Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A bottom fish.
- noun A spectator in the cheap standing-room section of an Elizabethan theater.
- noun A person with uncultivated tastes.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun That which lives upon the ground; a terrestrial animal.—2. A fish which habitually remains at the bottom of the water.
- noun The ring-plover, Ægialites hiaticula.
- noun Formerly, a spectator who stood in the pit of a theater, which was literally on the ground, having neither floor nor benches.
- noun Hence, allusively, one of the common herd; in the plural, the vulgar.
- Of a base or groveling nature.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A fish that keeps at the bottom of the water, as the loach.
- noun A spectator in the pit of a theater, which formerly was on the ground, and without floor or benches.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun any of various plants or animals living on or near the ground, as a
benthic fish orbottom feeder - noun by association, an individual of uncultivated or uncultured taste
- noun in
Elizabethan theater: an audience member (usually standing) in the cheap section
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun in Elizabethan theater: a playgoer in the cheap standing section
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Yeah the pennywhistle is the worst kind of groundling humor.
Edmond O'Brien Ed Gorman 2008
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The modern-day Globe is located on the south bank of the River Thames a stone's throw from where the original theater used to exist and is built to similar specifications with an open-air stage, standing room in front of the stage for inexpensive "groundling" tickets and a thatched roof over the galleries for those willing to pay more for a seat.
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Also, a limited number of $1 standing or "groundling" tickets will be available at the door 30 minutes prior to each performance.
News for Richmond Times-Dispatch Richmond Times-Dispatch 2010
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On the few occasions when I've seen a movie with the paying public, the experience struck me as a cross between being a groundling at Shakespeare's Globe and being Faye Dunaway at the end of "Bonnie and Clyde."
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I warmed up my voice shouting in the street before they opened El Museo del Barrio to those of us who had political connections or groundling tickets like me.
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Having read the book, I know that it's a lot of fun perhaps a bit too bawdy for some, but in a past life I was a groundling.
More Foolish Stuff 2009
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Having read the book, I know that it's a lot of fun perhaps a bit too bawdy for some, but in a past life I was a groundling.
Archive 2009-03-01 2009
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But this attack is the work of a groundling who does not understand the turns and counter stands of romantic love.
"Like Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' in reverse, the giant, hideous beetle that was the GOP has suddenly been reborn as a vigorous youth...." Ann Althouse 2008
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Has anyone else noticed a lot more groundling crowd noise on The Daily Show and the Colbert Report?
Is it just me #354: Kegger Edition | Goblin Mercantile Exchange 2006
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Has anyone else noticed a lot more groundling crowd noise on The Daily Show and the Colbert Report?
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