dry goods
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Merchandise such as cloth, stuffs, silks, laces, and drapery in general, as opposed to groceries.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “dry goods” mean?
Merchandise such as cloth, stuffs, silks, laces, and drapery in general, as opposed to groceries.
Is “dry goods” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.