stage whisper
2
6.1
- noun
- /steɪdʒ ˈwɪspər/
:
susurro teatral
- During the play, the actor delivered his lines in a stage whisper so the audience could catch the secret.
- said in a stage whisper
- heard her stage whisper
Examples
-
Jory lowered her voice and said in a stage whisper, "Watch this."
Fiction book (1994) -
"She's putting on makeup," my mother says in a stage whisper.
Fiction book (1994) -
"Hello?" he said, in what his mother would have called a stage whisper.
Fiction book (1997) -
"I'll have to beat you up later," he said in a stage whisper.
Fiction book (1999) -
"Some weirdo," she said in a stage whisper.
Fiction book (1993) -
"I love you," Phyllis stage-whispers.
Fiction book (2000) -
By now, his voice has dropped to a stage whisper, and the class is in rapt silence.
Academic text (1994) -
Robin laughs and speaks to Marian in a stage whisper.
Fiction book (1991) -
Tom gave her a grin and said in a stage whisper, "Only if he begs me."
Fiction book (1995) -
"Look at those striped shirts," Takemura said in a stage whisper.
Fiction book (1995)
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The basic concept — a whisper associated with the stage/performance context — is compositional and a learner who knows 'stage' and 'whisper' can infer a whisper used in theatrical settings. However the specific pragmatic nuance that it is an exaggerated or deliberately audible whisper meant for the audience (a performative, often ironic device) is a convention that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Stage whisper comes from the theater. On the stage, an actor makes a quiet whisper but says it loud enough so the audience can hear, so the phrase means 'a whisper meant to be overheard'.