footlight

[ foot-lahyt ]

See synonyms for: footlights on Thesaurus.com

noun

Usually footlights. Theater. the lights at the front of a stage that are nearly on a level with the feet of the performers.
the footlights, the stage; acting profession.

Origin of footlight

First recorded in 1830–40; foot + light¹

There's far more heroism in the attitude of men out here than in the footlight attitude that journalists paint for the public.
Carry On | Coningsby Dawson
footlight paralysis is one of the most terrifying of all acute diseases and there is no cure for it but experience.
Great Singers on the Art of Singing | James Francis Cooke
Jefferson had really fallen asleep, and his snores, it is said, were quite audible beyond the footlight.
Harper's Round Table, October 22, 1895 | Various
No living creature excites such general curiosity, interest, and perhaps admiration and envy, as this footlight queen.
Chicago's Awful Theater Horror | Various
To use the torch or hand lantern, a footlight must be used as a point of reference to the motion.
Visual Signaling | Signal Corps United States Army

Browse