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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

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

Finally he stumbles on a shabby organ grinder standing barefoot on the frozen ground with dogs snarling at him.

From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2011

His memories of life there in the late 19th-century were mostly good, until an organ grinder came to town.

From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2010

As the organ grinder reached the end of his song, the crowd applauded, and the monkey danced.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

“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