ˈgaudy-day
Also 6 gaude-day (9 gaudé-).
[f. gaudy n. + day.]
A day of rejoicing, a festival or gala day; esp. the day on which a college ‘gaudy’ is held (see gaudy n. 5).
| 1567 Drant Horace's Ep. To Rdr., Their loue dayes, their gaude dayes. 1585 Cogan Haven Health cciii. 172 The full dyet..may be such, as is vsed at Oxforde vppon gaudie daies. 1624 Middleton Game at Chess iii. i. 42 Your foode shall be Black-beries, and vpon gawdy dayes A Pickled Spider. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Gawdy, or Granddays, in the Inns of Court there are four of these in the yeer, that is, one in every Term. 1710 Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) III. 100 S{supt} Thomas a Gaudy-Day in Queen's College. 1769 De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. (ed. 7) I. 372, 13 Companies of incorporated Trades, who, on public Occasions, and on Gaudy-days, walk in the Mayor's Train. 1795–6 Burke Regic. Peace iv. Wks. IX. 51 On this their gaudy day the new Regicide Directory sent for their diplomatick rabble. 1814 Hist. Univ. Oxford II. 261 This dress is worn..at dinners on gawdy days. 1830 T. Wilson Pitman's Pay iii. (1843) 52 A gaudy-day myeks a' hands merry. 1864 Sir F. Palgrave Norm. & Eng. III. 161 It was a gaudy day for the burly London Citizens. 1884 Edin. Rev. Apr. 418 The annual gaudy day was especially a festivity of the Arts Faculty. |
So gaudy-night.
| 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. xiii. 183 Come, Let's haue one other gawdy night: Call to me All my sad Captaines, fill our Bowles once more: Let's mocke the midnight Bell. 1935 D. L. Sayers (title) Gaudy night. 1963 Lockhart & Woodhouse Rhodes xxiii. 404 It happened to be the College's annual Gaudy night. |