"dry spell" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dry",
        "3": "spell",
        "t2": "a period of time"
      },
      "expansion": "dry + spell (“a period of time”)",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cold spell"
      },
      "expansion": "cold spell",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Originated around 1885–1890, from dry + spell (“a period of time”). Compare cold spell.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dry spells",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "dry spell (plural dry spells)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "57 1 42",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sex",
          "orig": "en:Sex",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Reproduction",
            "Fundamental",
            "Life",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1989, Christopher Ward, David Tyson (lyrics and music), “Black Velvet”, performed by Alannah Myles",
          "text": "Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell / Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1996, M.G. Vassangi, The Book Of Secrets, page 74",
          "text": "The rains, it seemed, were over, and a dry spell was upon them […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Denise Gess, William Lutz, Firestorm at Peshtigo, page 42",
          "text": "The only place unaffected by the persistent dry spell was the city of Milwaukee […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A drawn-out period where the weather has been dry, for an abnormally long time; shorter and not as severe as a drought."
      ],
      "id": "en-dry_spell-en-noun-eFtIpxv9",
      "links": [
        [
          "drawn-out",
          "drawn-out"
        ],
        [
          "drought",
          "drought"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "english": "the scent of rain on earth after a dry spell",
          "word": "petrichor"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1970, Gabriel H. L. Jacobs, When children think, page 31",
          "text": "The first type is of course the dry spell when you can't think of any ideas. The second type is when kids just have a dry spell in writing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A period or time where there is little activity, productivity, low income etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-dry_spell-en-noun-QDziXnnA",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A period or time where there is little activity, productivity, low income etc."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 20 68",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 24 60",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 26 59",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 28 56",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Climatology",
          "orig": "en:Climatology",
          "parents": [
            "Earth sciences",
            "Sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2007, Elina Furman, Kiss and Run, Simon and Schuster, page 87",
          "text": "There's no telling when the serial dating bug can strike. You may be just getting out of a serious relationship, marriage, or long dry spell. But one thing's for certain: when it does it can become a really hard habit to break.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A period of time without sexual intercourse."
      ],
      "id": "en-dry_spell-en-noun-Ma~WYDeM",
      "links": [
        [
          "sexual intercourse",
          "sexual intercourse"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A period of time without sexual intercourse."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dry spell"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "en:Climatology",
    "en:Sex"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dry",
        "3": "spell",
        "t2": "a period of time"
      },
      "expansion": "dry + spell (“a period of time”)",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cold spell"
      },
      "expansion": "cold spell",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Originated around 1885–1890, from dry + spell (“a period of time”). Compare cold spell.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dry spells",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "dry spell (plural dry spells)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "english": "the scent of rain on earth after a dry spell",
      "word": "petrichor"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1989, Christopher Ward, David Tyson (lyrics and music), “Black Velvet”, performed by Alannah Myles",
          "text": "Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell / Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1996, M.G. Vassangi, The Book Of Secrets, page 74",
          "text": "The rains, it seemed, were over, and a dry spell was upon them […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Denise Gess, William Lutz, Firestorm at Peshtigo, page 42",
          "text": "The only place unaffected by the persistent dry spell was the city of Milwaukee […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A drawn-out period where the weather has been dry, for an abnormally long time; shorter and not as severe as a drought."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "drawn-out",
          "drawn-out"
        ],
        [
          "drought",
          "drought"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1970, Gabriel H. L. Jacobs, When children think, page 31",
          "text": "The first type is of course the dry spell when you can't think of any ideas. The second type is when kids just have a dry spell in writing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A period or time where there is little activity, productivity, low income etc."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A period or time where there is little activity, productivity, low income etc."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2007, Elina Furman, Kiss and Run, Simon and Schuster, page 87",
          "text": "There's no telling when the serial dating bug can strike. You may be just getting out of a serious relationship, marriage, or long dry spell. But one thing's for certain: when it does it can become a really hard habit to break.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A period of time without sexual intercourse."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sexual intercourse",
          "sexual intercourse"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A period of time without sexual intercourse."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dry spell"
}