CIRCUS PARLARI / TERMS
-A-
Advance: Men who go into towns ahead of the circus to put up posters publicizing the arrival of the circus.
Arrow: Paper sign, consisting of a simple arrow, used to mark the route between towns. Arrows are taped to
road signs by the advance the day before the show moves.
Acrobats: Circus stars who perform on the trampoline, trapeze, tight wire or tumbling mats.
Adagio: Ballet-like dance movements performed by two or more acrobats.
Aerial acts: Circus acts performed in the air.
Aerialist: Acrobats who work above the rings.
Auguste clown: Clumsy, slapstick
-B-
Back Door: Performer's entrance to the tent.
Blow down: When the tent is destroyed by high winds or a storm.
Bungee: A rubberized cord from which performers do aerial acts.
Box office: Ticket sales office.
Big Top: The tent where the circus is performed.
Balloon: Paper hoop through which a bareback rider jumps.
Barker: Someone who makes announcements to draw a crowd.
-C-
Clown: The white faced clown or true clown.
Cloud Swing: Aerial act in which an individual performs on a loop of rope suspended from the top of the tent.
Comp: A free ticket to a show.
Catcher: A member of a trapeze act who catches the flyers.
Contortion: Ability to bend your body into unusual positions.
Charavari: A parade within the tent of all performers and animals in costume, usually at the beginning of the show.
Cherry pie: Extra work done by circus personnel for extra pay.
Concessions: Place where souvenirs and food are sold.
Chatsby: Any tool or small piece of circus equipment.
Clem: Fight.
-D-
Doors! : Order used to open the gates and let the public enter the big top.
Denari: Money.
Dona: Woman.
-E-
Equestrian: A horseback rider.
Equestrian Director: Derived from early circuses featuring primarily equestrian performers.
-F-
Fold or Folded: The closing of a show before the end of its regular season.
Floss: Candy floss.
Flip-flaps: The trick of flipping from a standing position to the hands.
Flyer: Aerialists, especially those in flying return acts.
Full House: Every available seat in the big top has been sold.
Finale: The final act when all the artist come into the ring to say goodbye.
Flash: Smart, Showy, also reference to the attractive front of the show to draw the audience.
The Flash: The attractive front of a show to draw the public.
Flattie: One of the public.
-G-
Gaffer:
Circus owner.
Guy
Lines:
Cables
used to stabilize aerial rigging.
Guy Ropes: Cables used to pull out the sides of the big top.
Gag: A clown skit.
Grease paint: Makeup used by clowns.
Guy wires: Heavy, strong ropes or cables that help to support poles and rigging that support the flying trapeze, etc.
Glims: Ring lighting.
Geni: Shows power generator.
Groom: A person who cares for the circus horses.
-H-
House: The crowd inside a circus tent for a performance.
Hair suspension act: An act in which ladies hang by their hair and perform tricks high above the arena.
High school horse: A horse who has been taught fancy steps in special riding academies, similar to dressage.
High wire: A tight wire raised very high above the ground.
-I-
Itchy Feet: An off the road trouper's urge to get back with it on the road.
-J-
Joey: A clown. From the famous clown Joe Grimaldi.
Jump: The move between towns.
Jugglers: Performers who toss three or more objects into the air, which requires skill of hand and eye.
Josser: Anyone outside circus business or someone working in the circus not from a circus family.
-K-
King poles: Main pole that hold up the center of the big top.
Kip: A sleeping place, a bed.
-L-
Liberty Horses: An act of from one to twenty four horses working in a ring with no reins being used by the trainer. These horses are trained to do drills, hind leg walks, etc. Acts of either eight or twelve horses have been standard for many years. Much larger acts were used as features at various times though.
Lunge Rope: The rope held by a person outside the ring which is threaded through a pulley above the ring and attached to the safety device of the performer who is working in or above the ring.
Lift: The natural bounce which lifts bareback rider from ground to back of a running horse.
Little People:
Midgets or dwarfs.
