ChatterBank1 min ago
working the room
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Does anyone know the origin of the expression "working the room" or "work the room?"
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.To 'work' has been used in this sense since the early 19th century. For example, hawkers spoke about 'working a street', which meant calling on each house in an effort to sell their wares. Nowadays, 'working a room' is used - particularly in the world of show-business - to mean stopping to speak to anyone and everyone in the room you think may eventually be useful to you. Another word for the same process is 'schmoozing'.