Meanings
plural Annie Oakleys
- USdatedpossiblyslangA complimentary ticket, a free ticket; a comp.
1 more example
The prince and princess of Belgium happened to be [...] in Detroit. Hurok sent them a pair of passes [...]. The concert was a sellout, Hurok cleared $4,000, and several days later received a polite note from the prince's equerry expressing Their Highnesses' regret at not having been able to use the Annie Oakleys.
1944 August 28, John Bainbridge, “S. Hurok”, in Life, volume 17, number 9, page 57
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Annie Oakley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Annie%20Oakley
“Annie Oakley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Annie%20Oakley. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Annie Oakley,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Annie%20Oakley.
Source: Annie Oakley on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.