Boniface is a noun referring to the proprietor of a hotel, nightclub, or restaurant. The term originates from the jovial innkeeper character in a play by George Farquhar.
Boniface es un sustantivo que se refiere al propietario de un hotel, club nocturno o restaurante. El término proviene del personaje bonachón de una obra de teatro de George Farquhar.
| Front | boniface \BAH-nuh-fuss\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun The proprietor of a hotel, nightclub, or restaurant. ["Boniface" has been the name of eight popes, one antipope, and one saint, but none of those had anything (directly) to do with the English word "boniface." The word "boniface" comes from the name of the jovial innkeeper in George Farquhar's 1707 play "The Beaux' Strategem," the story of two penniless rakes who determine that one of them must find and marry a wealthy lady. Farquhar's play made more than one contribution to the English language. The name of the character of Lady Bountiful is a byword for a generous (and often conspicuously so) philanthropist. Farquhar, incidentally, never got to see the influence his play had on the lexicon. He finished "The Beaux' Strategem" on his deathbed, and died on the night of its third performance.] "Jones' retirement will be celebrated, but it also means that for the first time in 45 years, the city's oldest hotel is in need of a new boniface." |
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