evening bag
- noun
- /ˈiːv.nɪŋ bæɡ/
- He complimented her on her elegant evening bag when they arrived at the function.
- a little evening bag
- a small evening bag
Examples
-
"Silver slippers and silver evening bag will be found in accessory closet."
-
She chose the largest evening bag in her closet and placed the dainty but deadly Derringer into its silken folds.
Fiction book (2001) -
An evening bag, to go with it!
-
I decide to place my evening bag at our dinner table.
Fiction book (2000) -
These are the three evening bags I have saved for my three daughters-in-law.
Fiction book (1999) -
You can choose among earrings, necklaces, chokers, and evening bags.
Blog text (27) -
She holds out the most beautiful of the evening bags: a violet flapper-style purse, with long, sparkling fringes.
Fiction book (1999) -
She walks to the dinette in full evening dress, holding in her outstretched hands three ornate beaded evening bags.
Fiction book (1999) -
She carried a stunning evening bag to the gala that perfectly matched her dress.
-
For the wedding, she chose a silver evening bag adorned with sequins.
Synonyms
A small bag women carry to hold keys, phone, and money
A small handbag without straps that you carry in your hand for formal occasions
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small handbag for formal evening occasions' is directly derivable from combining 'evening' (the time/event) with 'bag' (a portable container); it is a straightforward noun+noun composition indicating a bag used in the evening. This compounding pattern is common across languages and in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Evening bag is a simple picture: a small bag you carry in the evening when you dress up. So it means 'a small handbag for formal evening occasions'.