bumbershoot

[prettygoodword]

bumbershoot (BUM-ber-shoot) - n., (hum., arch.) an umbrella.


Late 19th sliding into early 20th century American slang, never hugely common, and increasingly less so. Despite American belief that it is a British-ism, it is unknown across the Puddle, or indeed anywhere but America. Alteration of umbr(ella) + (para)chute.

---L.

Comments

[med_cat]

How interesting; I too thought it was a British slang or dialect word.

[larryhammer]

The idea that it's British seems to have stemmed from newspaper photos of Neville Chamberlain with umbrella, as he was trying to pact with Hitler, captioned as with his bumbershoot -- and since the slang was outdated then, applying it to a British bloke made people assume it was British slang. Its use in a Mary Poppins song didn't help.

[med_cat]

I see; thanks.