a town. Now it's a really big car town. Now everybody drives a brandnew DeSoto with power windows, power seat. Come see Luke. Luke was born in Oklahoma before he moved out here to great old sunny California. Luke moved out here in 1946. Listen to that sound truck that's going up and down the streets. Listen to it go; it goes all the time. It pulls that big red signboard along, and all the time it's playing the "Too Fat Polka" and saying "Regardless of the make or condition of your old car.. ." Hear that? It don't matter what kind of old heap you got. Luke'll give you two hundred dollars for it if you can drag walk tow push it into the lot.

This is Automobile Row; this is the street of cars, Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco. Windows on all sides, all along and up and down, glass with words written in red-and-white poster paint; banners are pasted up high, and flags flutter, and over some lots are wads of colored aluminum strung on wire. And there are balloons and, in the evening, lights. At night the chains go up, the cars are locked, but lights come on, fine spotlights, fine big beams of color frying the bugs. And Luke has his clowns, his painted lady and gent clowns; they stand on top of the building and wave their arms. Luke has his microphones, and the salesmen call to people. Free quart of oil! Free ***dish***! Free candy and cap gun for the kids. The steel guitar sings, and how Luke likes that. It sings like home.
Alexander Alexandrov
Russian Federation
Local time: 19:11
Selected answer:cookware / tableware
Explanation:
Back in those days, petrol stations often used to give away 'free' gifts to persuade you to buy your fuel from them rather than the one next door. Esso in the UK had a long-running campaign giving away glasses (I still have a cupboard full of the darned things!)

It's a bit like Green Shield Stamps (remember those?) —— but I think here, the idea is more purely symbolic: this guy is so desperate to sell cars, he'll go to any lengths, including giving away free gifts (that are quite unrelated to automobiles, but might please the missus!) — a tactic used more by petrol stations selling a low-value, high-voolume product than by car dealers.

All part of the image the author is skillfully building up.

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Note added at 33 mins (2010-12-27 22:14:52 GMT)
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You see how the author is building it up:

1) Free quart of oil (relates to the car, though of course, it might be argued that a decent car wouldn't be expecetd to need the oil anyway!)

2) Free dish (for the little woman back home): "Honey, I've just blown a month's pay on a second-hand Cadillac — but hey, look, I got you this free Pyrex dish with it!"

3) And even free gifts for the kids — so they'll clamour for Dad to buy the rusty old heap, just to get their worthless gifts!

Cynic, moi ?!
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 18:11
Grading comment
It was difficult to choose the answer. Thanks to everybody. Though, I think "dish hubcap" is possible here, too.



4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +8cookware / tableware
Tony M
3 +5free meal or literally a free plate
David Hollywood
5 +1a free dinner plate - a piece of a dinner setting
airmailrpl
3dish hubcap
B D Finch
Summary of reference entries provided
The text
Kim Metzger

  

Answers


13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
free meal or literally a free plate


Explanation:
very hard to say but either of these options might work in the overall context ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 mins (2010-12-27 21:57:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I don't think he's offering a free satellite dish lol

David Hollywood
Local time: 13:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 116

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sharon Toh, MITI MCIL: I think a free plate is plausible.
8 mins
  -> could be :) thanks Sharon
agree  eski: Most likely: mabey it refers to a free plate, cup, saucer, etc.! eski
36 mins
  -> thanks eski and happy holidays :)
agree  Kim Metzger: Literally, a free plate, IMO as a Californian. Definitely not a free meal.
1 hr
  -> thanks Kim :)
agree  airmailrpl: a free plate
5 days
agree  Tony M: Thanks, Airmailrpl! HNY!
5 days
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +8
cookware / tableware


Explanation:
Back in those days, petrol stations often used to give away 'free' gifts to persuade you to buy your fuel from them rather than the one next door. Esso in the UK had a long-running campaign giving away glasses (I still have a cupboard full of the darned things!)

It's a bit like Green Shield Stamps (remember those?) —— but I think here, the idea is more purely symbolic: this guy is so desperate to sell cars, he'll go to any lengths, including giving away free gifts (that are quite unrelated to automobiles, but might please the missus!) — a tactic used more by petrol stations selling a low-value, high-voolume product than by car dealers.

