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- Dictionarylaughing stock/ˈlɑːfɪŋ ˌstɒk/
noun
- 1. a person or thing subjected to general mockery or ridicule: "I'd be the laughing stock of the school"
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What's the origin of the phrase Laughing-stock? Laughing-stock is now usually written as a single hyphenated word, but it was previously the two-word phrase, ‘laughing stock’. It’s moderately old and there are at least two citations of it dating back to the 16th century.
- What Is A “Stock”?
- First Known Use of The Phrase “A Laughing Stock”
- Shakespeare’s Use of “A Laughing Stock”
The stocks were ankle manacles mounted on a low wooden stage. When someone in the village committed an offense against his neighbours he (or she) could be punished by being put in the stocks – in other words, being laid on his back with his feet anchored to the platform. And there he would lie while the villagers moved around him, witnessing his di...
The word “stock” first appeared in English in 862. It came into the language, adapted from the German, meaning a tree trunk. At that time the word referred to someone treated as the object of some action. Someone who was accused of something was known as a “pointing stock.” Someone frequently beaten with a whip was known as a “whipping stock,” and ...
Shakespeare, always looking for the right image, always seeking and choosing something visual, picked it up and used it in The Merry Wives of Windsor (act 2, scene 1) Sir Hugh Evans says to Dr Caius; The image of the stocks would have been familiar to all those attending the play – something very visual – and the mind would have filled the social s...
The origin of this phrase can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it was believed that when an actor failed to entertain the audience, they would be pelted with rotten vegetables and eggs. This practice continued throughout history, and eventually became associated with anyone who failed to meet expectations or perform up to par.
L. laughing stock. Meaning. Something ridiculous which can be laughed upon. It is something that is exceedingly funny to a point of becoming embarrassing. Example Sentences. After the event and how he behaved there, he was the laughing stock in school for days to come.
Feb 4, 2022 · laughing-stock. (n.) also laughingstock; 1510s, formed by analogy with whipping-stock "whipping post," later also "object of frequent whipping" (but that word is not attested in writing in this sense until 1670s). See laughing + stock (n.1).
The term laughing stock, or laughing-stock, is an analogous term that provides a comparative link between the word and specific human behaviors. A laughing stock is someone who is made sport of and is subjected to mockery, ridicule or humiliation.
laughing-stock - an object of laughter; from laughing + stock (v. 2), where... stock (v. 2) - to strike with the edge or point of a weapon. (cf stock-sword, rapier) The etymology of this "stock" [F. estoc, It. stocco, prob. of Teut. origin] seems only distantly related to the OED main entry (n.1) [OE. stoc, OFris. stok tree-trunk, stump], where...
