peanut gallery

noun

1. Informal. the rearmost and cheapest section of seats in the balcony or the uppermost balcony of a theater.
2. Slang. a source of insignificant criticism:

   No remarks from the peanut gallery!

Word History and Origins

Origin of peanut gallery¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

The media and peanut gallery missed that class and immediately cast them as “others.”

From The Daily Beast

Simpson and Bowles are just playing to that peanut gallery, for which a Politico breakfast is the perfect audience.

From The Daily Beast

On those occasions they had sat far up in the peanut gallery in the place reserved for people of colour.

From Project Gutenberg

This must have been the unanimous intention of the Perry populace, for the peanut gallery was a bower of fashion.

From Project Gutenberg

Up in the peanut gallery the gods began to indulge in catcalls and make personal inquiries.

From Project Gutenberg

A few minutes before he had been sitting up there in the "peanut gallery" of the Teatro Real.

From Project Gutenberg