play to the gallery
Meaning: To behave in a way meant to win popular approval.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The senator's speech was pure playing to the gallery.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: In 19th-century theaters the gallery held the cheapest seats and the least demanding audience, so actors who overacted for them were "playing to the gallery."
Equivalents in other languages
- Swedish: spel för galleriet — literally: play for the gallery
- French: Épater la galerie — literally: To astound the gallery
More idioms — Daily Life
- there's no accounting for taste — People's preferences cannot be explained.
- get one's hooks into — To get a firm hold or control over something or someone.
- don't judge a book by its cover — Don't form an opinion based only on appearance.
- forewarned is forearmed — Knowing about something in advance lets you prepare.
- behind closed doors — In private or in secret.
- the judgment of Solomon — A wise decision that cleverly settles a difficult dispute.
More English idioms
- a pie-crust promise — A promise that is easily broken.
- drag someone's name through the mud — To damage someone's reputation publicly.
- as old as the hills — Extremely old.
- a low blow — An unfair or cruel attack.
- it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye — Rough play may seem harmless but can end in injury.
- six of one, half a dozen of the other — Two options are essentially the same.
From our proverbs
- Sloth is the mother of poverty. — Idleness breeds want because accumulated inaction prevents accumulation of resources or o…
- Better are small fish than an empty dish. — Modest sustenance surpasses pride's hunger; accept what you have rather than starve waiti…
- He that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little. — Neglecting minor problems allows them to accumulate into catastrophic failure.