the City
4
3.9
- proper noun
:
la Ciudad
- The insurance industry plays a crucial role in the City of London, attracting businesses from around the world.
- the City of London
- the City Council
- Sex and the City
Examples
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Mr. Secretary, the Arena Bank is not Russian, it's not subject to sanctions, and on top of that it's proposing to put billions into the City of London.
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It is independent from England and is ruled by the City of London Corporation.
Blog text (3) -
No, I work in the City.
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The proposal is expected to go before the City Council by the end of the year.
Blog text (30) -
The UK after the Big Bang has become the City of London, and the City of London has become the UK.
Blog text (22) -
Traders on Wall Street, aided in large part by traders in the City of London, became a law unto themselves.
Blog text (23) -
Among the guests at the launch was the new Minister of Trade and Industry, Aubrey Longrigg, who welcomed the new bank to the City community.
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As a result of the collapse of Jay Cooke and Company, the City of London sneezed.
Blog text (22) -
Listed below are the names and account numbers of the people that have allowed over £20 billion of criminal money to find its way into the City of London.
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Many major corporations are headquartered in the City, making it a vital area for finance.
Synonyms
2
4.1
A small historic area in central London that is the main financial district with its own local government and police
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + City
A B1 learner who knows 'the' and 'city' will understand the literal sense of 'the city' as an urban area or central part of town, so there is a visible link to the constituents. However, the specialized metonymic meaning referring specifically to London’s financial institutions ('the City') is culture-specific and not directly predictable from the words alone, so learners need prior exposure to acquire the institutional sense.
Etymology
The City comes from the small, old town at the centre of London that long ago had its own walls and rules. Because it was the original 'city' inside the larger London, people still use the City to mean that specific historic central area.