three-ring circus
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See also: three ring circus
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
three-ring circus (plural three-ring circuses)
- A large circus in which three separate performances, each within its own circular enclosure, are staged simultaneously before a single audience.
- (idiomatic, by extension) A disorderly, complicated, rapidly changing situation or set of events, which is a source of bewilderment, amazement, or amusement.
- 1963 February 22, “Sport: Look! Another Record”, in Time:
- Indoor track can be a three-ring circus, with so much going on in the space of a few evening hours that the fans hardly know where to look first.
- 1997 November 1, Kim Sengupta, “Nanny Trial: Sharp contrast in US justice style”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 28 June 2012:
- British television viewers had seen how proceedings in US courtrooms can almost turn into a three-ring circus during the OJ Simpson trial.
- 2011 April 1, Rachel Donadio, “Rude and Crude Behavior Stains Italian Parliament”, in New York Times, retrieved 28 June 2012:
- The Italian Parliament has long been a three-ring circus.
Synonyms[edit]
- (idiomatic: disorderly, complicated, rapidly changing situation): commotion, pandemonium
References[edit]
- “three-ring circus”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.