parlour
Small shop for a specific service
A small shop or place where people go to get a special service, for example ice cream, beauty care, massages, or tattoos.
a/an [type] parlour
- We stopped at a little ice-cream parlour by the beach.
- She works evenings at a tattoo parlour downtown.
- They spent the afternoon chatting in a beauty parlour while getting their hair done.
- The body was taken to a funeral parlour to be prepared for the service.
- A new massage parlour has just opened on the High Street.
- We went to an ice-cream parlour after school.
- My sister found a job in a beauty parlour.
- He got his first tattoo at a small parlour in the city.
- There is a pizza parlour on the corner.
Formal sitting room in a house
An old-fashioned word for a formal sitting room in a house, used mainly for guests and special times.
in the [adjective] parlour
- The guests were shown into the front parlour to wait for the bride.
- Her grandmother kept the best furniture in the parlour, only used on Sundays.
- The old house had a dark, crowded parlour filled with heavy curtains and portraits.
- We took tea in the parlour while the children played outside.
- In the story, the family sits in the parlour and talks.
- Her grandfather waits for visitors in the small parlour.
- The children are not allowed to play in the best parlour.
- Base: parlour
- Plural: parlours
beauty parlour
1Place for beauty treatments
A place where people go to get beauty treatments, like having their hair, nails, or face done.
- She spent the morning at the beauty parlour getting her hair styled for the wedding.
- The new beauty parlour offers facials, waxing, and manicures.
funeral parlour
1Business that arranges funerals
A place where workers prepare dead bodies and help families arrange funerals.
- The family met at the funeral parlour to make arrangements for the service.
- Flowers were sent directly to the funeral parlour.
ice-cream parlour
1Shop that sells ice cream
A small shop or café where you can buy and eat ice cream.
- After the movie, we treated the kids to sundaes at the ice-cream parlour.
- There’s a famous ice-cream parlour on the seafront that makes its own flavours.
massage parlour
1Place offering massage services
A place where people go to get a massage; in some contexts, it may also suggest sexual services.
- A new massage parlour has opened next to the gym.
- Many cities strictly regulate massage parlours to prevent illegal activities.
parlour game
1Simple indoor social game
A simple game people play together inside, often at a party, using talking, guessing, or acting instead of sports or computers.
- Over the holidays, the family spent evenings playing old-fashioned parlour games.
- Charades is a classic parlour game.
parlour games
1Indoor social games (plural)
Simple social games that people play indoors, often at home with family or friends.
- The children were kept busy with parlour games while the adults talked.
- They prefer old-fashioned parlour games to video games at Christmas.
parlour trick
1Simple showy trick for fun
A small trick or special skill that you do to impress or entertain people, but that is not very serious or useful.
- His ability to recite long lists of numbers is really just a parlour trick.
- The magician amused the guests with a few easy parlour tricks.
pizza parlour
1Restaurant that mainly sells pizza
A small restaurant or shop where you can buy and eat pizza.
- We met at a little pizza parlour near the station.
- The street is full of bars and pizza parlours.
tattoo parlour
1Shop where tattoos are done
A shop where an artist draws permanent pictures or words on your skin with ink and needles.
- He designed the image himself and took it to a tattoo parlour.
- There are three tattoo parlours on this street alone.