-M-
Mechanic: A belt or safety device worn by a performer as he does a 'trick'. One or more safety (lunge) ropes are attached to the belt. During the act, the persons holding the lunge ropes regulate the slack in them so that the performer has freedom of movement but cannot fall to the ground or floor on a 'missed trick'. Most all performers, both aerial and ground, are trained by aid of mechanics.
Ménage: The performance of 'high school' type riding in a circus arena by one or more persons and their horses. Thirty or more riders in one display were not uncommon on the larger circuses of fifty years ago.
Menagerie: Backstage area where the circus animals are kept.
Midway: The area near the main entrance where the sideshows are located and concessionaires sell refreshments and souvenirs.
Mud Show: Small travelling circus that dose one day stands.
-N-
Novelties: Whistling birds, light ups, spinning plates and others souvenirs sold.
Net: Used as a safety device in flying trapeze and other aerial acts.
Nanty:
Nothing.
-O-
One Day Stand: Most circus dates were of day's duration.
Opening night: First performance in each city.
On the Show: Performers and all others connected to the circus. The term "with" the show is not used.
Omney:
Man.
-P-
Pull Down: Take down equipment and ready the circus for moving.
Perch act: A balancing act involving a long pole balanced upon a persons shoulders or forehead while their partner performs tricks at the top.
Pirouette: Dance term meaning to spin around on one foot.
Program: Circus souvenir booklet filled with pictures, feature stories, and a listing of the order of acts in the show.
Props: Objects such as ladders, rigging, hoops, etc., used in the circus.
Parlari: Circus people talking, circus language.
Prads:
Horses.
Punters:
The paying public.
-Q-
Quarter Poles: The intermediate poles between the side poles and the centre poles of a tent. They are the second largest poles in the tent. The poles prevent the forming of 'Water bags' in the canvas when raining.
-R-
Ring Master: The man in charge of a circus performance. Repartee between ring master and clown are often really funny. The real old time ring master could make a poor show into an entertaining performance.
Risley: An acrobatic act in which one person juggles another on his/her feet.
Rigging: Apparatus used in a high wire or aerial act.
Ring: A circular section of the arena where circus acts are performed.
Ring curb or Boxes: Curved wooden sections that fit together to form the circus rings.
Ring Boards: Tall circular sections which divide / protect the public from where circus acts are performed.
Ring Doors / Curtin: The artists entrance into the circus ring.
Ring Boy: A person who moves props around in the circus ring.
Rosie woods: Empty seats.
Rosin back: A large horse used for bareback riding.
Roustabout: A circus workman, labourer.
Routine: The order of movements in an act.
Run-in: A brief appearance of the clowns while the props are being changed.
Roper:
A cowboy.
-S-
Sell Out: Every available seat in the big top has been sold.
Side Poles: The smallest poles in the circus tent, running around its outer edge.
Sidewall: Wall of a tent.
Somersault: An acrobat feat performed by turning the heels over the head.
Stand: Any town where the circus plays.
Stunt: A daring act that takes courage and skill.
Safety Loop: The loop part of a web rope into which a performer places her wrist in aerial ballet numbers.
Soft Lot: A wet or muddy lot.
Spieler:
An announcer.
-T-
Take: The cash taken in from a performance, a concession, a series of performances or a string of concessions.
Teeterboard: Similar to a seesaw, used in acrobatic acts.
Tober: Circus site or ground.
Troupe: A group of circus performers that work together in one act.
Trapeze artist: An aerial acrobat who perform on a trapeze.
Trick: Any feat performed by a circus artist or animal, this does not mean trickery.
-U-
Under the Stars: To show outside without a tent. Seats and properties set up without a tent over them.
Usher: Person who helps you find your seat in the arena.
-V-
Voltage: A rider or riders jumping on to and off a horse while it moves.
-W-
Wardrobe: All costumes furnished and carried by a circus.
Web: Long ropes (actually cotton-filled fire hose) hung from the top of the tent for aerialists to perform on.
Web-Sitter: Ground man who holds or controls the web for aerialists.
Whiteface clown: The true clown, his face is mostly white, tends to be more serious, and dresses neatly, tries to be in charge.
Winter quarters: The home of the circus when it is not travelling; where the shows are staged.