three-ring circus

See also: three ring circus

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

three-ring circus (plural three-ring circuses)

  1. A large circus in which three separate performances, each within its own circular enclosure, are staged simultaneously before a single audience.
  2. (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[1], New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC:
      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.
      (Can we archive this URL?)
    • 1997 November 1, Kim Sengupta, “Nanny Trial: Sharp contrast in US justice style”, in The Independent‎[2], London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 6 February 2026:
      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 The New York Times‎[3], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 December 2024:
      The Italian Parliament has long been a three-ring circus.

Synonyms

References

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