tent circus

noun

1. a circus performed in tents rather than in an arena.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tent circus¹

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50

Example Sentences

Also in recent years, a snow leopard scratched a schoolgirl at a traveling tent circus outside Moscow, and a tiger bit a spectator in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

From New York Times

Beaubourg and Boulez show off a bold new concert hall Beyond the fire-eater, the buskers and the tent circus on the cobblestone plaza of Paris' skeletal-modern Pompidou arts center, there is what looks like a subway entrance marked IRCAM.

From Time Magazine Archive