Meaning of dog and pony show | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A small traveling circus featuring animals as entertainment.
   historical
2. Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.
   idiomatic

Examples

“They put on a whole dog and pony show for the investors, but I'm not sure they've convinced anyone.”

“Here, the academics put on a bit of a dog-and-pony show, demonstrating their latest breakthroughs and giving sponsors a chance to meet students who are about to receive their PhDs and start looking for jobs.[…]”

“Look, I know this may all seem somewhat untoward, and we can go through a whole dog-and-pony show here where I pretend that this column exists as a forum for ideas, and that I act as an independent voice who isn't beholden to advertisers, and the power of the First Amendment, and blah blah, etc. etc. But let's get real for a second here, okay?”

CEFR level