bring down the house
bring down the house
To perform or entertain so successfully as to cause the audience to erupt in applause, laughter, or cheers for a long stretch of time. She is a rising star as a stand-up comedian, always able to bring down the house during each performance.
See also: bring, down, house
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
bring down the house
Also, bring the house down. Evoke tumultuous applause and cheers, as in Her solo brought the house down. This hyperbolic term suggests noise loud enough to pose a threat to the building-an unlikely occurrence. In the late 1800s, British music-hall comedians punned on it: when the audience greeted a joke with silence, they said, "Don't clap so hard; you'll bring down the house (it's a very old house)." [Mid-1700s]
See also: bring, down, house
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
bring down the house
To win overwhelming approval from an audience.
See also: bring, down, house
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
bring down the house, to
To cause an uproar of applause and cheers. The term comes from the mid-eighteenth-century theater and seems a little strange, in that a cheering audience will often rise to its feet. However, in its entirety the term later became “Don’t clap so hard; you’ll bring the house down (it’s a very old house),” and was a time-honored remark used by music-hall comedians when the audience greeted a joke with silence.
See also: bring, down
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- bring down the house, to
- howl with laughter
- gales of laughter
- fall about with laughter
- shake with laughter
- shake with laughter, to
- raise a laugh
- raise a laugh/smile
- bring (someone) back out
- bring back out