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• organ grinder
  organ grinder

  noun

  an itinerant street musician who earns a living by playing a hand organ or hurdy-gurdy.
• organ-grinder
  organ-grinder

  noun

  a street musician playing a hand organ for money

organ grinder

American  

noun

1. an itinerant street musician who earns a living by playing a hand organ or hurdy-gurdy.

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organ-grinder British  

noun

1. a street musician playing a hand organ for money

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Etymology

Origin of organ grinder

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

organ grinder organ-grinder

Monson de Kansky was performing in the role of a street dancer in the ballet “Petrouchka,” and Igor played the organ grinder.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

He cranks the handle like an organ grinder and more nuggets of phosphate issue forth.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 3, 2022

Bach was in many ways a glorified organ grinder, cranking out music to support his 20 children.

From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2018

There are memories, too -- the triptych “Beginnings” is a personal compendium of defining childhood influences -- an organ grinder, an upside-down Puss in Boots, a globe showing America and an art-loving uncle.

From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 9, 2011

She didn’t know whether it would be better to be a band when she grew up or an organ grinder lady.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

“We didn’t allow ourselves to think that. The prevailing attitude was, We’re organ-grinder monkeys. Message be damned, our main focus was the finding the shortest route to the funniest joke.”

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 26, 2016

She met an organ-grinder and salesmen with various tourist trinkets, and then she stopped at a stall selling Soviet memorabilia – all these fur hats with stars and figures of Stalin.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 11, 2016

So you still think of Verdi as a purveyor of organ-grinder accompaniments?

From Chicago Tribune ● Apr. 17, 2011

“It was with a great deal of gusto that I banned the organ-grinder from the streets of the City of New York,” La Guardia wrote.

From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2010

The monkeys that are used in laboratories are not organ-grinder monkeys.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston