big top

noun

1. the largest or main tent of a circus.

2. a circus.

big top

noun

1. the main tent of a circus

2. the circus itself

Word History and Origins

Origin of big top¹

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Idioms and Phrases

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

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