| 释义 |
premium bond
Also Premium Bond.
[f. premium + bond n.1]
A debenture earning no interest but eligible for lotteries; spec. (in full Premium Savings Bond) since 1956, a British government bond not bearing interest but with the periodic chance of a cash prize. Also attrib. (See also Ernie.)
[1882R. Bithell Counting-House Dict. 237 A number of Lottery Loans of the worst class have been started in some of the German States, and also in Austria... It would be impossible to get subscriptions to them to any great extent in this country if called by their proper name. The name of Premium-Loans..has therefore been substituted.., and the money that has been extracted from the pockets of unfortunate dupes by these means is enormous. 1908Westm. Gaz. 29 Aug. 2/2 Two of the largest of these lotteries, the Panama and Congo premium⁓bearing loans, are two of the most scandalous pieces of finance which Europe has ever witnessed. Here is an exciting chance of winning a fortune by gambling; let us get the money somehow to buy half a dozen of the bonds, and work no more!] 1908Economist 12 Sept. 477/2 The practical man in the street who knows anything about premium bonds is quite aware that they are in their nature and intention lotteries. 1918Ibid. 19 Jan. 79/2 The report of the Select Committee on Premium Bonds..concludes with the following paragraphs:—‘..We do not, therefore, advise that an issue of Premium Bonds be made at the present time.’ 1931Star 8 May 6/3 Every trick—from premium bonds to guessing the number of beans in a bottle—seems to have been tried. 1940Graves & Hodge Long Week-End v. 77 He [sc. Horatio Bottomley] was then launching new prize schemes—the Premium Bond Scheme of 1918, for example, to which his readers subscribed {pstlg}90,000. Out of this he had agreed to pay {pstlg}10,000 in prizes. 1956H. Macmillan in Times 18 Apr. 5/2 Finally, I have something completely new for the saver in Great Britain—a premium bond. 1957, etc. [see Ernie]. 1957Observer 25 Aug. 9/3 New National Savings reported last week totalled {pstlg}26,689,000 (including {pstlg}1,200,000 Premium Bonds and {pstlg}2,566,000 accrued interest). 1958Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Aug. p. x/3 He also prefers pools to premium bond gambling—in which a bloke can't choose his own combination of numbers, so how does one know that it's on the level? 1962H. O. Beecheno Introd. Business Stud. xiv. 140 The Premium Savings Bond scheme has taken advantage of our national love of a gamble, holding out the possibility of a reward for the few much higher than other savings methods would give. 1974Guardian 27 Mar. 1/1 Another {pstlg}500,000 a month added to Premium Bond prizes. |