ghost. the ghost walks

Definition

Theater

  • An expression used by theater people to mean that salariesare about to be paid. The phrase is an allusion to Shakespeare's Hamlet(I, i), where Horatio addresses the ghost:
    ...if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
    Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,
    For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death...

    According to one theory, the usage arose from the fact thatShakespeare, who played the role of the ghost in Hamlet, wasalso responsible for paying the wages of the cast.

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