the.com/sideshow
the warm-up act that out-weirded the main event and became legend.
means A minor attraction or event running alongside a main one — literally a smaller show beside a circus or fair, and figuratively any distraction that pulls focus from the real business.
from A transparent compound of "side" and "show," born in the world of traveling fairs and circuses, where the main performance happened under the big top and smaller curiosities — the bearded lady, the strongman, the two-headed calf — were displayed off to the side for an extra coin. The figurative sense, meaning a distraction from the main event, followed naturally in the 19th century once everyone knew exactly what a sideshow was.
- original meaning
- shows literally beside the main circus tent
- ten-in-one
- ten acts under one banner, one ticket
- sword swallowers
- actually relax the throat, defy the gag reflex
- talkers
- barkers who never barked, just smooth-talked crowds in
- coney island
- keeps the tradition breathing on the boardwalk
freaks 1932 film — tod browning's controversial film featuring real circus performers with physical differences
coney island attractions — sideshows by the seashore operated in brooklyn since 1983, featuring sword swallowers and snake charmers
ringling bros circuses — traditional american circus sideshows with odditoriums featuring human oddities, operated 1871-2017