big top
noun
1.
the largest or main tent of a circus.
2.
a circus.
Origin
1890-95,
Americanism
British Dictionary definitions for
big top
big top
noun
(
informal
)
1.
the main tent of a circus
2.
the circus itself
Idioms and Phrases with
big top
big top
.
The main tent of a circus, as in
The high-wire act is almost always in the big top
.
[
c. 1840
]
.
Underworld slang for a maximum-security prison, as in
He was sentenced to ten years in the big top
.
[
1950s
]