~ A ~
Aba-daba - Any dessert that was served in the cookhouse.
Advance Men - Men who go into towns ahead of the circus to put up heralds and posters publicizing the arrival of the circus.
Alfalfa - Paper money.
All Out and Over - Entire performance is concluded.
Annie Oakley - A complimentary ticket or free pass.
Auguste Clown - A clumsy, slapstick clown who wears no traditional costume.

~ B ~
Back Door - Performer's entrance to the Big Top.
Bally - A platform used by spielers to give the crowd an idea of the show to be seen inside.
Ballyhoo - The spiel shouted in front of the sideshow to attract attention.
Banner - The canvas paintings in front of the sideshow depicting the attractions within.
Bibles - Programs or souvenir magazines.
Big Bertha or The Big One - Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Big Top - The main tent used for the performance.
Blowdown - When the tents are blown down by a storm.
Blow Off - The end of the show when the concessionaires come out.
Blues - The general admission seats.
Boss Canvas Man - The man whose job is to decide exactly where and how the tents should be put up at a new circus lot.
Boss Hostler - The man who traveled ahead of the mud shows to mark the way for the caravan;
      sometimes used to denote the one in charge of all horses in a show.
Bulls - Elephants (whether male or female).
Bunce - Profits.
Butcher - Refreshment merchants, peddler of lemonade, candy, pretzels and other edibles.

~ C ~
Calliope - A musical instrument consisting of a series of steam whistles played like an organ;
      pronounced "cally-ope" by circus people.
Carpet Clown - A clown who works either among the audience or on arena floor.
Catcher - A member of a trapeze act who catches the flyer after he has released himself from the bar in a flying return act.
Cats - Lions, tigers, leopards, panthers.
Cattle Guard - A set of low seats placed in front of the general admission seats to accommodate overflow audiences.
Center Pole or King Pole - The first pole of the tent to be raised.
      It is about 60 feet high, weighs about a ton and holds the peak of the tent.
Character Clown - A clown who usually dresses in a tramp costume.
Charivari - A noisy whirlwind entrance of clowns; also called shivaree or chivaree.
Cherry Pie - Extra work done by circus personnel for extra pay.
Clem - A fight.
Clown Alley - A section of tent where clowns put on their makeup and store their props.
Clown Stop - A brief appearance of the clowns while the props are being changed.
Clown Walk-Around - A parade of clowns during which time they stop and do their acts.
Come-in - The period when the public is entering the arena before the circus begins.

~ D ~
Dog and Pony Show - A derisive term for a small circus.
Dona - A woman.
Donikers - Restrooms.
Doors! - Call meaning to let the public in.
Dressage - The art of showing trained horses; animal paces are guided by subtle movements of rider's body.
Dressed - When tickets are distributed so that all sections are filled with no obviously empty areas.
Ducat Grabber - Door tender or ticket collector.
Dukey or Duckie-Box Lunch - The first cookhouse was known as "Hotel du Quai."
      When pronounced quickly it sounded like "dukey" and the name stuck.
Dukey Run - Any circus run longer than an overnight haul.

~ E ~
En Ferocite - The term used by European circuses to describe American wild animal acts,
      as opposed to their "tableau" presentations.
Equestrian Director - Ringmaster (derived from early circuses featuring primarily equestrian performers).

~ F ~
Feet Jump-In - Equestrian riding-standing with the feet together,
      bareback rider jumps from the ground or teeterboard on to back of a running horse.
Fink or Larry - A broken novelty such as a torn balloon.
First of May - A novice performer in his first season on a circus show.
Flatties - People.
Flip-Flaps - The trick of flipping from a standing position to the hands while bareback rider is on a running horse.
Flyers - Aerialists, especially those in flying return acts.
Flying Squadron - The first section of a circus to reach the lot.
Framing a Show - Planning a circus production.
Funambulist - Rope walker. From Latin: "funis" --rope, and "ambulare" --to walk.
Funny Ropes - Extra ropes added to regular ones, usually at angles, to give extra stability and spread to canvas tent.

~ G ~
Gaffer - Circus manager.
Galop - Fast tempo band melodies used in certain exits and entrances.
Gilly - Anyone not connected with the circus; an outsider. See also Towner.
Gilly Wagon - Extra small wagon or cart used to carry light bits of equipment around the lot.
Graft - A piece of work-sometimes easy, sometimes hard.
Grafters - Gamblers who often trail a show.
Grotesque - Type of clown who wears exaggerated costume and carries outlandish props.
Guys - Heavy ropes or cables that help to support poles or high wire rigging.

~ H ~
Harlequin - A clown of the commedia dell'arte who dressed in a diamond-patterned costume and who wore a black mask.
Heralds - Circus advertisements, approximately 9 x 20 inches. which can be pasted down or handed out.
      They are not in color and consist of type and pictures.
Hey Rube! - Traditional battle cry of circus people in fights with townspeople.
High School Horse - A horse who has been taught fancy steps in special riding academies. See also Dressage.
Hits - Places such as walls of grain elevators, barns, buildings, or fences on which heralds and posters were pasted.
Home Run - The trip from Home Sweet Home back to winter quarters.
Home Sweet Home - The last stand of the season when bill posters usually pasted one pack of posters upside down.
Homy - A man. A bona homy is a good man.
Horse - One thousand dollars.
Horse Feed - Poor returns from poor business.
Horse Opery - Any circus (jokingly).
Howdah or Howdy - A seat, often with a canopy, on the back of an elephant or camel.
Human Oddities - Sideshow of abnormal persons.

~ I ~
Iron-Jaw Trick - An aerial stunt using a metal bit and apparatus which fits into the performer's mouth.
      Thus suspended he performs his tricks.

