elevator music
Also found in: Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to elevator music: Background music
elevator music
Soft, usually jazzy recorded music played in public places. The phrase is often used derisively. Sorry, but this sounds like elevator music to me. Let's put on some real jazz.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
elevator music
n. dull, uninteresting music of the type that can be heard in elevators or shops. (see also ear candy.) Elevator music is better than listening to someone chewing food.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
elevator music
Light instrumental music considered “easy listening.” It is played not only in elevators but shopping malls, grocery stores, doctor’s offices, telephone systems (when the caller is on hold), and similar venues. Simple and unobtrusive, it serves purely as a background. It is also called Muzak, because the Muzak Corporation originally supplied such music. The New Yorker magazine (April 10, 2006) carried a piece by David Owen entitled “The Soundtrack of Your Life,” describing the matching of such music to the venues where it is played.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer