Post by t-bob on Apr 29, 2019 10:08:57 GMT -5
CLOWN CAR
noun
1. a group whose size seems absurdly excessive for the purported function of the group, and whose effectiveness is therefore questionable: The planning committee has added yet another member to its clown car, almost guaranteeing further delays.
Quotes
But I’m old enough to remember 2015, when there were so many Republicans vying for the nod of their party, the early intraparty debates needed to be divided into two to ensure everyone got airtime .... The clown car, people named it. -- Helaine Olen, "The Democratic primary will be crowded in 2020. Good!" Washington Post, November 13, 2018 ... as the clown-car of guest stars that Swift brought out in each city verged on the absurd ... it started to feel like Taylor Swift was not interested in a collective, collaborative vision of feminism so much as one that proved the dominance of her own brand. -- Lindsay Zoladz, "2015: The year that #squad died." Slate, December 18, 2015
Origin
The term clown car in its original sense “a very small car used in a circus comedy act, in which the normal passenger capacity is greatly exceeded by the numerous clowns who climb out from inside,” dates from the early 1950s. The disparaging, usually political sense “a group whose size seems excessive for the function of the group, and whose effectiveness is therefore questionable,” dates from about 2013
noun
1. a group whose size seems absurdly excessive for the purported function of the group, and whose effectiveness is therefore questionable: The planning committee has added yet another member to its clown car, almost guaranteeing further delays.
Quotes
But I’m old enough to remember 2015, when there were so many Republicans vying for the nod of their party, the early intraparty debates needed to be divided into two to ensure everyone got airtime .... The clown car, people named it. -- Helaine Olen, "The Democratic primary will be crowded in 2020. Good!" Washington Post, November 13, 2018 ... as the clown-car of guest stars that Swift brought out in each city verged on the absurd ... it started to feel like Taylor Swift was not interested in a collective, collaborative vision of feminism so much as one that proved the dominance of her own brand. -- Lindsay Zoladz, "2015: The year that #squad died." Slate, December 18, 2015
Origin
The term clown car in its original sense “a very small car used in a circus comedy act, in which the normal passenger capacity is greatly exceeded by the numerous clowns who climb out from inside,” dates from the early 1950s. The disparaging, usually political sense “a group whose size seems excessive for the function of the group, and whose effectiveness is therefore questionable,” dates from about 2013
