amateur night
Americannoun
-
an entertainment featuring amateur performers, often in competition for prizes.
-
Informal. an example of or situation marked by flagrant ineptitude.
Critics say it's been amateur night at the embassy since the new ambassador took over.
Etymology
Origin of amateur night
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She eventually turned a flirtation with one of her customers, who worked at the Apollo, into a slot for the Ronettes at its legendary amateur night.
From The Guardian • Dec. 12, 2019
Graham heard him sing at an amateur night performance and took him under his wing.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2019
In 1967, Mr. Jackson drove his sons to New York in a Volkswagen van to compete in amateur night at the Apollo, the Harlem theater long known as a springboard for emerging talent.
From Washington Post • Jun. 27, 2018
They began playing live two years ago at the Apollo Theater’s amateur night, and soon started busking around New York City.
From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2014
Then as a one-man band he competed with others at a movie house on amateur night.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
