verb. phr. (common).—To go dinnerless, TO DINE WITH DUKE HUMPHREY (q.v.). Variants: TO TAKE A SPITALFIELDS’ BREAKFAST (q.v.), or AN IRISHMAN’S DINNER (q.v.), also TO GO OUT AND COUNT THE RAILINGS (q.v.). Fr., Se coucher bredouille = to go to bed supperless; aller voir défiler les dragons = to go and watch the dragoons march past; diner en ville = to dine in town, i.e., to munch a roll in the street or to eat nothing; lire le journal.
1888. All the Year Round, 9 June, p. 542. To ‘dine with Duke Humphrey,’ or, as it is now sometimes more shortly phrased, to ‘DINE OUT,’ in both cases meaning not to dine at all.
