do a Melba

English

Etymology

Named after Australian opera singer Nellie Melba (1861–1931), famous for her large number of “farewell” appearances.

Verb

do a Melba (third-person singular simple present does a Melba, present participle doing a Melba, simple past did a Melba, past participle done a Melba)

1. (Australia, informal, chiefly of an entertainer) To make a repeated comeback.

Further reading

• “do a Melba”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.