Phrase guide

dog and pony show

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A small traveling circus featuring animals as entertainment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • They put on a whole dog and pony show for the investors, but I'm not sure they've convinced anyone.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.