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medicine show†
Hist.
DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.
1
a travelling show with attractions intended to lure a crowd of spectators, who were then asked to buy medicines, often said to have been ancient Indian remedies.
See: medicine-man(def. 3)
Quotations
1954
The appearance of a travelling medicine show one day in August brought a measure of colour and excitement to the dull routine of life in Dominion City.
1959
The days of the medicine show are over. . . .
2 — Figurative use.
Quotations
1965
The [western] boom was the result of what Ralph Allen has called "one of the largest, noisiest and most successful medicine shows of all time"--the Canadian government's European campaign to attract settlers.