hall of mirrors
- noun
- /hɔl əv ˈmɪrərz/
- All the guests happily follow their hostess to the glittering hall of mirrors.
- stand in a hall of mirrors
Examples
-
In the hall of mirrors, we saw our images multiplying in all directions, creating a funhouse effect.
-
We stand in a hall of mirrors, our image reflected over and over again.
Fiction book (2000) -
Projectors in the ceiling and floor created a hall of mirrors.
Fiction book (1993) -
Augustine and Romy set up their equipment in the hall of mirrors.
Fiction book (1997) -
Emma is in a hall of mirrors. Voice (V.O.): Yourself.
Fiction book (1998) -
The children laughed and ran through the hall of mirrors at the amusement park, seeing silly reflections of themselves.
-
Visitors to the hall of mirrors were amazed by the strange and distorted images they saw around them.
Synonyms
A building at a fair with funny mirrors and games that entertain people
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'hall' (a room or large space) with 'mirrors' (reflective surfaces) with 'of' marking that the hall contains mirrors; there is no idiomatic shift. This compositional structure is common across languages and follows standard English noun + of + noun patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will understand it.
Etymology
Hall of mirrors comes from carnival and amusement-park funhouses: a long hall lined with many mirrors that make your reflection look strange and can make you lose your way. That's why the phrase means 'a room where mirrors make strange, confusing reflections'.