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Glite Dictionary
kangaroo bar

kangaroo bar

9.3
A bar with loud music and people dancing
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : bar kanguro
  • The kangaroo bar was packed with people dancing and laughing all night long.

Examples

  • We decided to meet at the kangaroo bar because it always has a fun crowd.

  • The new kangaroo bar downtown is always packed.

  • After work, they went to a kangaroo bar for drinks and live music.

  • Let's meet at the kangaroo bar tonight!

  • After work, they went to a kangaroo bar for drinks and live music.

  • The kangaroo bar was packed with people dancing and laughing all night long.

  • We decided to meet at the kangaroo bar because it always has a fun crowd.

Surface Forms

kangaroo bar singular
kangaroo bars plural

Morphology

kangaroo + bar

The noun 'bar' clearly signals a drinking place, so the basic referent is transparent to a B1 learner who knows both words. However, 'kangaroo' contributes a figurative or culturally specific nuance (Australian-themed or energetic/lively) that is a metaphorical extension rather than a strictly compositional meaning, making the full sense only partly predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

One popular story says the name kangaroo bar comes from the image of a kangaroo—always jumping—next to a bar, so people picture a place full of dancing and energy. That's why kangaroo bar means a bar with a 'lively and energetic atmosphere'.