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Glite Dictionary
borsht circuit

borsht circuit

9.9
Group of resorts in the Catskills where Jewish performers, especially comedians, often worked
  • noun
  • /bɔrʃt ˈsɜrkɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : circuito borsht
  • Many famous comedians got their start performing on the borsht circuit.

Examples

  • She spent her summers working as a singer at resorts along the borsht circuit.

  • The borsht circuit played a significant role in American entertainment history.

  • The borsht circuit was famous for its lively entertainment.

  • Many comedians got their start on the borsht circuit.

  • Many famous comedians got their start performing on the borsht circuit.

  • She spent her summers working as a singer at resorts along the borsht circuit.

  • The borsht circuit played a significant role in American entertainment history.

Synonyms

borscht circuit
vsborsht circuit
  • US
1 9.9

A group of hotels in the Catskills popular with Jewish guests and known for comedy shows

is the same meaning but written with a different spelling
borscht belt
vsborsht circuit
  • US
1 9.1

A part of the Catskill Mountains with Jewish resorts popular in the mid 1900s

is used more generally and not limited to that historical timeframe
borsht belt
vsborsht circuit
  • Archaic
8.6

A region of summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains popular with Jewish guests and famous for many comedians

refers more narrowly to the hotels as a group rather than the whole region

Surface Forms

borsht circuit singular
borsht circuits plural

Morphology

borsht + circuit

Although 'circuit' transparently denotes a series or route, the phrase 'borsht circuit' encodes a culturally specific, historical idiom referring to a network of Jewish resort hotels and entertainers; this sociocultural meaning cannot be predicted from 'borsht' (a soup) + 'circuit'. Even a learner who knows both words would be unlikely to infer the idiomatic entertainment-resort sense without prior exposure or cultural knowledge.

Etymology

Borsht circuit may come from the soup borsht and the word circuit, which meant a 'tour' of places. Entertainers travelled a loop of Catskill resorts where borsht was served, so the phrase came to mean that group of hotels famous for Jewish guests and comedians.