showboat

plural showboats

1. USA river steamboat having a resident theatre.

   Mr. Sterling was born in Baltimore on June 24, 1915, to Jack Sexton and Edna Cable, veteran performers in vaudeville, showboats and stock companies.

   1990 November 2, Peter B. Flint, “Jack Sterling, 75, Host on Radio For 18 Years in New York, Dies”, in The New York Times

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   And Agnes Moorehead henpecks with stern persistence as Parthy, the captain's loving wife. The sets, which include a full-sized showboat with belching double stacks and sternwheel, are in the best Metro tradition, which means as sumptuous as sumptuous can be.

   1951 July 20, Bosley Crowther, “THE SCREEN: A MUSICAL FAVORITE AT RADIO CITY; 'Show Boat,' Metro Remake of Hit, With Kathryn Grayson in Lead, at Music Hall 'Never Trust a Gambler,' New Feature of Palace Theatre, Has Dane Clark in Cast”, in The New York Times

   Lowriding emerged in the 1950's in California, as Mexican-American youths -- in what may have been a reaction to the hot-rod culture dominated by whites -- transformed their cars into fantastical, ground-hugging showboats.

   2000 May 21, Dan Neil, “Victory to the Low and Slow”, in The New York Times

2. USbroadlyinformalA person, often an athlete or performer, who behaves in an ostentatious, flashy manner to attract attention or admiration; a showoff.

   Well, I was a little upset at first. I mean, obviously people are going to think I'm a showboat, and a little bit of a prick.

   2004, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, spoken by Steve Zissou (Bill Murray)

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   After the President fired his FBI director in early May, he dismissed Comey as “a showboat,” “a grandstander” and a “nut job.”

   2017 June 8, Maeve Reston, “Trump meets the ultimate adversary in James Comey”, in CNN

   Synonyms: show pony

present singular third person showboats · participle present showboating · participle past showboated · past showboated

1. USambitransitiveinformalTo show off.

   Out: Trash talk, dirty play, crybabying, showboating and players who can't be bothered to show up for games or keep their shoes on.

   1995 June 15, Scott Ostler, “SCOTT OSTLER -- Hakeem Sets Old Standard”, in San Francisco Chronicle

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   Their duel had something often lacking in this memorable era of men’s tennis: an edge, as Kyrgios showboated and intentionally smacked balls at Nadal’s body, ignoring the glares that Nadal sometimes fired back.

   2019 July 4, Christopher Clarey, “Rafael Nadal Doesn’t Fall for Nick Kyrgios’s Bag of Tricks”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms: flex, grandstand, stunt, aura farm, boulevardier, cut a wide swath, cut it fat, cut round