The original Grub Street was an address in London (it was renamed Milton Street in 1830) described by Dr. Samuel Johnson in his Dictionary of the English Language as "much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems." The term was applied figuratively to the dog-eat-dog world of pens-for-hire as early as 1630, and not surprisingly it became the subject of several novels. Writer Tobias Smollett, all too familiar with hackwork himself, described a Grub Street dinner party in his novel The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771). And the allusion to Grub Street still packed a punch in 1891 when George Gissing chose New Grub Street as the title of his realistic novel about intrigues of the Victorian literary world.
Examples of Grub Street in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebOnly bottles from southern cities like Sardinia and Sicily will be poured, with Switzer telling Grub Street that the confines of that approach are one of the most exciting things about the new restaurant.—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 June 2024 Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street
january movies Jan. 30, 2024
This post was originally published January 1, 2018.—Nate Jones, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2024 In fact, according to Grub Street, banana was the flavor of the summer in 2023—in part due to the nostalgia the sweet, creamy flavor evokes.—Brittany Leitner, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2024 At cocktail bars across New York City, alcoholic drinks are taking inspiration from Italian subs and bacon, egg, and cheese bagels, New York magazine’s Grub Street reported on Monday.—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023 By and large, at least in New York City, the age of the celeb chef is behind us, New York magazine’s Grub Street reported on Tuesday.—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2023 His work has also appeared in Gawker, San Francisco magazine, and New York magazine's Grub Street.—Caleb Pershan, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2023 The company’s portfolio of brands comprises Curbed, The Cut, The Dodo, Eater, Grub Street, Intelligencer, New York Magazine, NowThis, Polygon, Popsugar, Recode, SB Nation, Seeker, The Strategist, Thrillist, The Verge, Vox.com and Vulture.—Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Feb. 2023 Vox Media is the owner of media brands including Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, The Cut, Eater, Vulture, The Strategist, Polygon, SB Nation, Intelligencer, Curbed, Grub Street, Recode, Thrillist, Popsugar, The Dodo and NowThis.—Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Grub Street.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Grub Street, London, formerly inhabited by literary hacks
Share