show businessn.
/ˈʃəʊ ˌbɪznᵻs/, U.S. /ˈʃoʊ ˌbɪznᵻs/ 1. The entertainment industry; (originally) the business of presenting or producing circuses or similar shows; (later) the theatre, films, television, and pop music as a profession. Cf. showbiz n. 1.In early use with the.In the catchphrase there's no business like show business after the Irving Berlin song of that title: see quot. 1946.
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [noun] > show-business
show business1840
showbiz1872
1840 Old Eng. 27 Jan. 5/2 Her husband [was] a cripple, and thinking that in the event of their going in the show business he might do something towards getting a livelihood, she..got a show cart made.
1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 3 June 4/1 Performing lions, performing dogs, and performing leopards are common enough in the show business.
1903 Cent. Mag. Apr. 819/1 General Grant..declined to remain in town for the occasion, saying that he had had enough of ‘show business’.
1946 I. Berlin (title of song) There's no business like show business.
1956 H. Grisewood in A. Pryce-Jones New Outl. Mod. Knowl. 426 The cinema and broadcasting to a large extent are part of what is called show-business.
1972 Guardian 24 June 11/7 There is, as they say, no business like show business.
1990 New Dimensions May 65/3 The gamble of show business, with stardom achieved and lost in a day, has led many in the profession to seek counselling.
2010 Dunoon Observer & Argyllshire Standard 13 Aug. 17/1 Ronnie began in show business at the age of nine as a call-boy at the city's Theatre Royal.
2. People who work in the entertainment industry, considered collectively. rare.
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1962 J. McCabe Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy i. 28 He had a great opening. All show business on the British Isles came to it.
Compounds
General attributive, as show business career, show business personality, etc.
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [adjective] > show-business
show business1922
showbizzy1942
showbiz1966
1922 Amer. Organist Jan. 25/2 We have heard certain jazz-faking, show-business organists play comedies.
1958 Punch 26 Feb. 278/1 I was delighted to see that Frankie Vaughan had been selected as Show Business Personality of the Year.
1961 Radio Times 6 Apr. 53/2 No..illusions about the permanence of show-business reputations.
1976 M. Butterworth Festival! xi. 187 Feature stories on the show business stars.
1991 Vanity Fair Mar. 116/3 He is..a slightly mythic figure in show-business circles.
2014 Stage 27 Mar. 15/2 Even getting on the first rung of the showbusiness ladder can be difficult.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1840