champagne, n.
(ʃæmˈpeɪn)
Also 7 champane, 7–8 -pain, -paign, (8 shampine), 7–9 -paigne.
[see champaign, campaign n.]
1. a. The name of a province of eastern France; hence, a well-known wine of different varieties, white and red, and still or sparkling, made in this district.
| 1664 Butler Hud. ii. i. (ed. 1689) 570 Drink ev'ry Letter on't in Stum, And make it brisk Campaign [later edd. champaign] become. 1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode iv. i, Then sparkling Champaigne, Puts an end to their reign. a 1688 Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Poems (1775) 159 French kick-shaws, cellery, and Champain. 1697 Praise of Yorksh. Ale, Other Liquors fine, Rasberry Wine..and Shampine. 1718 Freethinker No. 107 Sprightly young Fellows, who drink Champagne. 1795 Burke Scarcity Wks. VII. 413 Wits inspired with champaign and claret. 1814 Scott Wav. xx, Excellent claret and champagne were liberally distributed. 1833 C. Redding Hist. Mod. Wines 72 Though in England most people understand by Champagne only wine which effervesces, this..is an error. 1875 Hamerton Intell. Life ii. i. 45 A young mechanical genius on whom the sight of a locomotive acted exactly like a bottle of champagne. |
b. fig., something exhilarating, excellent, etc.
| 1891 Cricket 28 May 139/1 It was of the two Lytteltons, Alfred and Edward, that the phrase ‘the champagne of cricket’, was first used. 1896 Godey's Mag. Apr. 365/1 His candid devotion to ‘small cold bottles’ is unfailing champagne to the audience. 1897 Westm. Gaz. 23 June 2/2 You drink in the picture... This, you involuntarily cry, ‘This is the champagne of the century!’ 1963 Times 28 Jan. 4/2 But yesterday during the closing stages, he gave the crowd a taste of champagne. |
c. attrib. and
Comb., as
champagne-bottle,
champagne-cocktail,
champagne-cork,
champagne-cup,
champagne-dinner,
champagne-glass,
champagne-supper,
champagne-tweezers; also
champagne-coloured adj.;
champagneless adj.;
champagne-bottle, a strong bottle of flawless glass with a long neck and sloping shoulders; also
allusively;
Champagne Charley or
Charlie, a humorous name for a noted drinker of champagne;
champagne cup (
cup n. 11), a ‘cup’ of which champagne is the basis or chief ingredient;
champagne gas, carbon dioxide.
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Champagne bottle, a strong and particular shaped bottle, which has the cork secured with wire, when holding champagne. 1872 Trollope Golden Lion Granpere xx. 341 She would pack up cold chickens and champagne bottles. 1893 G. B. Shaw Music in London 1890–4 (1932) III. 111 His waist perhaps broader than his champagne-bottle shoulders. 1901 Westm. Gaz. 2 May 3/2, I don't mean that champagne-bottle shoulders are in vogue again, but that the shoulder line is not at all square. |
| 1870 D. J. Kirwan Palace & Hovel xvi. 235 The taste of the Prince [of Wales] for music may be imagined from the fact that ‘*Champagne Charley’, and ‘Not for Joseph’, are his two most cherished melodies. 1889 Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang I. 235 Champagne Charley,..any dissipated man or noted drinker of ‘fizz’. The name of a song which appeared in 1868... The original Charley is said to have been a wine-merchant, who was in the habit of making presents of bottles of champagne to all his friends. 1920 A. Huxley Limbo 85 A Nut, a descendant of the bloods and Champagne Charlies of earlier days. |
| 1869 ‘Mark Twain’ Innocents Abroad xv. 148 Well, if you don't know what that is, give us a *champagne cocktail. 1961 S. Hathaway Dame of Sark xiii. 199 Before lunch we served champagne cocktails. |
| 1901 Westm. Gaz. 24 May 3/2 A very handsome coat of *champagne-coloured cloth lined with silk. |
| 1868 I. Saxon Five Years Gold. Gate 266 *Champagne-corks flew freely. |
| 1849 Thackeray Pendennis I. xxvi. 251 Considerable excitement, produced by a supper and *champagne-cup. 1906 Galsworthy Man of Property ii. viii. 211 There was the champagne cup. |
| 1921 F. M. Ford Let. 17 May (1965) 132, I will stand you a *champagne dinner. |
| 1901 Daily News 4 Mar. 7/4 The refrigerant is to be carbonic anhydride, or *champagne gas. |
| 1851 London at Table ii. 45 Never use the present round saucer animalcula-catching *champagne glasses, but..tulip-shaped ones. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Champagne-glass, a long, narrow glass, made for drinking effervescing wines from. |
| 1882 Sat. Rev. 17 June 762/2 Everything..is in favour of the *champagne-makers. |
| 1825 H. Wilson Memoirs I. 176 Her black-pudding dinners and *champaine suppers. 1893 E. Lutyens Let. 3 May in Blessed Girl (1953) x. 189 We were offered..a champagne supper. 1969 H. MacInnes Salzburg Connection vi. 72 I'll have to give up that champagne supper with the polka girls. |
| 1679 Plot Staffordsh. (1686) 101 A faint redish colour like *Champane wine. |
2. A colour like that of champagne (see
quots.); also, a fabric of this colour. Freq.
