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Biz

,

in theatrical slang, means “business.” Good biz means full houses; but an actor’s “biz” is quite another thing, meaning by-play. Thus, Hamlet trifling with Ophelia’s fan, Lord Dundreary’s hop, and so on, are the special “business” of the actor of the part. As a rule, the “business” is invented by the actor who creates the part, and is handed down by tradition.

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Bite
Bite
Bitelas
Bites and Bams
Biting Remark (A)
Bitt
Bitten
Bitter End (The)
Bitter as Gall
Bittock
Biz
Black
Black
Black as a Crow (or as a raven);
Black as a Newgate Knocker
Black in the Face
Black is White
Black Act
Black Acts
Black Art
Black Assize