boxing day
/ˈbɑːksɪŋ deɪ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.16 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The day or days (boxing week) following Christmas (December 25th) when stores have large reductions.
Example Sentences
- "There are plenty of discounted Christmas items in the Boxing Day sale."
- "Boxing-day in the London streets, and especially a wet Boxing-day, can scarcely fail to afford us some tableaux vivants illustrative of English metropolitan life. […] Christmas-eve of the year about which I write was bright and springlike; Christmas-day dismal, dark, and un-Christmas-like; but Boxing-day that year was essentially muggy, sloppy, drizzly, and nasty."
- "On Boxing day, December 26th, 1902, the sixth grand annual pantomime, "Jack & the beanstalk""
- "Think about all those Boxing Day sales, then sit back and relish in the fact that you have enough and that you don't give a shit."
- "Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26 each year and is a national holiday in the UK. […] Boxing Day is a time to spend with family or friends, particularly those not seen on Christmas Day itself. It is also a day to eat left over turkey. […] Boxing Day is also a time when the Brits show their eccentricity by taking part in all kinds of bizarre traditions including swimming the icy cold English Channel, or running into the sea, fun runs and charity events. December 26 is a big day for sales too. Dramatic price reductions lure out millions of shoppers who even queue for hours before the shops open."
Etymology
Perhaps because of boxes that were placed outside churches to collect special offerings tied to St. Stephen's Day; or because of the old British custom of tradesmen collecting “Christmas boxes” of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service, mentioned by the English diarist Samuel Pepys (1633–1703).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɑːksɪŋ deɪ/
- British English: /ˈbɒksɪŋ deɪ/