roll in the aisles

English

Alternative forms

• roll in the aisle

Pronunciation

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Verb

roll in the aisles (third-person singular simple present rolls in the aisles, present participle rolling in the aisles, simple past and past participle rolled in the aisles)

1. (idiomatic, of an audience) To laugh uproariously.
   • 1934, "Theatre: New Play in Manhattan," Time, 10 Sep.:

     Theatregoers may not roll in the aisles when lanky Ray Bolger impersonates a window dresser retiring for the night. . . . But plenty of people will be amused by Cartoonist Robert Wildhack.

   • 2005, "Film: Edinburgh - Day Three," Time Out New York, 23 Aug. (retrieved 21 Jan. 2010):

     A comedy that this site has been championing since we first got a whiff of it earlier in the year, the film is every bit as politically incorrect as we'd been led to believe, and has many members of the raucous Scottish audience rolling in the aisles.

Usage notes

• Often used in the present participle form: rolling in the aisles.

Synonyms

• die laughing, laugh one's head off, split one's sides