DCHP-1 Online
medicine show † Hist. 
1 a travelling show with attractions intended to lure a crowd of spectators, who were then asked to buy medicines, often said to have been ancient Indian remedies.
See also: medicine-man (def. 3)
- 1954 The appearance of a travelling medicine show one day in August brought a measure of colour and excitement to the dull routine of life in Dominion City.
- 1959 The days of the medicine show are over. . . .
2 Figurative use.
- 1965 The [western] boom was the result of what Ralph Allen has called "one of the largest, noisiest and most successful medicine shows of all time"--the Canadian government's European campaign to attract settlers.
- 1954 The appearance of a travelling medicine show one day in August brought a measure of colour and excitement to the dull routine of life in Dominion City.