Merry Andrew
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Originally associated with a specific act at Bartholomew Fair; later said to have come from the name of Andrew Boorde.
Noun [edit]
Merry Andrew (plural Merry Andrews)
- (idiomatic) A person who clowns publicly; a buffoon; an entertainer's assistant.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 438:
- Instead, therefore, of answering my landlady, the puppet-show man ran out to punish his Merry-Andrew [...]
- 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p. 155:
- One of them, the eldest, was a sort of merry andrew and was not above dressing the part with a weird cap of jackal's skin with many hanging tails and tassels.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 438:
Translations [edit]
person who clowns publicly
