PIANIST, PIANO
ADJECTIVES
► ALL-WHITE of a scale, chord, etc.: played using only the white keys of the piano → 1927
► OVERSTRIKING of a piano hammer: constructed so as to strike the string from above → 1880
► OVERSTRUNG of a piano: having the strings arranged on two (sometimes, three) levels, the bass strings passing obliquely over the others on the soundboard → 1860
► PIANISTIC characteristic of a pianist; also, suitable for performance on the piano → 1849
► PIANO-THUMPING of a person: playing the piano, especially loudly or insensitively → 1840 colloq.
► RINKY-TINK designating a tinkling, jangling style of piano music, or a piano playing this → 1903 sl., chiefly US
► TIN-PANNY of a piano: tinny-sounding → 1904 US
► UNPIANISTIC not well suited for performance on the piano → 1853
NOUNS
► AFTERTOUCH on a piano: the response to continued pressure on a key after initially striking it → 1909
► AGONY BOX a piano → 1902 US sl.
► AUTOPIANO a piano with a self-playing mechanism; a player-piano → 1904
► BABY GRAND the smallest size of grand piano → 1879
► BOOGIE BOX a piano → 1937 colloq., orig. US
► BOX a piano → 1902 US sl.
► BOX OF DOMINOES a piano → 1984 UK sl.
► BUFF STOP a device on an early piano that presses a piece of buff leather, cloth, or felt against the strings to produce a muted sound → 1772
► CABINET PIANO a tall upright piano with unusually long strings → 1811
► CELESTE a certain form of the soft pedal on a piano → 1880
► COFFIN a piano → 1947 Amer. sl. (Bk.)
► CONCERT GRAND the largest size of grand piano, up to 2.75 metres in length and used for concerts → 1836
► COTTAGE PIANO a small upright piano → 1824
► COUNT CIANO a piano → 1943 rhyming sl.
► DOTS piano keys → 1930 UK criminals’ sl.
► DUMB PIANO a piano or piano keyboard which produces no sound when played, used for piano practice or to exercise the fingers and wrists → 1842
► EIGHTY-EIGHT, THE a piano (pianos have eighty-eight keys) → 1947 US sl. (Bk.)
► DOMINOES the keys of a piano → 1889 sl.
► EBONIES the black keys on a piano → 1881
► EIGHTY-EIGHT a piano → 1939 African-American sl.
► EIGHTY-EIGHTY a piano → 1967 African-American sl.
► ELEPHANT TEETH piano keys → 1953 African-American sl.
► FALL on a piano: the movable front of the case, which may be drawn or folded down to cover the keyboard → 1823
► FALLBOARD the hinged cover for the keyboard of a piano → 1864
► FINGERBOARD the keyboard of a piano → 1885 obs.
► GERTIE GITANA a piano → 1943 rhyming sl.
► GOANNA ► GOHANNA a piano → 1918 Aust. rhyming sl.
► GOOLA a piano → 1938 African-American sl.
► GRAND a grand piano → 1830Z
► GRAND PIANO a large, full-toned piano which has the body, strings, and soundboard arranged horizontally and in line with the keys → 1795
► GRASSHOPPER in the action of a piano: a spring-loaded piece which raises and then slips past the lever which sets the hammer in motion, allowing the hammer to fall away while the key is still depressed → 1807
► GRID a piano → 1958 UK sl.
► GROAN a piano → 1947 Amer. sl. (Bk.)
► HITCH PIN in a piano: any of the pins securing the strings at the end opposite to the tuning pins → 1827
► HONKY-TONK PIANO an out-of-tune or tinny-sounding piano → 1934 colloq., orig. US
► HORSE-TEETH a piano → 1934 US sl.
► IVORIES, THE the keys of a piano or similar instrument → 1818 colloq.
► IVORY a piano → 1902 sl.
► JACK in an early piano: an upright block which raises the damper or hammer → 1840
► JOANNER ► JOANNA ► JOANO ► JOEANNIA ► JOHANNA a piano → 1844 rhyming sl.
► JOY BOX a piano → 1942 African-American sl.
► MACHINE-PIANO a player-piano → 1926
► MANUAL a key played with a finger on a piano → 1882 obs.
► MELOPIANO a device fitted to a piano to allow the production of sustained notes; a piano fitted with such a device → 1876
► METROSTYLE a device for regulating the speed of a player-piano → 1903
► MINIATURE a small piano → 1974
► MINIPIANO a small piano; one built in art deco style by the Brasted company, originally in the 1930s → 1934
► MOPSTICK a vertical rod for raising the damper in a piano → 1870
► MOTHBOX a piano → 1939 orig. African-American
► MUFFLER a pad of felt that can be inserted between the hammers and the strings of a piano to mute or soften the sound → 1875
► MUSIC BOX a piano → 1850 humorous usage
► MUTE a device used by a piano tuner to deaden the vibration of string → 1980
► NICKELODEON a player-piano → 1939
► OBLIQUE PIANO a diagonally strung upright piano → 1880 obs.
► OCTAVING the addition of strings to the ordinary strings of a piano, tuned an octave higher, so as to reinforce the tone → 1885 obs.
► P AND O a piano → 1901 UK sl.
► PARTY PIANO a boogie-woogie or barrel-house style of piano -playing → 1942
► PEARLING piano playing characterized by clarity and roundness of tone → 1885 obs.
