Theatre has provided many words and meanings which we use - ignorant of their origins - in everyday writing and speech. This is the first book to explore 2000 theatre terms in depth, in some cases tracing their history over two and a half millennia, in others exploring expressions less than a decade old. Terms are defined, shown in use and cross referenced in ways which will fascinate theatregoers, help serious theatre students and encourage those actively engaged in the theatre to examine the familiar from new angles. The book combines lexicography, theatre history and modern theatre practice and alters our understanding of theatrical history, for example tracing the influence of nautical vocabulary on the development of theatre language,