legal holiday
1
1.8
- noun
- /ˈliːɡəl ˈhɒlədeɪ/
- Formal
:
día festivo legal
- On June 1, 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
Examples
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Usually, they are paid cash "off the books," do not receive overtime for work over 40 hours a week, or for legal holidays.
Blog text (1) -
Although not everyone in the United States celebrates Thanksgiving, it is a legal holiday and a day on which families, often of three or sometimes four generations, gather together.
Academic text (1991) -
Today is a legal holiday.
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Uh, only on legal holidays.
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Black Friday is the most significant shopping day of the year in the U.S. To not be confused with the legal holidays of other countries, Black Friday takes place every year the day after Thanksgiving.
Blog text (25) -
Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our states have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday:
Blog text (10) -
However, the Protestant church is associated with Europeans (5 March, the anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries in Polynesia, is a legal holiday), and European dress is worn to church services.
Academic text (1994) -
Many businesses close on legal holiday to allow employees to celebrate with their families.
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Since July 4 is a legal holiday, government offices will be closed all day.
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People often travel to visit relatives during a legal holiday when they have time off work.
Synonyms
458
1.0
A day when most people do not have to work because of a law or custom
12
1.0
A public day when most shops and government offices close across the whole country
3
1.4
A day when offices and shops are closed by law for most people
2
2.3
A public holiday when banks and many shops and offices close
Antonyms
How Widespread
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'legal' (pertaining to law) modifies 'holiday' (a day when work is suspended), so together they indicate a day declared a holiday by law. This adjective+noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal semantic rules, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The term legal holiday comes from two simple ideas: holiday originally meant a 'holy day', a day set aside for religion, and legal means 'made official by law'. So a legal holiday is a day the government makes official, which is why banks and offices close.