Rainchecks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A promise to allow someone to purchase an item at a later date after it has sold out
2. A voucher given to a customer for a future discount or offer when an immediate transaction cannot occur
3. An agreement to postpone an event or obligation to a convenient time in the future

Etymology: "Rainchecks" is simply the plural of "raincheck," so the word's history is the history of the singular. A raincheck is a ticket or stub, issued when an event such as a ballgame is rained out, that lets the holder come back for the event later. The term was built from two plain English words, "rain" and "check," with "check" in its older sense of a ticket or token that verifies a claim on something, the same sense that gives us the cloakroom check and the baggage check. The compound follows the same logic as its parts: the rain is what cancelled the event, and the check is the document that preserves the buyer's right to the goods or seats. Because the item is a promise to deliver later, the "later purchase promise" meaning of the plural is a direct extension of that original paper token.

Synonyms: postponement, deferred offer