All part of the image the author is skillfully building up.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 33 mins (2010-12-27 22:14:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You see how the author is building it up:

1) Free quart of oil (relates to the car, though of course, it might be argued that a decent car wouldn't be expecetd to need the oil anyway!)

2) Free dish (for the little woman back home): "Honey, I've just blown a month's pay on a second-hand Cadillac — but hey, look, I got you this free Pyrex dish with it!"

3) And even free gifts for the kids — so they'll clamour for Dad to buy the rusty old heap, just to get their worthless gifts!

Cynic, moi ?!

Tony M
France
Local time: 18:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 309
Grading comment
It was difficult to choose the answer. Thanks to everybody. Though, I think "dish hubcap" is possible here, too.



Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  jccantrell: Ahhh, the good old days. You used to get a glass {collect the whole set!} just for a fill-up at the gas stations. I would not say this is a free meal, but just a plate.
12 mins
  -> Thanks, JC!
agree  eski: Makes sense to me. Saludos! eski
23 mins
  -> Thanks, Eski!
neutral  David Hollywood: I think we're both of the same age (roughly) and on the same track but how do we decipher what the "author" had in mind lol
35 mins
  -> I don't think a free (takeway?) meals is very likely, nor do I think it would have been referred to as a 'dish'.
agree  Kim Metzger: Literally, a free plate, speaking as an old Californian.
57 mins
  -> Thanks, Kim!
agree  cmwilliams (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks, CMW!
agree  JaneTranslates: Yes, it's a plate. If it were a meal, it *might* say "plate," but never "dish." Part of a table setting.
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Jane! Rather my feelingd; you have dishes on menus, but not otherwise generally used to refer to 'meals'; besides, think if the hygiene issues!
agree  Shera Lyn Parpia: most likely this.
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Shera!
agree  BdiL: Handcuffing for the family coming in bundle! Petrol (gas) stations imported that technique to Italy in the 60's. We now have our used-cars dealer in office these days, unluckily! Your explanation is the most likely. Maurizio
15 hrs
agree  airmailrpl: tableware
5 days
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
dish hubcap


Explanation:
Perhaps more suitable to the era than satellite dishes!

"Chrysler / Dodge / Plymouth Dog Dish Hubcaps. Picture 1 - Picture 2. Mopar ..."
www.ctcautoranch.com/.../Hubcaps/Hubcap Sub.../Mopar.html -

1952 Pontiac Hubcaps. Picture 1. 1954 Chevrolet Dog Dish Hubcaps. Picture 1 - Picture 2 .... Pontiac Dog Dish Hubcap. Picture 1. Pontiac Hubcap ...
www.ctcautoranch.com/.../Hubcaps/Hubcap Sub.../GM.htm

1949 - 1950 Plymouth Hubcaps. Picture 1. 1950 Dodge PU Hubcap. Picture 1. 1951 Dodge Hubcap ... Mopar Dog Dish Hubcap. Picture 1. Mopar Dog Dish Hubcaps ...
www.ctcautoranch.com/.../Hubcaps/Hubcap Sub.../Mopar.html


B D Finch
France
Local time: 18:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 192

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  BdiL: Good point and fine links, but I'm wondering why (even used) cars should come sans hubcaps. Or has that somethin' to do with u.c. salesmanship?! ;-) Maurizio
14 hrs
  -> Cars come with bog-standard hubcaps so that the proud owners can pay for classier ones that make their car stand out (they imagine). Also hubcaps tend to fall off or get nicked.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
a free dinner plate - a piece of a dinner setting


Explanation:
Free ***dish***! => a free dinner plate - a piece of a dinner setting

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 13:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 88

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  JaneTranslates
1 hr
  -> thank you
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Reference comments


1 hr peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: The text

Reference information:
This is Automobile Row; this is the street of cars, Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco.

http://www.octobot.net/library/Dick, Philip K/Dick, Philip K...


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Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-27 23:24:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The Broken Bubble is an early mainstream novel by noted science fiction author Philip K. Dick. It was written somewhere around 1956.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 80

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  BdiL: wowie-zowie! Talk about memory! M.
14 hrs
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