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Nosebleed seats

Posted by ESC on December 11, 2010 at 12:55

In Reply to: Nosebleed seats posted by Anne on December 09, 2010 at 16:14:

: Nosebleed seats/section (top-tier seats in a stadium/theatre). This clearly comes from the idea that you get a nosebleed at high altitudes, but does anyone know when the phrase originated, or where it was first used?

Nosebleed can be an adjective that refers figuratively or actually to a great height. I don't know if this was the first use: Washington Post on 17 Jan 1978. "From the nose-bleed altitude of Section 209, the Red Coats marveled at an NHL game." (Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 2, H-O, by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1997. Page 680.")

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