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dog and pony show
noun
- an elaborate sales, advertising, or publicity presentation or campaign.
Word History and Origins
Origin of dog and pony show1
Idioms and Phrases
An elaborate presentation to gain approval for a product or policy. For example, The administration loved putting on a dog-and-pony show for every minor change of policy . This term alludes to a traveling variety show. [1950s]Example Sentences
He said he attended one of the faith-based advisory meetings early on and criticized it as “a dog and pony show.”
One of the biggest issues startups have with the traditional IPO process is that is that it becomes too much of a dog and pony show.
Is putting on a little dog-and-pony show every now and then detracting from the feminist cause?
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More About Dog And Pony Show
What does dog and pony show mean?
A dog and pony show, or dog-and-pony show, is an informal phrase used to mean an elaborate presentation or campaign, especially one held to drum up publicity or attention.
Dog and pony show is used to describe advertising campaigns or sales presentations that are trying to impress executives, customers, or investors, as in The young businessmen managed to win over investors with their dog and pony show.
Dog and pony show is also often used jokingly or mockingly to describe something as being unnecessarily showy or flashy while lacking meaning or substance, as in The press conference was nothing but a dog and pony show that failed to answer any important questions.
Example: You need to spice up the demonstration until it becomes a dog and pony show that people won’t soon forget.
Where does dog and pony show come from?
The first records of dog and pony show in its figurative sense come from around 1949. The phrase alludes to traveling variety shows that often used actual dogs and ponies as part of the entertainment.
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How is dog and pony show used in real life?
Dog and pony show is often used negatively to describe something as being too elaborate or making a big show of something unimportant.
State Dept. calls North Korean military parades nothing but a "dog and pony show"
— West Wing Reports (edited by Paul Brandus) (@WestWingReport) February 8, 2018
This is not a press conference. It is a dog and pony show.
— JackiSchechner (@JackiSchechner) January 11, 2017
Today was a great day for Major League Baseball. The Braun decision showed the arbitration process works and isn't just a dog and pony show.
— Doug Russell (@DougRussell) February 24, 2012
Try using dog and pony show!
Is dog and pony show used correctly in the following sentence?
Marty turned Jane’s book launch into a dog and pony show by inviting celebrities and hiring a famous band to play music.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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