| 词组 | circus |
| 释义 | circus noun 1 sexual behaviour that is public, fetishistic or both US, 1878. 2 a state of affairs; a noisy and confused institution, place, scene or assemblage US, 1899. 3 a temporary company of people (often moving from place to place), engaged in the same endeavour, e.g. lawn tennis, motor racing, etc. A specialisation of CIRCUS (an assemblage) UK, 1958. 4 a group of aircraft engaged in displays of skilful flying. Military origins UK, 1916. 5 feigned spasms by a drug addict to convince a doctor to prescribe a narcotic US, 1949 three-ring circusA chaotic situation, often one in which a lot of activity is occurring simultaneously. I felt like I was in a three-ring circus when I babysat my neighbor's three noisy, mischievous children. Without the boss around, the business quickly devolved into a three-ring circus. bread and circusesThings given or presented in an attempt to please (or at least distract) disgruntled people. The phrase comes from the Roman poet Juvenal. I really think this event is just bread and circuses to get us to stop protesting. like a three-ring circusTotally chaotic, frenetic, and wild. I babysat my neighbor's two young children the other evening, and it was like a three-ring circus in there! The company has been like a three-ring circus without the boss around to keep things in order. like a three-ring circusFig. chaotic; exciting and busy. Our household is like a three-ring circus on Monday mornings. This meeting is like a three-ring circus. Quiet down and listen! three-ring circusA situation of complete confusion, as in It was a three-ring circus, with the baby crying, the dog barking, both telephones ringing, and someone at the front door . This term alludes to a circus where three rings or arenas are featuring performances simultaneously. Perhaps invented by show business impresario P.T. Barnum, the term was extended to other confused situations by about 1900. bread and circusesPeople use bread and circuses to talk about a situation in which a government provides people with things which seem to make their lives more enjoyable in order to stop them complaining about important problems. He limited political dissent through a policy of bread and circuses backed up by a fearsome secret police. Our children and grandchildren will curse us for squandering their prosperity in exchange for today's bread and circuses. Note: This is a translation of a phrase in a satire by the Roman poet Juvenal. It refers to the fact that, in ancient Rome, the authorities provided the people with public amusements and food in order to prevent possible rebellion. a three-ring circusAMERICANIf you describe a situation as a three-ring circus, you mean there is a lot of noisy or confused activity. Grief was a private thing, not something to be turned into a three-ring circus by over-eager reporters. Cooking needn't be a three-ring circus of sweat and tears. bread and circusesmaterial benefits and entertainment employed by rulers or political parties to keep the masses happy and docile.Bread and circuses is a translation of the Latin phrase panem et circenses , which appeared in Juvenal's Satires, and which alludes to the Roman emperors' organization of grain handouts and gladiatorial games for the populace. a three-ring circus1 a circus with three rings for simultaneous performances. 2 a public spectacle, especially one with little substance. 2 1998 Spectator Along the way, these meetings have lost all that might have made them worthwhile…and have turned into a travelling three-ring circus. bread and circusesCrowd-pleasers, events of popular appeal. The term dates from the Roman poet Juvenal’s Satires, in which he said, Duas tantum res anxius optat, Panem et Circenses (Two things only the people earnestly desire, bread and [the games of the] circuses). Although this expression has survived long enough into modern times to become a cliché, it appears to be dying out. However, in the 1990s a very successful Massachusetts chain of health-food stores called itself the Bread & Circus Wholefood Supermarkets. three-ring circus, aAn occasion of utter confusion. This late nineteenth-century Americanism alludes to a circus in which three rings or arenas are featuring performances at the same time. Possibly invented by P. T. Barnum, the epitome of American show business entrepreneurs, the term was transferred to other extravagant events and disorderly situations by about 1900. Rudyard Kipling used it in A Diversity of Creatures (1914): “I can see lots of things from here. It’s like a three-ring circus!” |
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