clown car

[kloun kahr]

noun

1. a very small car used in a comedic circus routine, in which the normal passenger capacity is greatly exceeded by the numerous clowns who climb out from inside.

2. Informal.,  a group whose size seems absurdly excessive for the purported function of the group, and whose effectiveness is therefore questionable.

   The planning committee has added yet another member to its clown car, almost guaranteeing further delays.

3. Informal.,  a small car.

   He used to call my old Beetle a clown car, but when gas prices soared, I got the last laugh.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clown car¹

First recorded in 1950–55; from a comedy routine used in the Cole Bros. Circus

Example Sentences

And if you think rapidly piling more people into a clown car is going to produce less clown-like behavior by ICE on the streets of American cities, boy do I have news for you.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“This thing is a clown car she’s got going on,” Fredericks said.

Read more on Salon

In an interview with The Hill, conservative talk show host John Fredericks compared Earle-Sears’s campaign to a “clown car.”

Read more on Salon

Though its height is that of a monster truck, it has the feel of a clown car.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But, for the first time since he took office, right now he seems content to sit in the background and watch his clown car roll past him.

Read more on Salon