3 December 2017

char-à-banc or charabanc

[shar-uh-bang, -bangk; French sha-ra-bahn]

noun, plural char-à-bancs [-bangz, -bangks; French sha-ra-bahn]. British.

1. a large bus used on sightseeing tours, especially one with open sides and no center aisle.

Origin of char-à-banc

French

1810-1820; back formation from French char-à-bancs literally, car with benches, the -s being taken as plural ending of word as a whole

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for char-à-banc

Historical Examples

Jones, without the slightest hesitation, climbed into the char-a-banc.
The Man Who Lost Himself
H. De Vere Stacpoole

The char-a-banc drawn by two strong horses was in waiting at the base of the hill.
Which?
Ernest Daudet

The development of char-a-banc tours is another indication of the attractionand the increasing attractionof Natural Beauty.
The Heart of Nature
Francis Younghusband

Anagram

cab ranch

Today’s quote

If fear is the great enemy of intimacy, love is its true friend.

– Henri Nouwen

On this day

3 December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

3 December 1854 – the Eureka Rebellion (Battle of the Eureka Stockade) in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Gold miners, led by Peter Lalor and Henry Ross, revolted against the oppression of the British colonial powers as well as the excessive charges for miners licences. Between 22 and 60 people were killed in the rebellion and around 120 were arrested. The rebellion resulted in the right to vote for men and so is often seen as the birth of democracy in Australia.

3 December 1944 – Civil war breaks out in Greece following its liberation during World War II, when communist rebels fight democratic forces for control.

3 December 1948 – birth of Ozzy Osbourne, legendary British rocker, former lead singer of Black Sabbath, who has also had a successful solo career. He was born as John Michael Osbourne.

3 December 1984 – Bhopal Union Carbide accident in India in which thousands of people die from toxic gases that leaked from the factory when safety systems failed.

3 December 1992 – the world’s first SMS is sent. This monumental event occurred in the United Kingdom when Neil Papworth of the SEMA Group used a PC to send the message over a Vodafone GSM network to Richard Jarvis of Vodafone, who was using an Orbitel 901 phone. The message was ‘Merry Christmas’.

3 December 1993 – death of Frank Zappa, American revolutionary musician. Born 21 December 1940.