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- The origins of “in the limelight,” which refers to being the focus of public attention, are linked to a type of stage lighting that was popular in the 19th century. The “lime” in limelight has nothing to do with the green citrus fruit but rather with a chemical compound, calcium oxide, also known as quicklime.
www.history.com › news › where-did-the-phrase-in-the-limelight-come-fromWhere did the phrase “in the limelight” come from? - HISTORY
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Dec 2, 2015 · The origins of “in the limelight,” which refers to being the focus of public attention, are linked to a type of stage lighting that was popular in the 19th century.
- Elizabeth Nix
Limelight was invented in 1816 by Thomas Drummond but wasn't adopted widely for use in theaters until the 1860s. (Drummond wanted his invention to provide safety to boats traveling dark shorelines, but limelight proved to be too expensive and dangerous for lighthouse use.)
Nov 11, 2013 · By the end of the 19 th century, electric lights were starting to be used and limelight fell out of favour. However, it’s easy to see how the expression came about: limelight was used at the front and centre of the stage, meaning a person standing in the limelight would be the centre of attention.
Where Did The Word Come From? Originally a limelight was a bright, incandescent lamp invented by the Englishman Thomas Drummond in 1816. At that time, the British government was trying to survey ...
What's the origin of the phrase 'In the limelight'? Limelight really was made using lime. Limelight is an intense white light which is produced by heating a piece of lime in a flame of burning oxygen and hydrogen.
Nov 1, 2015 · It had been invented in the early 1800s by heating calcium oxide with a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen, and proved helpful to Scottish civil engineer Thomas Drummond during his survey of Ireland’s mountain peaks. He could reportedly see the light from 68 miles away.
Origin of the phrase: The limelight effect was discovered in the 1820s by Goldsworthy Gurney, based on his work with the “oxy-hydrogen blowpipe,” credit for which is normally given to Robert Hare.
