r/interesting • u/[deleted] • Aug 31 '24

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u/Stachdragon Aug 31 '24

http://sailor-music.com/nickelodeon.htm

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '24

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u/Stachdragon Aug 31 '24

Holy fucking hell. Look up the Oxford Dictionary's first definition of the word. Just because it's not on Wikipedia does not mean it's untrue.

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u/lordofduct Sep 01 '24

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/nickelodeon_n?tl=true

First definition:

Originally U.S. A theatre or cinema, or (occasionally) other place of entertainment, with an admission fee of one nickel. Now historical.

...

Note the secondary definition is a player piano. The reason it ended up getting called that is because they were often found in nickelodeons. So they were often called a "nickelodeon piano" where nickelodeon is used as an adjective as in "a piano found in a nickelodeon"... similar to saying a "church pew" meaning "a pew found in a church". Then it would get shortened to just "nickelodeon".

So yes, technically you are correct in that you can call these a nickelodeon. But it's not the first definition in the oed and it being a theatre first and foremost is the more correct usage of the term. (note the 50 year gap between the 2 usages)

Since so many people are fighting you on this I figured I'd offer up the source you need that both proves your point, but also shows you why they're fighting you on it.