bank holiday
2
2.3
- noun
- /bæŋk ˈhɒlədeɪ/
- UK
:
día festivo
- But it turns out Monday was a bank holiday and her regular vet was off.
- bank holiday weekend
- bank holiday day
Well, it's just been a bank holiday weekend, hasn't it?
- Well, it's just been a bank holiday weekend, hasn't it?
- And also lots of like clubs and bars do special things because it's like a a bank holiday.
Examples
-
Many people take a trip during the bank holiday.
-
It's Tuesday, it's past the bank holiday weekend.
-
But where did you expect to get cash on New Year's Day, a bank holiday?
-
It was a bank holiday, everything was shut.
-
With the bank holiday nearly here, many Londoners will be planning to go away.
-
It was the bank holiday weekend at the end of May.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's a bank holiday.
-
Personally, I've thought a bank holiday is likely over the next 12 months in an attempt to forestall a panic run on the banks.
Blog text (10) -
In England, for example, there had been forty-seven bank holidays in 1761; by 1834, there were only four.
Academic text (1992) -
On the bank holiday, all the schools were closed, and families gathered to celebrate.
Synonyms
458
1.0
A day when most people do not have to work because of a law or custom
283
1.1
A day when you do not have to work
12
1.0
A public day when most shops and government offices close across the whole country
8
2.3
A day when people do not work and relax, often for religious reasons
3
1.4
A day when offices and shops are closed by law for most people
1
1.8
A day that the law says people do not work and offices are closed
How Widespread
- UK
3
1.4
- UK
2
2.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'bank' modifies 'holiday' to indicate a holiday associated with banks (i.e., when banks are closed). A B1 learner who knows 'bank' and 'holiday' can reasonably infer it refers to a public holiday, particularly in UK/Commonwealth contexts, without needing prior exposure.
Etymology
The name bank holiday comes from days when banks closed and workers had a day off. Because many shops and offices closed too, the phrase now means a 'public holiday'.