spear carrier

American  

Or spear-carrier

noun

1. a supernumerary in a theatrical or operatic production, as one of a group of soldiers or a member of a crowd; extra.

2. any minor member of a group, profession, political party, etc.; subordinate; underling.

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Etymology

Origin of spear carrier

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spear carrier

Last year, the 18-year-old "second spear carrier" found himself playing the lead in the Royal Shakespeare Company's new production of Macbeth.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

The Mets, it seems, have traded away a fellow who went from a hard-nosed, error-prone spear carrier into a rough approximation of George Brett.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2016

That same year he was allowed to stand, as a spear carrier, in Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 11, 2015

Within six weeks I was performing as a spear carrier in 'Saint Joan' with Siobhan McKenna and rehearsing 'Hamlet.'

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 19, 2011

Stopping a super, he asked for Miss Luft’s dressing room; the super, wearing makeup and the costume of an Egyptian spear carrier, pointed.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick