organ grinder

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noun

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

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Origin of organ grinder

First recorded in 1800–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for organ grinder

The brain, also an organ, is particularly sensitive to the loss of oxygen.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, the body would ultimately have rejected the organ transplant.
Jon Stewart and 'Meet The Press' Would Have Been One Unhappy Marriage|Lloyd Grove|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in Jersey City the fight goes on, with fabulous organ accompaniment.
6 Must-Read Stories of Blondie, Spies and Riotous Feminists: The Best of The Beast|The Daily Beast|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the film starts, the organ sinks back down below the stage where the musician can be heard and not seen.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

To easily switch between sounds, the organ is outfitted with dozens of preset buttons like the kind found in old radios.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he forgot the stagnant town, the bald-headed man at the club window, the organ and "The Manola."
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
In the first case “I” stands for the person using it, and in the last case it means the organ of sight.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The primal rigidity of the straight line yields later on to the freedom of an organ.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Of course there had been no organ in this church before, or the worthy deacon might have known more about it.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
The flute, a component part of the organ, is one of the most ancient of musical instruments.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for organ grinder

organ-grinder

noun

a street musician playing a hand organ for money

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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organ grinder

noun

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Origin of organ grinder

Example sentences from the Web for organ grinder

British Dictionary definitions for organ grinder

noun