circus

Definition of circus in English English dictionary: A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent
The circus will be in town next week.; A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet
Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street.; A World War II code name for bomber attacks with fighter escorts in the day time. The attacks were against short range targets with the intention of occupying enemy fighters and keeping their fighter units in the area concerned
the squadron (No. 452) moved to Kenley in July 1941 and took part in the usual round of Circus, Rhubarb and Ramrod missions.; In the ancient Roman Empire, a building for chariot racing; {n} a place of sports, or shows; {i} traveling show of animals and performers; square, intersection; (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals; "he ran away from home to join the circus; (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games; performance given by a traveling company of acrobats clowns and trained animals; "the children always love to go to the circus" a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a circus or carnival; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere" a genus of haws comprising the harriers an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent; "they used the elephants to help put up the circus" (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals; "he ran away from home to join the circus; Also, the company of performers, with their equipage; performance given by a traveling company of acrobats clowns and trained animals; "the children always love to go to the circus"; Roman; roofless, oblong arena for chariot racing or gladiator shows; see hippodrome; a genus of haws comprising the harriers; a genus of haws comprising the harriers an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent; "they used the elephants to help put up the circus"; an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent; "they used the elephants to help put up the circus"; a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals; "he ran away from home to join the circus"; A circus is a group that consists of clowns, acrobats, and animals which travels around to different places and performs shows. My real ambition was to work in a circus. circus performers. The circus is the show performed by these people. My dad took me to the circus; It was used for chariot races, games, and public shows; A circular inclosure for the exhibition of feats of horsemanship, acrobatic displays, etc; disapproval If you describe a group of people or an event as a circus, you disapprove of them because they attract a lot of attention but do not achieve anything useful. It could well turn into some kind of a media circus. Entertainment or spectacle featuring animal acts and human feats of daring. The modern circus was founded in England in 1768 by the bareback rider Philip Astley (1742-1814), who built stands around his performance ring and opened Astley's Amphitheatre. One of his riders later established the Royal Circus (1782), the first modern use of the term. The first U.S. circus opened in Philadelphia in 1793. Horse acts were later joined by wild-animal acts. After the invention of the flying trapeze by Jules Léotard (1859), aerial acts were featured. P.T. Barnum expanded the traditional circus by adding two rings to create the three-ring circus (1881) and augmented it with sideshow performers. Circuses traveled throughout the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, performing in a tent (the Big Top) into the 1950s. Today circuses usually perform in permanent buildings, though small troupes still travel with tents in some regions. By the late 20th century, notable circuses also had developed in Africa, India, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico. Perhaps the most innovative trend in circuses at the turn of the 21st century was the establishment of companies such as the Cirque du Soleil; these companies employed no animals, instead emphasizing acts of human skill and daring and integrating elements of contemporary music and dance into the overall performance; Circuit; space; inclosure; An oval arena built around a racetrack by ancient Romans and usually endorsed by an extensive stadium with raised seats for spectators; A Roman elliptical race track; a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a circus or carnival; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere"; A level oblong space surrounded on three sides by seats of wood, earth, or stone, rising in tiers one above another, and divided lengthwise through the middle by a barrier around which the track or course was laid out
circus ring: a round area inside a circus where circus acts are displayed
circus acrobat: an acrobat who performs acrobatic feats in a circus
circus tent: a canvas tent to house the audience at a circus performance; "he was afraid of a fire in the circus tent"; "they had the big top up in less than an hour
Piccadilly Circus: a traffic intersection in the West End, having connections with Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Haymarket, Coventry Street and Glasshouse Street
flea circus: A miniature show which creates the illusion of performing fleas by mechanical means. Once a common circus sideshow
flying circus: A WWI German fighter wing
Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1), the Red Baron's Flying Circus.
flying circus: A barnstorming troop
Monty Python's Flying Circus.
media circus: A large gathering of reporters at the scene of a news event
psychedelic circus: An acid party, especially one more out of control than "normal."
three-ring circus: a public spectacle, especially one with little substance
his attempt at a dignified resignation turned into a three-ring circus.
media circus: Media circus, media hype, orgy, and feeding frenzy describes a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media . The term is meant to critique the media by comparing it to a circus and, as such, is an idiom and not an objective observation
Monty Python's Flying Circus: British comedy troupe. The innovative group, formed in the early 1960s, came to prominence in the 1970s, first on television and later in films. Its members, most of whom met while attending the University of Cambridge, included Graham Chapman (1941-89) and John Cleese (coauthors of most of their skits and films) as well as Terry Jones (b. 1942), Terry Gilliam (b. 1940), Eric Idle (b. 1943), and Michael Palin (b. 1943). The troupe's parodies of British life and television and their array of absurd characters surprised and delighted international audiences. Their films include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Oxford Circus: the place in central London where Regent Street and Oxford Street cross, and also the name of the underground station there. It is one of the busiest places in London, and is always full of people going shopping
Piccadilly Circus: a round, open area in central London, where several streets join together, famous for being very busy, for its advertising signs made of neon lights, and for the statue of Eros in its centre. People sometimes say that a place is like Piccadilly Circus to mean that it is very busy
circuses: plural of circus
media circus: disapproval If an event is described as a media circus, a large group of people from the media is there to report on it and take photographs. The couple married in the Caribbean to avoid a media circus
three-ring circus: a circus with simultaneous performances in three rings
travelling circus: circus which goes from city to city to perform