This was prompted by a Facebook memory from nine years ago. I daren’t say more about that, because if I did I would be toast. (There’s a phrase for another post.)
Someone who steals the show attracts the most attention and praise.
Examples:
“Snowdrops steal the show at Quarry Bank”
“‘The top three bands were really close, and no-one really stole the show,’ adjudicator Paul Holland told the audience before the announcement of the prizes.”
“Pasalic then stole the show in the 59th minute by curling a sensational strike into the top corner 19 seconds after coming on as a substitute.”
This phrase originated in the theatre but is now also used in other contexts [1].
Photo credit: Amadej Trnkoczy (Creative Commons)
[1] “Steal” in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by Susie Dent. 19th ed. Chambers Harrap, 2012.
I blog about editing, proofreading, and the English language.
Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Many of the phrasal verbs and idioms addressed in this blog were highlighted during an English conversation class I ran a few years ago. I’m grateful to those who attended this for helping me see my native language from a different perspective.
Most of the examples used are quotes from news articles. Click on the links (in yellow) to view the full article.
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