n.
A powerful carbon-arc lamp producing an intense light and used especially in making movies.
[After John H. Kliegl (1869-1959) and and his brother Anton Tiberius Kliegl (1872-1927), German-born American lighting experts.]
klieg light
Dictionary:
klieg light (klēg) 
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n.
A powerful carbon-arc lamp producing an intense light and used especially in making movies.
| Wordsmith Words: klieg light |
(kleeg lyt)
noun
1. A carbon-arc lamp for producing light, used in moviemaking.
2. The center of public attention.
Etymology
After brothers and inventors, lighting experts John H. Kliegl (1869-1959) and Anton T. Kliegl (1872-1927). The last letter "L" of their name apparently became fused with the word "light" in the term "klieg light"
Klieg light is a modern synonym of the word limelight. In earlier times, white lime was used to produce intense light for illuminating the theater stage. Metaphorically, people -- famous and infamous -- continue to be in the limelight or klieg light, as popular media trains its spotlight on them.
"And on this night, Billups and Hamilton were twin klieg lights at a shopping mall opening, and Kobe was a 25-watt bulb." — Mitch Albom; Pistons Proving Team Might be Better Than Hall of Famers; Kansas City Star (Missouri); Jun 11, 2004.
"With flashing eyes, klieg-light smile, and raven hair that increased in sheer mass over the years, (Ann) Miller arrived in Hollywood as a dancing gamine -- she was once clocked at 500 taps a minute, and a studio insurance policy covered her literally million-dollar legs ..." — Ty Burr; With Endless Energy And Optimism, Ann Miller Was a Showbiz Survivor; Boston Globe; Jan 24, 2004.
| Marketing Dictionary: klieg light |
Carbon arc lamp invented by John H. Kliegl and Anton T. Kliegl in 1919 and used in motion picture photography. The word klieg is often used to refer to any bright light used on a theater, motion picture, or television set.
| WordNet: klieg light |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
carbon arc lamp that emits an intense light used in producing films
| Wikipedia: Klieg light |
A Klieg light is an intense carbon arc lamp especially used in filmmaking. It is named after inventor John H. Kliegl and his brother Anton Tiberius Kliegl. Modern Klieg lights use a tungsten-halogen filament. They usually have a fresnel lens or ellipsoidal lens.
Contents |
Film
The carbon-arc source was so bright that it allowed film directors to make "day" at night, which also heralded the era of blinding actors – a term coined as "Klieg eye".
Stage
In the early days of spotlights, the name "Klieg light" became synonymous with any ellipsoidal reflector spotlight, another carbon-arc source or any bright source. Initially developed for film, the Klieg light was adapted to an incandescent stage fixture in 1911.
Although not completely certain, the title of the first ERS (Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight), often goes to the 1933 Klieglight, which was first used to light an outdoor pageant in New York. Century Lighting introduced their Lekolite in the same year.
The Universal Electric Stage Lighting Company, Kliegl Bros. Props. was founded in 1896 and grew to be the largest stage lighting company. The company closed in the 1990s.
Tradenames often become part of backstage vernacular. Leko, Klieg, "six-by", and so forth, are terms all referring to an ERS.
See also
- Actinic conjunctivitis - eye condition caused by overexposure to these lights
- Limelight
External links
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Klieg light". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Attention Dimension (2004 Album by Jack Irons)
- Earl Schenck
- Limelight
- Trapped (CSI: NY episode)
- Jack Irons
- CSI: NY (season 2)
- List of motion picture-related articles
- FX (TV channel)
