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big top

big top

 
noun
1.
the largest or main tent of a circus.
2.
a circus.
Origin:
1890–95, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Big top is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
big top
 
—n
1.  the main tent of a circus
2.  the circus itself

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Slang Dictionary

big top definition


  1. n.
    a circus tent; the circus, in general. : And now, one of the greatest acts under the big top.
  2. mod.
    having to do with the circus. : One big top experience is enough to last me a lifetime.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

big top

  1. The main tent of a circus, as in The high-wire act is almost always in the big top. [c. 1840]

  2. Underworld slang for a maximum-security prison, as in He was sentenced to ten years in the big top. [1950s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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