medicine show

American

noun

a traveling troupe, especially in the late 1800s, offering entertainment in order to attract customers for the patent medicines or purported cures proffered for sale.

Etymology

Origin of medicine show

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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.

So guitarist/songwriter Steve Wynn revived the indie label he started back in the ’80s and “Medicine Show” was free again.

From Salon

“Medicine Show” was a record that either confounded or delighted fans of “alternative music” back in the early ’80s.

From Salon

“Medicine Show” was “Radio Ethiopia” in terms of the sonic and energetic fields it encompassed compared to the band’s debut, “The Days of Wine and Roses,” which gave them their spot in the New American Underground.

From Salon

“Medicine Show” was the result, and you loved it, or you hated it, but if you hated it, you were probably in the wrong place to begin with.

From Salon

Their results, published in Science Translational Medicine, show the promise that mRNA-based therapies may one day offer patients with PVR and other retinal conditions.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023