/ˈbæn.dʒəʊ/, /ˈbæn.d͡ʒoʊ/
OriginFrom the pronunciation of African slaves, of unknown ultimate origin. Possibly a corruption of bandore (from Spanish bandurria), alternatively from a West African language such as Mandinka banjul, or Kimbundu mbanza.
- A stringed musical instrument (chordophone), usually with a round body, a membrane-like soundboard and a fretted neck, played by plucking or strumming the strings.
“I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee...”
“For quotations using this term, see Citations:banjo.”
- Any of various similar musical instruments, such as the Tuvan doshpuluur, with a membrane-like soundboard.
- slangAn object shaped like a banjo, especially a frying pan or a shovel.
- UKA cul-de-sac with a round end.
“They all came back here — we cleared the room and put up tables for the reception — and then we went to another house on the banjo for a "knees-up".”
“Billy Tower lived in the far left house in the banjo that was Dagenham's version of cul de sacs. The trouble was you could be seen from the house and, in the time it took to walk along the Banjo, drug”
“The banjo format is not an unalloyed success these days: kids playing noisily on the quite narrow common green […]”
- A miner's round-nosed shovel.
- MalaysiaAn egg sandwich fried on a flattop and served in a bun as would a burger, ellipsis of egg banjo.
- To play a banjo.
- British, slang, transitiveTo beat, to knock down.
“Admitting the assault, the husband said that he had given her a 'banjoing' but that she had asked for it.”
“Madar was turfed out on a final misdemeanour of banjoing one of his teammates in training before a big game”
“"Me and other folk were just trying to get the boot in and some other guy banjoed [decked] him”.”
- British, slang, transitiveTo shell or attack (a target).
“Riding reported that on the day Mayne had asked for DZ coordinates, their base had been banjoed by the Germans.”
Formsbanjos(plural) · banjoes(plural) · banjos(present, singular, third-person) · banjoing(participle, present) · banjoed(participle, past) · banjoed(past)