bumbershoot
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bumbershoot
First recorded in 1895–1900; bumber-, a facetious alteration of umbrella + -shoot, respelling of -chute in parachute
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Also, don’t expect Americans to take you seriously if you refer to your umbrella as a brolly, and don’t attempt to call it a bumbershoot unless you can lend the term a Benedict Cumberbatch lilt.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2014
And the digital archive of the Times of London, comprising 7,696,959 articles published between 1785 and 1985, yields precisely zero hits for bumbershoot.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2011
In my recent article about Americans using more Britishisms, I wondered aloud, "Why have we adopted laddish while we didn't adopt telly or bumbershoot?"
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2011
The Queen balanced a royal bumbershoot, but President Tubman had only his black topper to ward off the downpour as he waved to the smattering of onlookers along their route.
From Time Magazine Archive
I opened my eyes, and the umbrella—or the bumbershoot, or whatever it was—had vanished.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
