Log in or Sign up
Gherkin love

Gherkin

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun UK, informal The building at 30 St Mary Axe, a distinctively-shaped skyscraper in London, England

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Presumably after the shape of the building, which is like that of a gherkin.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Gherkin.

Examples

  • Always on the lookout for easy results, I experimented first with skinny ellipsoids, and discovered that the top of the Gherkin is too pointed for an ellipsoid to model.

    Wolfram Blog : Twisted Architecture 2009

  • Mr. Shuttleworth, designer of London's critically lauded 30 St. Mary Axe tower, known as the Gherkin, claimed his design "heralds a sea change in modern architecture."

    Plans for UBS London Headquarters Dealt Blow Michael Haddon 2011

  • Lord Foster is the founder and chairman of Foster + Partners and has designed buildings like Wembley Stadium and the cylindrical London building known as the Gherkin.

    Private Properties -- Photos 2011

  • Lord Foster is the founder and chairman of Foster + Partners and has designed buildings like Wembley Stadium and the cylindrical London building known as the Gherkin.

    Estate Rented by Obama Sells for $22.4 Million 2011

  • Bloomberg News/Landov The Swiss Re building, known as the Gherkin for its pickle shape, in London Swiss Re has been hit harder than rivals by the financial crisis because of its CDS exposure among other assets in its portfolio.

    Swiss Re Posts Quarterly Loss 2008

  • The British are fond of giving their buildings nicknames: a pickle-shaped skyscraper by renowned architect Norman Foster completed in 2004 was quickly dubbed the Gherkin, while a 47-floor tower under construction is now called the Cheese Grater because its right-triangle shape looks ready for a giant hunk of cheddar.

    London Stalling? 2008

  • And a bit of a facial for London's so-called Gherkin building.

    CNN Transcript Aug 15, 2007 2007

  • The building, commonly known as the "Gherkin" after the cucumber-like vegetable for some reason, Londoners love giving their new skyscrapers ridiculous nicknames was designed by Norman Foster, a friend and former collaborator of Sir Richard Rogers.

    Forbes.com: News Stephen Smith 2011

  • Swiss Re tower popularly known as the Gherkin, is designing Hong Kong's new museum and cultural district in West Kowloon.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • Well, it's called the Gherkin because it looks like a gherkin.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2010

Log in or sign up to add your own related words.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.