English Explanatory Dictionary

Peacock Alley

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of a number of specific named hotel foyers, first and most notably that of the Waldorf–Astoria in New York City.
  2. Any hotel foyer or similar area where upper-class women congregate in order to be seen.
noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Peacock Alley.

Word forms

Peacock Alley Peacock Alleys

Etymology

The main corridor connecting the two buildings comprising the Waldorf–Astoria was given this nickname by the press in New York City in reference to wealthy patrons (especially women) who would go there to show off their finery (compare peacock (“strut proudly”)). The name then came to refer generically to the foyer of any such upper-class hotel, or similar gathering place. First appears c. 1904 in Real New York by Rupert Hughes.

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