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My fiance is a theatre professional. As a result I've learned a lot of new theatre jargon. One of the terms that has intrigued me is strike. I understand its meaning, to clear everything from the set and put it away, but I am curious about the origins of this usage of the word. The best I can figure is that perhaps it is shorthand for crossing items of a master list, but I haven't really found any explanation for strike in the context of theatre other than definitions. Anyone have any insights?
The OxED has the following for definition 23
b. Theatr. To remove (a scene); to remove the scenery, etc. of (a play); to turn down (a light).
1889 Daily Tribune (N.Y.) 14 July in Cent. Dict. s.v. set1 9, An elaborate scene is ‘set’ when it is arranged upon the stage, and ‘struck’ when it is removed.
1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 5 Dec. 1/3 It took twelve hours of work by a very large staff to ‘strike’ ‘Ivanhoe’ and mount ‘La Basoche’.
1893 Black & WhiteChristm. No. 7/1 Stage suddenly dark. Gas ballens and limes slowly up. Strike all gas lengths.
The number in front of the reference is its year. BTW, the OxED has 77 definitions for the first verb form of 'strike'.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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