circus act
1
4.2
- noun
- /ˈsɜrkəs ækt/
- Informal
:
número de circo
- That sounds like a circus act.
Examples
-
Lately, I have made my living having knives thrown at me in a circus act.
Fiction book (1999) -
I've seen this circus act before!
-
The opening number is an impossible circus act with fire-breathers, jugglers, and tumblers all coming at you at once.
-
Her friends in junior high were members of The Great Alzanas high-wire circus act that amazed everyone with their daring stunts.
-
Lately, I have made my living having knives thrown at me in a thrilling circus act that entertains crowds.
Synonyms
144
4.4
A noisy, confused situation when people behave in a very disorganized way
24
3.2
A noisy, wild, and disorganized situation like a street festival
2
5.4
A situation with confusion and many things happening at once
1
7.0
A very messy and badly organized event or situation
Antonyms
How Entertaining
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal sense ‘a performance in a circus’ is directly compositional from 'circus' (a show/spectacle) + 'act' (a performance), and the extended use to mean a chaotic or disorderly event follows naturally from the idea of a noisy, spectacle-like circus. However, the figurative/disparaging extension to describe any chaotic situation is a metaphorical shift that a B1 learner may not reliably infer without exposure, so the relation is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Circus act comes from the image of a busy show: a circus full of clowns, animals and performers doing an act, with lots of noise and many things happening at once. So, calling something a circus act means it feels like that busy, noisy show, full of 'chaos' or lively confusion.