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tobacconist's shop

tobacconist's shop

4.1
A shop that sells cigarettes, cigars and things for smoking
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : estanco
  • I stopped by the tobacconist's shop to buy a box of fine cigars.

Examples

  • The tobacconist's shop on the corner carries a wide selection of pipes and accessories.

  • I bought some cigars at the tobacconist's shop.

  • During his trip to London, he visited a historic tobacconist's shop near Piccadilly.

  • Do you know where the nearest tobacconist's shop is?

  • He walked into the tobacconist's shop to buy some cigars for the weekend.

  • The tobacconist's shop on the corner has a great selection of pipe tobacco.

  • She often visits the tobacconist's shop to find unique smoking accessories.

Synonyms

tobacconist
vstobacconist's shop
  • UK
1 6.5

A shop or person who sells cigarettes, cigars, and pipes for smoking

is specifically a shop rather than an individual seller
tobacco shop
vstobacconist's shop
  • US
1 1.8

A shop that sells cigarettes, cigars, and smoking pipes

is the broader shop term that also sells smoking accessories

How Specialized

tobacconist's shop
  • UK
4.1
newsagent
  • UK
1 2.5
general store
16 2.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

tobacconist's + shop

The phrase is directly compositional: 'tobacconist's' denotes a person or business dealing in tobacco and 'shop' denotes a place selling goods, so together they clearly mean a shop that sells tobacco and related items. This noun + shop/genitive pattern is regular and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name tobacconist's shop comes from the person called the tobacconist who sold tobacco from a small shop. Imagine a counter full of cigars, pipes and tins of tobacco with the seller behind it, so the phrase means 'a shop where tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, and smoking accessories are sold'.