Barnum


P(hineas) T(aylor) 1810–91, U.S. showman who established a circus in 1871.
Contemporary Examples

And, like Barnum, he bestowed his own name onto his product.
The Jewish Condom Magnate Benyamin Cohen December 28, 2009

Acrobat death In 2004, Dessi Espana, a performer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey, fell 35 feet during a performance.
Thrills and Too Many Spills: The Dangers of the Circus Marina Watts May 4, 2014

Ironically, next up at Staples Center is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
The Greatest Showman on Earth Pat O’Brien July 6, 2009

Circus parades often became as large a sight as the performance itself; one Barnum and Bailey parade stretched for three miles.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus Anthony Paletta November 26, 2014

Kirsch has just completed his three-minute audition for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College.
The Most Depressing Show on Earth: Amongst the Clowns of Newark Lizzie Crocker March 15, 2014

Historical Examples

Thus the news went abroad that poor Barnum was hunted and troubled on every side with these clock notes.
History of the American Clock Business for the Past Sixty Years, and Life of Chauncey Jerome Chauncey Jerome

One party thought I was Mr. Barnum, and treated me with profound respect.
Memoirs Charles Godfrey Leland

It seems he was at one time connected with Barnum’s circus, and prepared performers for the arena.
The Young Acrobat of the Great North American Circus Horatio Alger Jr.

But I did not invest my inventiveness wisely; I should have shared the idea with Barnum.
Memoirs Charles Godfrey Leland

“Or New York either,” said Mr. Barnum, who had been an interested listener.
A House-Boat on the Styx John Kendrick Bangs

noun
P(hineas) T(aylor). 1810–91, US showman, who created The Greatest Show on Earth (1871) and, with J. A. Bailey, founded the Barnum and Bailey Circus (1881)

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  • Barnum, phineas t.

    barnum, phineas t. A nineteenth-century American showman known for his circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” His sideshows were particularly notable, even though many of the “freaks” he advertised were hoaxes. After Barnum’s death, his circus was absorbed into the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Note: According to a famous story, when someone […]

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  • Baro

    a combining form meaning “pressure,” used in the formation of compound words: barograph. Historical Examples baro nodded, and started up the line, reorganizing the caravan. The Players Everett B. Cole Only one bandit, a skilled swordsman, remained, to keep baro busy. The Players Everett B. Cole baro wheeled and slid down the incline, closely followed […]

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    Giacomo [jah-kaw-maw] /ˈdʒɑ kɔ mɔ/ (Show IPA), Vignola, Giacomo da. noun Giacomo (ˈdʒakomo) See Vignola


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