内容简介：
Theatre has provided many words and meanings which we use--ignorant of their origins--in everyday writing and speech. This is the first book to explore 2,000 theatre terms in depth, in some cases treacing their history over two and a half millenia, in others exploring expressions less than a decade old. Terms are defined, shown in use and cross-referenced in ways which will fascinate theatre-goers, and encourage those actively engaged in the theatre to examine the familiar from new angles. The book combines lexicography, theatre history and modern theatre practice and is an essential purchase for all theatre and language aficiandos.