Idiom idiom
ivory tickler
Meaning
A pianist
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The ivory tickler played a beautiful song at the party.”
“The jazz club hired a talented ivory tickler to perform every Friday night for the guests.”
“As the lights dimmed, the seasoned ivory tickler sat at the grand piano and began a haunting melody that silenced the entire concert hall.”
Origin
Derived from the verb phrase *tickle the ivories*, an idiom first recorded in the late 19th century in reference to the material used for piano keys. The term designates a pianist by way of the gentle, dexterous touch required to produce music from ivory veneers.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026