Etymology

Annie Oakley

Today it means: A complimentary ticket, a free ticket; a comp. Full definition →

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The story

Many complimentary tickets had holes punched in them to prevent recipients from reselling them; in this way, they resembled the playing cards that sharpshooter Annie Oakley shot holes in as part of her act, and so were named after her.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.