in the round

Idioms and Phrases

Visible from all sides, as in Jerry's done an excellent job in this interview, really portraying the senator in the round . This expression, which dates from about 1800, was at first used for a free-standing piece of sculpture (as opposed to a relief on a wall), and a century later for a theatrical stage (called theater-in-the-round ) so placed that the audience could see a performance from all sides. Since the 1920s it has also been used figuratively for someone or something seen three-dimensionally, as in the example.