grandstand play
Americannoun
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an ostentatious play, as in a sport, overemphasized deliberately to elicit applause from spectators.
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any action or attempt designed to win approval or to make a strong impression.
His going to work on Christmas was another of his grandstand plays.
Etymology
Origin of grandstand play
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
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.
This isn’t a grandstand play on my part; I’ve discovered—and you can see it in other entertainers—when they don’t reach out to the audience, nothing happens.
From Slate • Nov. 26, 2012
The current flap over the sudden awakening of these men to the un-American nature of their clubs seems to smack more of the old grandstand play than of any enlightenment.
From Time Magazine Archive
Last week "100%" Nichols made what looked like his last possible grandstand play short of shutting down completely.
From Time Magazine Archive
Harry Walker's circus catch was not a grandstand play.
From Time Magazine Archive
Preacher and parvenu were alike making a grandstand play.
From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 01 by Brann, William Cowper
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.
