medicine show

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.

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Origin of medicine show

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Words nearby medicine show

medicine dance, medicine hat, medicine lodge, medicine man, medicine shop, medicine show, medicine wheel, medicine woman, medick, medico, medico-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for medicine show

  • And last of all is the "Medicine-Show," which is a character study situated on the banks of the Mississippi.

    More Portmanteau Plays|Stuart Walker