no business like show business
- idiom
- There's no business like show business!
Examples
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Many dreamers flock to Hollywood, lured by the idea that there's no business like show business.
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Despite its chaos, he insists there's no business like show business.
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After years on stage, she truly believes there's no business like show business.
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In my opinion, no business like show business offers as much excitement.
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After years on stage, she truly believes there's no business like show business.
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Despite its chaos, he insists there's no business like show business.
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Many dreamers flock to Hollywood, lured by the idea that there's no business like show business.
Synonyms
Businesses that make and show movies, television shows, and live shows
The industry that makes movies, television, and theater for the public
How Exciting
Surface Forms
Morphology
no + business + like + show + business
The sentence literally means 'there is no business like show business' and an average B1 learner who knows 'no', 'business', 'like' and 'show' can compose this as 'no line of work compares to the business of putting on shows.' 'Show business' is transparently the business of shows, and the comparative negation pattern 'no ... like ...' is common cross-linguistically, so the evaluative sense (uniquely exciting/rewarding/challenging) is recoverable from the parts.
Etymology
The saying no business like show business comes from a famous stage song that celebrates life on the stage. It paints a picture of bright lights, loud applause and busy backstage work, so the phrase means there is no other job as 'exciting' or 'special' as working in entertainment.