noun
Meaning 1
The player of a barrel organ.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: barrel organist
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
organ grinder
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɡən ˌɡɹaɪndə/
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General-American: /ˈɔɹɡən ˌɡɹaɪndəɹ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
noun
Meaning 2
The person who is in charge, rather than a lackey or representative; the person truly responsible for another's actions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- I want to speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: the organ grinder, not the monkey
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From the repetitive grinding involved in playing a barrel organ. In figurative senses, from the common 19th-century practice of training monkeys to dance to an organ grinder's music in order to perform on the street and solicit donations and spare change.
Across languages
Translations
10 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Finnish: posetiivari — player of a barrel organ
- German: Drehorgelspieler — player of a barrel organ
- German: Leierkastenmann — player of a barrel organ
- Hungarian: kintornás — player of a barrel organ
- Polish: kataryniarz — player of a barrel organ
- Polish: katarynkarz — player of a barrel organ
- Russian: шарма́нщик (šarmánščik) — player of a barrel organ
- Finnish: pomo — person who is in charge, rather than a lackey or representative
- Polish: szef — person who is in charge, rather than a lackey or representative
- Polish: szefowa — person who is in charge, rather than a lackey or representative