come-on en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈkʌmˌɑn/ (Northern-US, cot-caught-merger)
- /ˈkʌmˌɒn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈkʌmˌɔn/ (Southern-US)
Etymology
Deverbal from come on to. First use appears c. 1897, in the publications of Edward W. Townsend. See cite below.
Meanings
-
(informal) Something intended to attract, as in an advertisement.
He's got a come-on from New Jersey that I'm to steer to the turning joint.
1897, Edward W. Townsend, Near A Whole City Full, page 164:The free offers are just come-ons to get you in the store so the sales staff can work on you.
-
(informal) A statement or sometimes an action reflecting sexual or romantic interest.
I thought he'd asked me to lunch to discuss business; I wasn't expecting a come-on.
I come looking for a job But I get no offers Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue
1969, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”, Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia RecordsWhat I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
1989, Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally... (motion picture), spoken by Harry Burns (Billy Crystal):
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(slang) A bad actor whose talents do not extend far beyond walking onto the stage.
When the public no longer rushed to the box-office to buy such synthetic exaltations of the spirit, pitchmen like Jerome K. Jerome and the aforesaid Kennedy got out their theopathic apparatus and had at the trade with elixirs in which actors, their faces chalked into a pallor exceeding Nicky Arnstein's, were programmed as A Stranger, A Wayfarer, or Manson and, by conducting themselves for the major portion of two hours like overly verbose and objectionable pallbearers, peculiarly persuaded the come-ons that they were replicas of Christ and that the rest of the cast, a bunch of low-lifes, were converted to the faith by them.
1975, George Jean Nathan, Charles Angoff, The Theatre Book of the Year, 1942-1943, page 82:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| come-ons | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
come-hither · show ankle · come on
Translations (9)
sv kom nu (inducement) · hy գալիս է (inducement) · id ayolah (inducement) · es proposición (sexual or romantic proposal) · es reclamo (inducement) · sv kom igen (inducement) · fi houkutin (inducement) · es insinuación (sexual or romantic proposal) · eo venu (inducement)