disband/reband

Benjamin Zimmer bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU
Thu Jan 10 21:31:59 UTC 2008


The verb "reband" (unknown to the dictionaries) frequently shows up in
online histories of music groups, meaning 'reunite after
disbanding'...

---
http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/musicarts/explorer/folk/
They continually changed line-up, disbanded and rebanded but finally
stopped performing in 2005.
---
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A456257
While Eef Barzelay plays solo gigs, disbands, and rebands, Clem Snide persists.
---
http://www.ceolas.org/artists/Quick_Takes.html
Alan McLeod moved to Vancouver to play with the Paperboys, who have
also since disbanded (and maybe rebanded again, from recent reports).
---
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Edwards
He is also a member of Frost, a progressive group formed and
disbanded, rebanded, disbanded and re re banded in 2007 by the
songwriter/producer Jem Godfrey.
---
http://copycommaright.blogspot.com/2007/11/nobody-told-me-it-was-gonna-turn-out.html
Uriah Heep may have disbanded and rebanded a time or two very briefly,
but they've periodically been releasing new albums for 30+ years.
---

The "disband"/"reband" pair makes the most sense in relation to
musical bands (suggesting a crypto-eggcornic reading of "disband"),
but it occasionally appears in non-musical contexts as well:

---
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/thefalls/archive/?postID=2775
The homeless tent city disbanded – only to reband.
---
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.law-enforcement/msg/14836d73563f4b6a
South Omaha activist Virgil Armandirez has repeatedly voiced his
disdain for the disbanding of the Metro Unit. A local businessman and
hispanic activist, Armandirez has
called for the rebanding and deployment of the Metro Unit to protect
the citizens of South and North Omaha.
---
http://www.theboard.byu.edu/index.php?area=posts&date=2004.06.22&archives=1
But before I ever came up with one, the Board was disbanded. I
remember being pretty disappointed - and then thrilled when it was
"rebanded" a short time later.
---


--Ben Zimmer

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