clown car

American  

[kloun kahr] / ˈklaʊn ˌkɑr /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of clown car

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

Example Sentences

He’d entered the league thrust into the position of savior, a 21-year-old high draft pick from USC trapped in a Meadowlands clown car.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

He has professional lawyers working on this case, not the clown car he rolled out for his civil trials.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2024

Rather, his show has a long track record of amplifying fringe science, conspiracy theory and baseless contrarianism, the very criticisms Hotez made in passing on getting into a clown car.

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2023

Amid the clown car that has become the quick-serve industry, Chipotle has managed to maintain a shred of dignity, at least in terms of menu development, if not always with worker conditions.

From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2022

Each of these stories is like a circus clown car, stuffed with more meaning than Wolitzer’s deceptively simple sentences seem able to contain.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2021