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.")