OED Online Word of the Day
OED Online will relaunch in December 2010. Find out more...
Now Available: How to Read a Word
Noted lexicographer Elizabeth Knowles provides a 'how-to' guide for budding word detectives, showing how to explore the history of words from origin to current usage, identifying both the questions you should ask and how to answer them. Click here for more details.
'An indispensable field guide for all word origin hunters, full of insider's tips and practical advice' John Mitchinson, co-author of QI: The Book of General Ignorance
Now available: the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary
This new print publication provides a unique resource for scholars researching linguistic and literary history, the history of the language, social history, and more. Read more and see a sample page.
"An indispensable tool for writers." - School Library Journal.
Your word for today is: champagne, n.
champagne, n.
Pronunciation:/ʃæmˈpeɪn/
Forms:Also 16 champane, 16–17 -pain, -paign, (17 shampine), 16–18 -paigne.
Etymology:see champaign n. and adj., campaign n.
1. a. The name of a province of eastern France; hence, a well-known wine of different varieties, white and red, and still or sparkling, made in this district.1664 S. Butler Hudibras ii. i. 41Drink every letter on't, in Stum; And make it brisk Champaign become.
1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode iv. i 67Then sparkling Champaigne Puts an end to their reign.
a1688 Duke of Buckingham Poems (1775) 159French kick-shaws, cellery, and Champain.
1697 Praise of Yorksh. Ale,Other Liquors fine, Rasberry Wine‥and Shampine.
1719 Free-thinker No. 107. 2Sprightly young Fellows, who drink Champagne.
1795 E. Burke Thoughts on Scarcity in Wks. VII. 413Wits inspired with champaign and claret.
1814 Scott Waverley I. xx. 308Excellent claret and champagne were liberally distributed.
1833 C. Redding Hist. Mod. Wines 72Though in England most people understand by Champagne only wine which effervesces, this‥is an error.
1875 P. G. Hamerton Intellect. Life ii. i. 45A young mechanical genius on whom the sight of a locomotive acted exactly like a bottle of champagne.
b. fig., something exhilarating, excellent, etc.1891 Cricket 28 May 139/1It was of the two Lytteltons, Alfred and Edward, that the phrase 'the champagne of cricket', was first used.
1896 Godey's Mag. Apr. 365/1His candid devotion to 'small cold bottles' is unfailing champagne to the audience.
1897 Westm. Gaz. 23 June 2/2You drink in the picture.‥ This, you involuntarily cry, 'This is the champagne of the century!'
1963 Times 28 Jan. 4/2But yesterday during the closing stages, he gave the crowd a taste of champagne.
2. A colour like that of champagne (see quots.); also, a fabric of this colour. Freq. attrib. or quasi-adj.1881 Cassell's Family Mag. 186/2The colours‥include‥the shade known as 'champagne'.
1893 Cassell's Family Mag. Apr. 394/2The new coloured straw called 'Champagne'.
1895 Bow Bells 3 May 441/3Another dress of princess shape is in that coloured cloth known as 'Champagne'.
1903 Daily Chron. 21 Feb. 8/4One of the colours with which women will be tempted‥is champagne.‥ It is a beautiful shade of pale straw, with a suggestion of pink about it.
1903 Lady's Realm Apr. 761/2That pale biscuit colour which has been known‥as the 'champagne' shade is now described as 'almond' colour.
1904 H. O. Sturgis Belchamber vii. 89Who is the champagne blonde‥next your brother?
1951 Catal. Exhibits Festival of Britain 187/1Shoes,‥ black patent and champagne lizard.
1965 J. Potts Only Good Secretary (1966) i. 14Her current hair color was Champagne Blonde.
Compounds
C1. Generalattrib. a. champagne-bottle n.
champagne-cocktail n.1869 'M. Twain' Innocents Abroad xv. 148Well, if you don't know what that is, give us a *champagne cock-tail.
1961 S. Hathaway Dame of Sark xiii. 199Before lunch we served champagne cocktails.
champagne-cork n.1868 I. Saxon Five Years Golden Gate 266*Champagne-corks flew freely.
champagne-cup n.
champagne-dinner n.1921 F. M. Ford Let. 17 May (1965) 132,I will stand you a *champagne dinner.
champagne-glass n.1851 London at Table ii. 45Never use the present round saucer animalcula-catching *champagne glasses, but‥tulip-shaped ones.
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products,Champagne-glass, a long, narrow glass, made for drinking effervescing wines from.
champagne maker n.1882 Sat. Rev. 17 June 762/2Everything‥is in favour of the *champagne-makers.
champagne-supper n.1825 H. Wilson Mem. I. 176Her black-pudding dinners and *champaine suppers.
1893 E. Lutyens Let. 3 May in Blessed Girl (1953) x. 189We were offered‥a champagne supper.
1969 H. MacInnes Salzburg Connection vi. 72I'll have to give up that champagne supper with the polka girls.
champagne-tweezers n.
champagne wine n.1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. ii. 101A faint redish colour like *Champane wine.
b. champagne-coloured adj.1901 Westm. Gaz. 24 May 3/2A very handsome coat of *champagne-coloured cloth lined with silk.
