Painterly empty red armchair beside a small drinks table in front of burgundy curtains.

Original artwork, not a still

Alexander Woollcott

The play left a taste of lukewarm parsnip juice.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker dismisses a theatrical performance by comparing its aftertaste to lukewarm parsnip juice: bland, faintly unpleasant and thoroughly unexciting. The witty insult judges the play as something drab and forgettable rather than dramatically terrible.

Context reviewed

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