1852 E. L. Blanchard Jrnl. 15 Sept. in C. W. Scott & C. Howard Life E. L. Blanchard (1891) I. 98 At home till 5 p.m. fixing on titles for pantos... Arrange for panto. With Smith for Drury.

1885 Househ. Words 29 Aug. 350/1 I say that part of this money shall be shared among us as ‘sals’, and some of the remainder shall be used for mounting the guv'nor's panto.

1914 C. Mackenzie Sinister St. II. iv. ii. 865 ‘You're on the stage, aren't you?’ ‘I usually get into panto,’ she admitted.

1929 J. B. Priestley Good Compan. ii. i. 251 That's right. A lot of experience. C.P. work, halls, panto, low comedy in legit., know it all.

1969 Listener 28 May 663/1 I was glad that Hazel Hughes should play her..like Kenneth Williams as painless panto dame.

1995 Time Out 6 Dec. 15/1 (advt.) A new wave panto in which Bob Cratchit catches Santa selling his organs.