C2. champagne-bottle n. a strong bottle of flawless glass with a long neck and sloping shoulders; also allusively.1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products,*Champagne bottle, a strong and particular shaped bottle, which has the cork secured with wire, when holding champagne.
1872 Trollope Golden Lion xx. 341She would pack up cold chickens and champagne bottles.
1893 G. B. Shaw Music in London 1890–94 (1932) III. 111His waist perhaps broader than his champagne-bottle shoulders.
1901 Westm. Gaz. 2 May 3/2,I don't mean that champagne-bottle shoulders are in vogue again, but that the shoulder line is not at all square.
Champagne Charley n. (also
Champagne Charlie)
a humorous name for a noted drinker of champagne.1870 D. J. Kirwan Palace & Hovel xvi. 235The taste of the Prince [of Wales] for music may be imagined from the fact that '*Champagne Charley', and 'Not for Joseph', are his two most cherished melodies.
1889 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang I. 235Champagne Charley,‥any dissipated man or noted drinker of 'fizz'. The name of a song which appeared in 1868.‥ The original Charley is said to have been a wine-merchant, who was in the habit of making presents of bottles of champagne to all his friends.
1920 A. Huxley Limbo 85A Nut, a descendant of the bloods and Champagne Charlies of earlier days.
champagne cup n. [cup n.11] a 'cup' of which champagne is the basis or chief ingredient.1849 Thackeray Pendennis (1850) I. xxvi. 251Considerable excitement, produced by a supper and *champagne-cup.
1906 J. Galsworthy Man of Prop. ii. viii. 211There was the champagne cup.
champagne gas n. carbon dioxide.1901 Daily News 4 Mar. 7/4The refrigerant is to be carbonic anhydride, or *champagne gas.
Derivatives
chamˈpagne v. to drink champagne (cf. wine v.).1814 Byron Let. 9 Apr. (1975) IV. 91We clareted and *champagned till two.
champagneless adj.
chamˈpagnish adj. = champagny adj.1833 T. Hood in Comic Ann. 171[You] hear rather plainish A sound that's *champaignish.
chamˈpagniness n.1884 Jefferies in Pall Mall Gaz. 8 Aug. 4A warm sweet air, light and brightness and *champagniness.
chamˈpagny adj. resembling champagne or its exhilarating qualities.1854 'C. Bede' Further Adventures Mr. Verdant Green (ed. 2) ix. 86Similar champagney reasons.
1882 Macmillan's Mag. 46 67That peculiar champagney feel of mountain air.
1886 G. M. Fenn This Man's Wife in Good Words 583The light champagny atmosphere.
champagne socialism n. depreciative (orig. and chiefly
Brit.)
the espousal of socialism by people who enjoy a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle.1987 Time 12 Oct. 46/1The planned review brought a lash of criticism from left-wing delegates [at the British Labour Party conference]. '*Champagne Socialism', they called the new thrust.
1999 Daily Tel. 23 Sept. 31/1His unpopularity‥also derived from jealousy, caused by Jenkins's success in swelling the membership of his union, and his combination of Left-wing views and 'Champagne Socialism'.
2002 Western Morning News (Electronic ed.) 1 Mar.,Fellow journalists claim they were briefed by what they call the Downing Street 'smear machine', suggesting they inquire into Martin's ownership of two homes, which is a bit rich coming from the heartland of champagne socialism.
champagne socialist n. depreciative (orig. and chiefly
Brit.)
a person who espouses socialist ideals but enjoys a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle; cf. limousine liberal n. at limousine n.b.1987 N.Y. Times 5 July ii. 28/6His politics, too, are resolutely leftist; he describes himself as a '*champagne socialist' (the British equivalent of a limousine liberal).
2000 Independent 21 Sept. 5/3Lord Melchett, despite his background, is not a New Labour champagne socialist, nor an aristocrat dabbling in eco-chic, but a real radical.
To cancel this service, send a message to wotd@oed.com consisting of the text signoff oedwotd-l and leave the subject line blank . Alternatively, use this unsubscribe mail link.
Written requests to unsubscribe may be sent to:
Online Products
Oxford University Press
Great Clarendon Street
Oxford OX2 6DP
UK Visit the OED's home page at www.oed.com
Copyright � Oxford University Press 2010
Oxford University Press (UK) Disclaimer
This message is confidential. You should not copy it or disclose its contents to anyone. You may use and apply the information for the intended purpose only. OUP does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message. Any views or opinions presented are those of the author only and not of OUP. If this email has come to you in error, please delete it, along with any attachments. Please note that OUP may intercept incoming and outgoing email communications.
Oxford University Press (UK) Disclaimer
This message is confidential. You should not copy it or disclose its contents to anyone. You may use and apply the information for the intended purpose only. OUP does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message. Any views or opinions presented are those of the author only and not of OUP. If this email has come to you in error, please delete it, along with any attachments. Please note that OUP may intercept incoming and outgoing email communications.
No comments:
Post a Comment