~ J ~
Jackpots - Tall tales about the circus.
Jill - A girl.
Joey - A clown (derived from Joseph Grimaldi, a famous clown in England of the 18th century).
Jonah's Luck - Unusually bad weather or mud.
Jump - The distance between performances in different towns.
Jump Stand - An additional booth near the front door used to sell extra tickets during a rush by spectators.

~ K ~
Kicking Sawdust - Following the circus or being a part of it.
Kid Show - A sideshow.
Kiester - Wardrobe trunk.
Kinker - Any circus performer (originally only an acrobat).

~ L ~
Layout Man - The lot superintendent who decides the location of the various tents.
Lift - The natural bounce which lifts Bareback rider from ground to back of a running horse.
Little People - Midgets or dwarfs.
Lot - Land leased by the circus for performances.
Lot Lice - Local townspeople who arrive early to watch unloading of the circus and stay late.

~ M ~
Main Guy - Guy rope to hold up center pole in the Big Top.
March, The - The street parade.
Mechanic - The leather safety harness which is worn by flyers in practice sessions and controlled by man below.
Midway - The area near the main entrance where the sideshows are located and concessionaires
      sell refreshments and souvenirs.
Mud Show - Circus show that traveled overland, not on rails.
      So named because the wagon wheels were frequently mired in mud.

~ N ~
Nanty - Nothing.

~ O ~
On the Show - Performers and all others connected to the circus. The term "with" the show is not used.
Opposition Paper - Advertising posters which were put up by competing circuses.

~ P ~
Pad Room - Dressing Room. So called because riders hang their pads there.
Paper - Circus posters.
Parlari - Circus people talking.
Perch Act - A balancing act involving use of apparatus upon which one person is performing while being balanced by another.
Picture Gallery - A tattooed man.
Pie-Car - The dining car of a railroad train.
Pitchmen - The salesmen at concessions on the midway.
Planges - Aerialist's body swing overs in which one hand and wrist are placed in padded rope loop.
Ponger - An acrobat.
Possom Belly - Extra storage box attached underneath a work wagon or railway car.

~ Q ~
Quarter Poles - Poles which help support the weight of the canvas and take up the slack between center and side poles.

~ R ~
Rat Sheets - Advance posters or handbills with negative slant toward the opposition.
Razorbacks - The men who load and unload railroad cars.
Red Wagon - Box office wagon, main office of circus; also money wagon.
      This was usually painted red though it could be any color.
Rig - To put up aerial rigging.
Rigging - The apparatus used in high wire or aerial acts.
Ring Banks or Curbs - Wooden curbing around the ring.
Ring Barn - Regulation-sized circus ring for practice at winter quarters.
Ring Horse - A horse which performs in the center ring. He is trained to maintain timing despite distractions.
Ring Stock - Circus animals which perform in the show, including horses, llamas, camels, and ponies.
Risley Act - Three acrobats lying on their backs who toss a fourth acrobat from one to the other.
Roll-Ups - Tame US aerial plunges.
Roman Riding - A rider standing on the backs of two horses.
Roper - A cowboy.
Rosinback - Horse used for bareback riding.
      So named because horses' backs were sprinkled with rosin to prevent rider from slipping.
Roustabout - A circus workman, laborer.
Rubbermen - The men who sell balloons.

~ S ~
Safety Loop - The loop part of a web rope into which a performer places her wrist in aerial ballet numbers.
Segue - Music bridge used in changing from one tune to another without stopping.
Shanty or Chandelier - The man who works the lights.
Shill - A man used a decoy; an employee who stands in line to make the box office look busy and walks in without paying.
Sky Boards - The decorated boards along top of cage wagons used in parades.
Slanger - Trainer of cats.
Sledge Gang - Crew of men who pounded in tent stakes.
Soft Lot - A wet or muddy lot.
Spec - Short form for spectacle. A colorful pageant which is a featured part of the show;
      formerly used as the opening numbers, now presented before intermission.
Spec Girls - Comedy showgirls who appear in grand spectacle.
Spieler - An announcer.
Splash Boards - Decorated bottom edge of cage wagons used in parades.
Stand - Any town where the circus plays.
Star Backs - More expensive reserved seats.
St. Louis - Doubles or seconds of food. So named because St. Louis engagement was played in two sections.
Strawhouse - A sell-out house. Straw was spread on ground for spectators to sit upon in front of general asmission seats.
Swags - Prizes.

~ T ~
Tableau Wagons - Ornamental parades wagons. Costumed circus performers rode atop them.
Tail Up - Command to an elephant to follow in line.
Talkers - Ticket takers for sideshow--never called "barkers".
Tanbark - The shredded bark from trees from which tannin has been extracted and used to cover circus arena ground.
The Big One - Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Toot Up - To get attention of spectators by playing the calliope.
Tops - Tents; for example, dressing tops are where the performers dress for show.
Towners - Townspeople; any outsiders. See also Gilly.
Troupers - Circus entertainers.
Trunk Up - Command to an elephant to raise his trunk in a salute.
Turnaway - A sold-out show.
Twenty-four-hour Man - An advance man who works one day ahead of circus.

~ W ~
Wait Brothers Show - Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Show. So called because the posters read,
      "Wait for the Big Show."
Web - Dangling canvas-covered rope suspended from swivels from the top of the tent.
Web Girl - Female who performs on web in aerial ballet sequence.
Web-Sitter - Ground man who holds or controls the web for aerialists.
Windjammer - A member of a circus band.
With It - An expression meaning loyalty to the show.

~ Z ~
Zanies - Clowns.