public house
2
2.0
- noun
- /ˈpʌblɪk haʊs/
- UK
:
pub
- The public house served a variety of local beers along with delicious pub food.
So I've gone to pick this BMW up in the reindeer public house.
- So I've gone to pick this BMW up in the reindeer public house.
Examples
-
When he closed the shop, he announced that he was going straight to the public house, and this despite his wife's protestations.
Fiction book (2001) -
Then they strolled back into town again, past closed shops and open tearooms and public houses.
Fiction book (1992) -
Everything about his brother's local public house reminded Luke of his brother.
Fiction book (1997) -
This is a public house, isn't it?
-
In Ireland, the agents were most commonly owners of small stores or public houses in the villages and small towns.
Academic text (1993) -
There's a telephone in the public house a mile down the road.
-
Laughter and music drift from taverns and public houses.
Fiction book (1993) -
You and I, Diodorus, sipping beer outside a public house opposite the promenade, not a cloud in the sky.
Fiction book (1997) -
Noticing the green-and-black hanging sign of the St. Boniface public house, he considers entering it, and a moment later does so instead of passing by.
Fiction book (1998) -
Indeed, Francis Place would later argue that one of the "moral effects" of the society was that it "induced men to read books instead of wasting their time in public houses," suggesting that one of the effects of the society was to promote literacy.
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A place where people buy and drink alcoholic drinks
155
1.0
A place like a bar where people drink, eat, and talk
111
3.5
A place where people drink alcoholic drinks and often eat, like a bar
75
5.8
A place where people drink alcohol and talk
16
4.9
A place outside town like a restaurant that serves food, drink, and live music and dancing
14
4.0
A room where people drink alcohol at a counter
2
3.1
A large place where people drink beer and meet to talk and enjoy music
1
9.9
A pub where people drank ale in the past
1
8.1
A pub or bar where people go to drink
1
8.8
A cheap bar where people drink and are often rowdy
1
8.1
A pub that serves many beers and simple meals
1
4.9
A pub not owned by a brewery that can sell beers from any supplier
A bar that sells beer, often from its own brewery
A small, rough bar that serves cheap food
How Upmarket
Surface Forms
Morphology
public + house
A B1 learner who knows 'public' (open to everyone) and 'house' (building) can infer this refers to a building open to the public, so there is a clear compositional clue. However, the conventionalized sense 'pub' (a place specifically for selling and consuming alcoholic drinks) is a culturally specific, lexicalized meaning not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Public house comes from the idea of a public house, a building open to everyone where people could buy drinks and sometimes stay. That's why it now means a place for drinking, the 'pub'.