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middlewoman

9.9

A woman who stands in the middle of a performance and leads the spoken parts

noun
/ˈmɪdəlˌwʊmən/

Archaic

: interlocutora

The middlewoman kept the audience entertained with her witty remarks during the performance.

Examples

Traditionally, the middlewoman would initiate most of the banter on stage.
The talented middlewoman captivated the audience with her humor.
She was chosen to be the middlewoman because of her quick thinking and strong stage presence.
Many middlewomen played a crucial role in the minstrel shows.
The middlewoman skillfully engaged the audience with her commentary between musical numbers.
During the minstrel show, the middlewoman served as the main communicator, linking the performers with the crowd.
As the middlewoman, she was essential in maintaining the flow of conversation throughout the performance.

Synonyms

middleman

vsmiddlewoman

Archaic

1 9.6

A performer in old minstrel shows who stood in the middle and led jokes and talk

is the female counterpart rather than the male performer

interlocutor

vsmiddlewoman

Archaic

9.6

A performer who sits in the middle and leads the talk in a minstrel show

is specifically female rather than a neutral role name

Surface Forms

middlewoman singular

middlewomen plural

Morphology

middlewoman = middle + woman (semi-transparent) = middle + woman

The components 'middle' + 'woman' are transparent, but the specific theatrical/minstrel role (principal speaker in the middle of a line) is a specialized usage that may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Middlewoman combines middle 'centre' and woman 'female'. In a show she stands in the middle of the line and leads the talk with the other performers, so a middlewoman is the female performer who acts as the main speaker on stage.