marmite

noun

1. A rounded cooking pot of various designs, commonly pot-bellied, with or without tripod, handles, lid etc; originally earthenware but currently more commonly of cast iron or other metals.
2. (UK, countable, informal, uncountable)Something which people either love or hate.

   “A pink gin is prepared by swirling a few drops of bitters round the glass and throwing any excess away. It's the Marmite of the drinking world.”

   “Ah, anchovies - the marmite of the marine world. Personally, I love them, at least on pizzas.”

   “I have a feeling that this pie is the Marmite of the school pie world. You either loved it or you hated it.”

   “Catamarans are the Marmite of powerboating – you either love them or you hate them.”

   “A LOT of people could ask me that question. It’s a Marmite thing, you either love him or hate him,” admits Consett actor Chris Coxon who is one of the first people on the planet to attempt to become a real-life version of cult animated character Spongebob Squarepants^([sic])”

name

1. (alt-of, proscribed)Alternative letter-case form of Marmite.

   “Required: […] One tablespoonful of nutril or one small teaspoonful of marmite.”

   “Stir a spoonful of marmite into some brown gravy, and pour over the potatoes, etc.”

   “A teaspoonful of marmite, a dessertspoonful of a good brand of cod-liver oil, and two glasses of water between meals, would make the diet complete.”

   “A spoonful of marmite added to soups and gravies after they are cooked improves their flavour.”

   “The treatment of this particular form of anæmia lies in giving vitamin B, a suitable preparation being a teaspoonful of marmite three times a day, together with desiccated gastric mucosa.”

2. (Commonwealth)A brand of sticky, dark brown, strongly flavored spread based on a yeast extract (a by-product of beer brewing), eaten on toast, in sandwiches, in savory dishes, etc.

   “Peyró has the grace to acknowledge that Marmite isn’t really a sauce before dismissing it as “filth”, and moving on to mint sauce.”

adj

1. (UK, informal)Divisive, such that one either loves or hates it; polarizing.

   “But that 10% gap between fans and detractors leaves room for an interesting concept: is there something more Marmite than Marmite?”

   “'Hangry', fittingly, is very Marmite. For some it is newfangled and unpalatable, but for others it is an essential description of everyday life.”

   “London is perhaps the ultimate Marmite city. One second you're head over heels in love with it; the next you're searching 'Manchester' on Rightmove. But what are the most Marmite things IN London? These six things, we reckon.”

verb

1. (transitive)To apply Marmite to.

   “My toast carefully Marmited, I took a bite and immediately felt as if I’d been hit in the face by an ocean wave, a wave befouled by oil from a sinking tanker, oil that had caused a die-off of marine birds and invertebrates, creatures whose decomposing bodies were adding to the general funkiness that had found its way inside my mouth.”