command performance
2
6.7
- noun
- /kəˈmænd pərˈfɔːrməns/
- Formal
:
actuación magistral
- This glove... she wore it in Romeo and Juliet at the command performance at covent garden.
Examples
-
I was taken to hear her at a command performance when I was 12 years old, then afterwards to meet her in the artists' room.
-
As far as Bingham was concerned, it was a command performance.
Fiction book (1992) -
The birthday party on Saturday afternoon was a command performance for the entire clan.
Fiction book (1992) -
The orchestra delivered a stunning command performance that left the audience in awe.
-
During the gala, the dancers put on a command performance that captivated everyone present.
-
The actor's command performance at the charity event impressed all the prominent guests.
Synonyms
A very impressive show that excites the audience
An excellent show that impresses people
Antonyms
How Impressive
- Formal
2
6.7
∞
1.0
637
2.5
34
4.2
43
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituent 'command' can be read as either 'to order' or 'to command/earn attention', so a learner who knows both words could infer a performance that is ordered or that commands attention. However, the conventional sense — an exceptional performance often given by request of a dignitary or intended to impress — relies on idiomatic/cultural usage and is not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partly transparent.
Etymology
Command performance comes from the idea that a ruler or other important person would 'command' a special show, and the performers would give their best performance to please the guest. That's why the phrase now means an outstanding show given 'to impress' or honour someone important.