light comedian
Preserved but no longer current.
One who takes humorous, but not low, parts. Orlando, in As You Like //, might be taken for a "light comedian'*; Tony Lumpkin (She Stoops to Conquer), and Paul Pry (in Poole's comedy of that name, 1825) are parts for a "low comedian.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “light comedian” mean?
One who takes humorous, but not low, parts. Orlando, in As You Like //, might be taken for a "light comedian'*; Tony Lumpkin (She Stoops to Conquer), and Paul Pry (in Poole's comedy of that name, 1825) are parts for a "low comedian.
Is “light comedian” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.