Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
leather-lunged en · ADJ
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Possessing or characterized by robust lungs and a strong voice suitable for loud, sustained public speaking, shouting, wailing, singing, etc.
One of the notable effects of technical change has been the obsolescence of leather-lunged oratory of the William Jennings Bryan school, in favor of the "fireside chat" of Franklin Roosevelt; with electrical amplification, a speaker could use conversational style and still be understood in a large auditorium.
1980, Raven I. McDavid Jr., American English: Essays, →ISBN, page 313:He would like to know how she was getting along—and the baby, too. . . . It was a leather-lunged, red-faced, squirming little mite.
1918, B. M. Bower, chapter 11, in Cabin Fever:Some make a story arc of their performances, like Clarkson, who grew over Season 1 from wallflower to leather-lunged sensation.
2007 April 4, James Poniewozik, “Why American Idol Keeps Soaring”, in Time:
Forms
Synonyms
stentorian · vociferous