ˈwalk-on, n. and a.
[f. vbl. phr. to walk on: see walk v.1 5]
A. n.
1. Theatr. a. A part in which the performer merely comes on and goes off the stage with little or no speaking.
| 1902 Daily Chron. 1 Sept. 3/7 The actress, too, frequently is glad to accept 12s. a week for a walk-on with half a dozen words. 1907 H. Wyndham Flare of Footlights v, The part just now is a walk-on, with an understudy of one of the principals. 1936 R. Lehmann Weather in Streets iv. i. 361 Or I might get a walk-on in a film. 1950 Sun (Baltimore) 19 May 16/2 It has the all-starriest cast of all time, with all the great ones doing walk-ons and bits. 1971 R. A. Carter Manhattan Primitive (1972) xv. 142 She never got another speaking part: a few walk-ons, then she was an extra again. |
b. An actor, etc., who has a walk-on part; = walker-on s.v. walker n.1 1 c.
| 1946 Sun (Baltimore) 20 May 6/1 It can dispense with the star system..by concentrating on teamwork in which lead actors one night become walk-ons the next. 1964 M. Drabble Garrick Year xii. 193 A square, worried-looking girl, who was married to one of the walk-ons. 1980 Times Lit. Suppl. 31 Oct. 1228/5 There are several blandly handsome walk-ons, most of them recently out of drama school. |
2. Sport. A team member without any regular status. U.S.
| 1974 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) 19 Oct. 2-d/1 East Tech's Mike Lucas, a 6-4 junior college transfer from Arizona, is one of three ‘walk-ons’ on Ohio State's basket⁓ball team. 1980 New Yorker 3 Mar. 80 This year..the Highlands team looks a bit too much like the rest of the students for Mart{iacu}nez's taste... One player..did not even come to Highlands on a basketball scholarship—a category of athlete known in the trade as ‘walk-ons’. 1981 Washington Post 4 Sept. d–1 He was beaten by Marty Davis, 22, who made the University of California tennis team as a walk-on. |
B. adj.
1. Pertaining to or designating an airline service for which prior booking is not required. orig. U.S.
| 1961 Flight LXXX. 488/2 The airline..earlier this year introduced ‘walk-on’ services to Chittagong. 1967 J. Gardner Madrigal viii. 220 He..asked if there were any direct flights from Manchester to Zurich... At this time of year there should be no difficulty in getting a walk-on booking. 1977 Times 29 July 4/3 British Airways intends to compete with Laker Airways' walk on Skytrain air service between London and New York. 1983 Flight Internat. 10 Sept. 680/2 Shuttle's walk-on option with guaranteed backup aircraft. |
2. Theatr. walk-on part, etc. = sense A. 1 a above. Also transf. and fig.
| 1963 Times 25 Feb. 4/1 Before luncheon the New Zealanders were so vigorous, accurate and hostile that Illingworth, Sheppard, and even Dexter could play only walk-on parts. 1973 J. Leasor Host of Extras viii. 141 If he heard of any jobs going—walk-on parts, crowd scenes, the odd TV commercial—he passed them on to me. 1976 Private Eye 24 Dec. 17/3 The Bank of England is determined it shall be in a supporting, if not walk-on, capacity rather than a starring role. 1977 Time 8 Aug. 21/1 Her striking good looks eventually won her some small walk-on parts in German films. 1983 J. Juxon Lewis & Lewis xxi. 223 Few..of Parnell's biographers have given Lewis more than a walk-on part in the drama. 1985 Listener 24 Jan. 11/3 Salman Rushdie complained that Indians were for the most part given walk-on roles. |