flying circus
Americannoun
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a squadron of airplanes operating together, especially any of several squadrons of famous World War I aviators.
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a carnival troupe, or the like, offering exhibitions of stunt flying at fairs, circuses, etc.
noun
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an exhibition of aircraft aerobatics
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the aircraft and men who take part in such exhibitions
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He later returned from the war and was a part of a flying circus show that performed airborne acrobatics.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2021
What gasping onlookers saw in the square was a flying circus, two incompetent predators attacking two clueless doves and coming up short.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2014
Each game was scrappy and difficult; unlike the Penguins, the Rangers are no flying circus of highlight-reel scoring stars.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2012
Nevada’s defense has improved under the watchful eye of new coordinator Andy Buh, but facing the Warriors’ flying circus at Aloha Stadium will be too much to handle.
From Newsweek ● Oct. 13, 2010
The German heroes were the celebrated Captain Boelke, and the no less famous inventor of the "flying circus," Count von Richthofen.
From History of the World War An Authentic Narrative of the World's Greatest War by March, Francis Andrew
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
