Word for the Day

I can be obsessive-compulsive (ok, snotty bitch may be a bit closer) when it comes to reliability of information and critiquing word use so it wouldn't be a surprise when a word struck me and stuck in my head while browsing through a menu... right? right?

Anyway, the word was: gratinated. I finally scratched the intellectual itch and googled the word this morning.

Here is what I found:

1. grat·i·nate –verb (used with object), -nat·ed, -nat·ing. to gratiné.
(Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.)

Close.. but too skimpy and insubstantial for me... so i clicked on the link to Brittanica:

2. -There are currently no full text results for your search: "gratinated"
- Please check to see that you spelled your query correctly. Or, try a different or more general query term.

Right! That was productive...! But, since it had been confirmed that it existed (1st hit), I had to dig deeper... and viola!

3. Gratinate \Grat"i*nate\, v. t. [F. gratiner, v.i., to form a crust.] (Cookery)
To cook, as macaroni, in a savory juice or sauce until juice
is absorbed and a crisp surface forms. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary,1913)

Finally! A balm for my curiosity... Three cheers for good ol' Webster... Now, I'll just take a second look if they used it correctly.

P.S. Spellcheck doesn't even recognize the word, so it's not like I was picking at straws for nothing... straws...? is that the right word for this idiom?

:D