Entertainments

Here are some expressions commonly used in discussing entertainments matters.

  • Listen to beauty contest - a competition between people, based largely, though not always entirely, on the beauty of their physical appearance; a beauty pageant
    Listen to bumper cars - a small low-powered electrically powered vehicle driven on a special platform where there are many others to be dodged, Dodgem
    Listen to casino - a public building for gambling and entertainment
    Listen to circus - performance given by a travelling company of acrobats, clowns and trained animals
    Listen to contest - an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants, competition
    Listen to dance - a party of people assembled for dancing
    Listen to fashion show - a show for the public where models wear new styles of clothes
    Listen to Ferris wheel - rotating mechanism consisting of a large upright wheel with suspended seats that remain upright as the wheel turns; provides a ride at an amusement park
    Listen to funfair - a travelling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.
    Listen to merry-go-round - large mechanical apparatus with seats for children to ride on, carousel
    Listen to nightclub - a spot that is open late at night and that provides entertainment (as singers or dancers) as well as dancing and food and drink
    Listen to observation wheel - a large slowly-rotating vertically-oriented structure carrying enclosed passenger cars or pods along its circumference
    Listen to puppet show - a show in which the actors are puppets
    Listen to roller coaster - elevated railway in an amusement park usually with sharp curves and steep inclines
    Listen to shooting gallery - an enclosed firing range with targets for rifle or handgun practice, here at a funfair
    Listen to sideshow - a minor show that is part of a larger one
    Listen to theme park - an amusement park that is designed to carry a theme in one or more areas of the park, for example Disneyland
    Listen to wax museum - waxworks which consists of a collection of wax figures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses


    Now we put new vocabulary into context, so you can see how you might use these terms yourself. The expressions are in boldface in the text.

    Listen to The word circus comes from the Latin word for circle or oval. Today's circus's are live events held in either tents or an arena.
    Listen to A nightclub (often dance club or club, particularly in the UK) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. In most other languages, nightclubs are referred to as "discos" or "discothèques".
    Listen to A casino is a building that accommodates gambling. Customers may gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance and some skill for example roulette.
    Listen to The Miss America pageant originated as a beauty contest in the early 1920s, but now prefers to avoid terms like "beauty contest" since beauty is no longer the primary criterion used to judge contestants.
    Listen to Merry-go-round magic carousels are a wonderful way to bring back some childhood memories.
    Listen to The world's most famous observation wheel is the London Eye in England.
    Listen to Most roller coasters have cars for two, four, or six passengers each, in which the passengers sit to travel around the circuit.
    Listen to Although the idea of the ride is to bump other cars, safety-conscious owners often put up signs reading "This way round" or "No bumping".
    Listen to Amusement park is the more generic term for a collection of amusement rides and other entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a fairly large group of people.
    Listen to Madame Tussaud's is perhaps the most famous name associated with wax museums.