dumb show

See also: dumbshow and dumb-show

English

Alternative forms

Noun

dumb show (countable and uncountable, plural dumb shows)

  1. (theater) A performance during which the players do not speak; mime.
    • 1602 (1803), William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2:
      O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise.
    • 1977, Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Berne Convection), Article 2:
      The expression “literary and artistic works” shall include every production in the literary, scientific and artistic domain, whatever may be the mode or form of its expression, such as books, pamphlets and other writings; lectures, addresses, sermons and other works of the same nature; dramatic or dramaticomusical works; choreographic works and entertainments in dumb show; […]
  2. The use of gesture in an attempt to convey meaning.

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