attrib. or quasi-adj.| 1881 Cassell's Family Mag. 186/2 The colours..include..the shade known as ‘champagne’. 1893 Ibid. Apr. 394/2 The new coloured straw called ‘Champagne’. 1895 Bow Bells 3 May 441/3 Another dress of princess shape is in that coloured cloth known as ‘Champagne’. 1903 Daily Chron. 21 Feb. 8/4 One of the colours with which women will be tempted..is champagne... It is a beautiful shade of pale straw, with a suggestion of pink about it. 1903 Lady's Realm Apr. 761/2 That pale biscuit colour which has been known..as the ‘champagne’ shade is now described as ‘almond’ colour. 1904 H. O. Sturgis Belchamber vii. 89 Who is the champagne blonde..next your brother? 1951 Catal. Exhibits Festival of Britain 187/1 Shoes,.. black patent and champagne lizard. 1965 J. Potts Only Good Secretary (1966) i. 14 Her current hair color was Champagne Blonde. |
Hence (chiefly
nonce-words)
chamˈpagne v., to drink champagne (
cf. to wine).
chamˈpagnish,
chamˈpagny adjs., resembling champagne or its exhilarating qualities; so
chamˈpagniness.
| 1814 Byron Let. Moore 9 Apr., We clareted and champagned till two. a 1845 Hood Public Dinner 115 [You] hear rather plainish A sound that's champaignish. 185. ‘C. Bede’ Verdant Green ii. ix, Similar champagney reasons. 1882 Macm. Mag. XLVI. 67 That peculiar champagney feel of mountain air. 1886 G. M. Fenn This Man's Wife in Gd. Words 583 The light champagny atmosphere. 1884 Jefferies in Pall Mall G. 8 Aug. 4 A warm sweet air, light and brightness and champagniness. |
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champagne socialism n. depreciative (
orig. and chiefly
Brit.) the espousal of socialism by people who enjoy a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle.
| 1987 Time 12 Oct. 46/1 The planned review brought a lash of criticism from left-wing delegates [at the British Labour Party conference]. ‘*Champagne Socialism’, they called the new thrust. 1999 Daily Tel. 23 Sept. 31/1 His unpopularity..also derived from jealousy, caused by Jenkins's success in swelling the membership of his union, and his combination of Left-wing views and ‘Champagne Socialism’. 2002 Western Morning News (Electronic ed.) 1 Mar. Fellow journalists claim they were briefed by what they call the Downing Street ‘smear machine’, suggesting they inquire into Martin's ownership of two homes, which is a bit rich coming from the heartland of champagne socialism. |
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champagne socialist n. depreciative (
orig. and chiefly
Brit.) a person who espouses socialist ideals but enjoys a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle;
cf. limousine liberal n. at
limousine n. b.
| 1987 N.Y. Times 5 July ii. 28/6 His politics, too, are resolutely leftist; he describes himself as a ‘*champagne socialist’ (the British equivalent of a limousine liberal). 2000 Independent 21 Sept. 5/3 Lord Melchett, despite his background, is not a New Labour champagne socialist, nor an aristocrat dabbling in eco-chic, but a real radical. |