English

Noun

quick-change artist ‎(plural quick-change artists)

1. An entertainer whose performances involve rapid changes of costume.
   • 1917, H. Rider Haggard, Finished, Ch. 17:

     Only then Nombe must be something of a quick-change artist since but a little while before she was beyond doubt personating the dead Mameena.

   • 1940 May 17, "Thompson And Sarazen Lead," Telegraph-Herald (Iowa, USA) p. 1 (retrieved 24 May 2013):

     [T]he lead can change hands in this tournament faster than a quick-change artist's costume.

   • 2002 July 2, Lawrence Van Gelder, "Theater Review: Tuneful and Faithful to Twain's Tale," New York Times (retrieved 24 May 2013):

     Here, too . . . are a kindly priest, a mysterious hermit, a good-hearted mother, a love-smitten young noblewoman, flashing swordplay, and taverns and palaces teeming with cooks and bakers and servants and idlers and criminals, all brought to vivid life by a well-chosen dozen-member cast of quick-change artists.

2. (figuratively, by extension) Someone who rapidly changes his views, occupations, appearance, behavior, etc.; something that rapidly changes its form or function.
   • 1931 Sept. 17, "The Budget," Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) p. 9 (retrieved 24 May 2013):

     Mr. Churchill, with his well-known ability as a quick-change artist, had become a full-blooded protectionist

   • 1998 August 19, Diana Jean Schemo, "Colombian Rebels Broaden Offensive," New York Times (retrieved 24 May 2013):

     The worst part, the refugees say, is maneuvering survival in a war whose combatants are often quick-change artists, looking like a neighbor by day and a killer by night.

   • 2001 June 24, Christine Gorman, "Cover Stories," Time:

     Pharmaceutical manufacturers have already been hampered by HIV's talent as a quick-change artist.

References

• quick-change artist at OneLook Dictionary Search