grandstand play

noun

1. an ostentatious play, as in a sport, overemphasized deliberately to elicit applause from spectators.
2. any action or attempt designed to win approval or to make a strong impression:

   His going to work on Christmas was another of his grandstand plays.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandstand play¹

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

Thinking rollback isn’t crazy, but it requires a sustained effort, not a grandstand play.

From Washington Post

“A grandstand play, put on by people who don’t like Trump or the GOP, regardless, that has nothing to do with climate change, alternative fuels or any other science. These folks ought to put their pocket protectors back in their short-sleeved dress shirts and get back into the labs where they belong.”

From Science Magazine

Declining Robinson’s insistence that he intervene in the case, Nixon told him that Kennedy had opportunistically made “what our good friend Joe Louis called a ‘grandstand play.'”

From New York Times

This isn’t a grandstand play on my part; I’ve discovered—and you can see it in other entertainers—when they don’t reach out to the audience, nothing happens.

From Slate

As Sam was walking away Joe resolved on a bold stroke, rather a grandstand play as he confessed to himself afterward, but he could not forego it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• act
• array
• demonstration
• example
• exhibit
• parade
• presentation