Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A district associated with musicians, composers, and publishers of popular music.
  • noun The publishers and composers of popular music considered as a group.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The songwriting and publishing industry.
  • proper noun District in New York City centered on 28th Street during the period roughly from 1885 to the 1920's where thousands of popular songs were commercially written.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a city district (originally in New York) where composers and publishers of popular music do business

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably from tin pan, tinny piano + alley (from the cheap pianos associated with music publishers' offices).]

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Examples

  • A recent column about tin and the comic-strip character Tintin prompted William Vance to recall the phrase Tin Pan Alley, in print by 1908.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed WARREN CLEMENTS 2011

  • A century ago, the windows of music companies broadcast a cacophony of competing piano sounds that earned the area the nickname Tin Pan Alley, to describe what one journalist said sounded like pounding on tin pans.

    Latest Headlines - ABC 7 News 2008

  • The windows of various music companies released a cacophony of competing piano sounds that earned this part of West 28th Street the nickname Tin Pan Alley, to describe what one journalist said sounded like pounding on tin pans.

    New York News, Weather, Sports & Traffic - WCBSTV.com 2008

  • A century ago, the windows of music companies broadcast a cacophony of competing piano sounds that earned the area the nickname Tin Pan Alley, to describe what one journalist said sounded like pounding on tin pans.

    Front Page - The Washington Times 2008

  • The windows of various music companies released a cacophony of competing piano sounds that earned this part of West 28th Street the nickname Tin Pan Alley, to describe what one journalist said sounded like pounding on tin pans.

    New York News, Weather, Sports & Traffic - WCBSTV.com 2008

  • A century ago, the windows of music companies broadcast a cacophony of competing piano sounds that earned the area the nickname Tin Pan Alley, to describe what one journalist said sounded like pounding on tin pans.

    The Washington Times stories: Latest Headlines 2008

  • WALKING off the Charing Cross Road on a Thursday evening, I wander down Denmark Street, once known as Tin Pan Alley, and the home of British songwriting publishing for over 50 years.

    Evening Mail news round-up 2010

  • WALKING off the Charing Cross Road on a Thursday evening, I wander down Denmark Street, once known as Tin Pan Alley, and the home of British songwriting publishing for over 50 years.

    Evening Mail news round-up 2010

  • WALKING off the Charing Cross Road on a Thursday evening, I wander down Denmark Street, once known as Tin Pan Alley, and the home of British songwriting publishing for over 50 years.

    Evening Mail news round-up 2010

  • Much of his early work was done in a series of buildings in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood known as Tin Pan Alley, which have now been put up for sale.

    New York News, Weather, Sports & Traffic - WCBSTV.com 2008

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