► PEDAL PIANO a piano fitted with a pedalboard like that of an organ → 1819
► PIANETTE a type of small upright piano → 1862
► PIANINO an upright piano, especially a small upright or cottage piano → 1848
► PIANISM the art or technique of playing the piano; execution on the piano → 1892
► PIANISTICS the art of playing the piano’ skilful technique in piano-playing → 1938
► PIANOLA a piano which incorporates a device for automated play; a player-piano → 1898
► PIANO MONITOR a bar of metal placed a few inches above and in front of the keys of a piano, on which learners may rest the wrists → 1842 obs.
► PIANO RACK a rack above the keyboard on a piano, on which music can be placed → 1843
► PIANO-THUMPING a playing the piano loudly, or in an insensitive or heavy-handed manner → 1882
► PREPARED PIANO a piano whose strings have been modified by having objects placed on or between them, or by retuning → 1940
► RUMBA BOX a type of large thumb piano, typically used in Caribbean music, producing notes of a bass register → 1953
► SEMI-GRAND a modified form of the grand piano → 1835
► SHARPS AND FLATS the black keys of the keyboard of a piano → 1834
► SHIFT in piano playing: the act of moving the key action by means of the soft pedal → 1880
► SOFT PEDAL a pedal on a piano, operated with the left foot, which can be pressed to make the sound softer → 1819
► SQUARE PIANOFORTE a piano of a rectangular form, now superseded by the upright or cottage piano → 1787
► STRILL a piano → 1984 sl.
► SUSTAINING PEDAL the right pedal of the piano, which when depressed raises the dampers from all the strings, allowing them to vibrate freely in sympathy with any notes being played → 1922
► TASTO the key of a piano → 1740 Italian
► TIN KETTLE a piano of poor quality → 1827
► TINKLEBOX a piano → 1935 US sl.
► TINKLER a piano → 1908 US sl.
► TINKLING the notes of a piano → 1549
► TINKLING-BOX a pianoforte → 1905 Eng. dial. sl. (Bk.)
► TIN PAN a cheap, ‘tinny’ piano → 1882 US sl.
NOUNS – PERSON
► BOX-BEATER a piano player → 1915 Amer. sl.
► CHIPPER-UP in piano-making: a person who carries out the initial state of tuning strings → 1868
► COCKTAIL PIANIST a pianist who plays background music at a cocktail party, bar, etc.; especially one playing softly melodious, light jazz → 1946
► DOMINO THUMPER a pianist → 1889 sl.
► DUDLOW JOE a piano player → 1970 African-American sl.
► DUDLOW PICKER a piano player → 1981 African-American sl.
► EIGHTY-EIGHTER a pianist → 1911 US sl.
► FINGERS a jazz pianist → 1930s African-American sl.
► IVORY-BENDER a piano player → a1924 US sl.
► IVORY-HAMMERER a pianist → c1860 sl.
► IVORY-HOUND a piano player → 1935 US sl.
► IVORY-POUNDER a piano player → 1887 US sl.
► IVORY-SPANKER a pianist → 1896 sl. (Bk.)
► IVORY-THUMPER a pianist → c1860 sl.
► IVORY-TICKLER a piano player → 1905 US sl.
► KEYBOARD WARRIOR a person who is a particularly skilful pianist → 1968
► KEY CUTTER a person who cuts piano keys from larger pieces of ivory → 1842 obs.
► MARKER-OFF in piano making: a person who shapes and planes the bridge, and marks the position of each string → 1889
► PIANO-BLITZER a pianist → 1941 African-American sl.
► PIANOFORTIST a person who plays the piano; a pianist → 1841
► PIANO KID in jazz: any teenage pianist working the rundown joints; teenage piano players were common in the brothels and cabarets in the 1900s-1930s → 1900s African-American sl.
► PLUNKER a piano player → 1935 African-American sl.
► PROFESSOR a piano player in a saloon, brothel, dance hall, etc. → 1841 US colloq.
► STRILL HOMEY a a male pianist → 1984 sl.
► STRILL POLONE a female pianist → 1984 sl.
► STRINGER a person who fits a piano with strings → 1842
► TICKLER a pianist → 1950 US sl.
► TONER a person who adjusts a piano, usually during manufacture, to give it a desired or more pleasing timbre → 1848
VERBS
► BANG THE BOX to play the piano → 1902 US sl.
► BANG THE IVORIES to play the piano → 1926 US sl. (Bk.)
► BEAT THE BOX to play dance music on a piano → 1915 Amer. sl.
► BLOW A BOX to eagerly play the piano → 1965 Amer. sl.
► HONKY-TONK to play music on a piano → 2015 Ireland
► ITCH A MEAN IVORY to play the piano well → 1920 US sl.
► KNOCK THE JIVE OUT OF to play the piano → 1947 African-American sl.
► OVERPEDAL to make excessive use of a piano’s pedals → 1954
► POUND OUT to play a piece of piano music rapidly or repetitively → 1865
► POUND THE BOX to eagerly play the piano → 1920 US sl.
► PLUNK the play the piano → 1808
► PRESIDE AT THE PIANO to play the piano at a gathering → 1795
► RATTLE THE IVORIES to play a piano → 1895 sl.
► RUN to touch the keys of a piano in quick succession → 1577
► SHIFT on a piano: to alter the position of the key action, especially by means of the soft pedal → 1854
► SPANK THE IVORIES to play a piano → 1943 African-American sl.
► TICKLE THE IVORIES to play the piano, esp. to play it well → 1902 sl.
► TINKLE THE IVORIES to play the piano → 1996 UK sl.
► TONE to adjust a piano so as to modify its timbre → 1816
Lexicophilia 