banjo clock

American  

noun

1. a clock of the early 19th century in the U.S., having a drumlike case for the dial mounted on a narrow, tapering body, with a boxlike bottom containing the pendulum and its weight.

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Etymology

Origin of banjo clock

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Example Sentences

A banjo clock that would never again keep time but had a tiny cupboard where I kept the other trinkets I’d found.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Dear Sirs: I purchased a banjo clock at $13.89 from you on Tuesday.

From The Romance of a Great Store by Hungerford, Edward

The things might come out of storage now—wouldn't the banjo clock and the pineapple bed look wonderful in Holly Court!

From Undertow by Norris, Kathleen Thompson

The hours passed and the old banjo clock above the mantel wheezed eleven, twelve; then one, two.

From Tutt and Mr. Tutt by Train, Arthur Cheney

People are liable to associate him only with the banjo clock that bears his name; but in reality he made clocks of every imaginable description—long-case clocks, tower clocks, gallery clocks, shelf clocks.

From Christopher and the Clockmakers by Stecher, William F. (William Frederick)