odditorium

English

Etymology

Blend of odd +‎ auditorium; mainly used by the Ripley's Believe It or Not! franchise.

Noun

odditorium (plural odditoriums)

  1. A shop or museum exhibiting unusual curiosities. [from 20th c.]
    • 1917, Robert Shackleton, Touring Great Britain, page 182:
      […] and we found passageways with queer, quaint gables, and in a draper's shop, and in constant daily use, we came upon an ancient and beautiful oak staircase really fit for a palace, and we happened upon an "odditorium," […]
    • 1998, Robert Abelman, Reaching a critical mass, page 39:
      Today the syndicated daytime talk show is the straight-line mainstream descendant of the odditoriums and dunk-the-fool attractions of a century ago.
    • 2002, Christopher Shultz, David L. Sloan, Quit Your Job and Move to Key West: The Complete Guide, page 55:
      Ripley's has odditoriums across the United States, but the Key West location features many exhibits unique to our island.
    • 2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, page 27:
      His shop had been an odditorium, its crowding walls filled to the ceiling with unfathomable, strangely charismatic products like Bay Rum and styptic pencils that would seal up cuts […].
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