tannoy

A genericised trademark of Tannoy Ltd, a manufacturer of public address systems. "Tannoy" is a syllabic abbreviation of tantalum alloy, which was the material used in a type of electrolytic rectifier developed by the company.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtænɔɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

tannoy (plural tannoys)

1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, colloquial) A public address system.
   • 1987, Christina Hardyment, “Harlekins and Gondolas”, in Heidi’s Alp: One Family’s Search for Storybook Europe, Book Club edition, New York, N.Y.: The Atlantic Monthly Press, →OCLC, page 163:

     Although the supermarket tannoy was bravely broadcasting Rigoletto, its meat counter was thick with wurst and its wine shelves loaded with Liebfraumilch.

   • 2020 August 12, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, page 70:

     Terry Putnam, from Weymouth, adds: "Riding home from Bristol a few days ago, as we approached Weymouth the guard announced over the tannoy 'The next station is Weymouth - please remember to take all your luggage and children with you...'"

tannoy (third-person singular simple present tannoys, present participle tannoying, simple past and past participle tannoyed)

1. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, ambitransitive) To transmit, or communicate with, by means of a public address system.

• Antony