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REFERENCE

dog and pony show

idiom
Meaning

Any presentation or display that is overly contrived or intricate, while lacking real substance.


Examples
SIMPLE

The meeting was just a boring dog and pony show.

CONTEXTUAL

The company organized a big dog and pony show to impress investors, but they had no real product to sell.

COMPLEX

Despite the elaborate dog and pony show presented by the consultants, the board remained unconvinced that the proposed strategy offered any genuine value.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    buy a dog and bark oneself

    To do something that one has hired someone else to do.

  2. 02

    cat and dog life

    An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.

  3. 03

    dog and cat

    A team comprising one male and one female, either working as associates or having one as the second-in-command to the other.

  4. 04

    dog around

    To follow diligently.

  5. 05

    dog in the hunt

    Something that may lead to gain, depending on the outcome; a position for which to campaign or cheer.

  6. 06

    dog in the manger

    Someone who denies to others something that the denier cannot use.

  7. 07

    dog my cats

    Used as a mild oath, or as an expression of astonishment

  8. 08

    dog that caught the car

    A person who has unexpectedly attained an aspirational goal and is now unsure what to do with it.

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