What Is A Clown?

A clown can mean two things. The most common term is a circus clown. This is (usually) a man who wears a funny hat, a red nose, face paint and long pointed shoes. In addition he wears very loose baggy trousers with braces to hold them up. He usually is in the company of other clowns and they are part of a circus act, with the aim of making people laugh.

They do this in a particular way, which involves throwing water around, slipping on something or silly jokes where water is squirted from their (false) noses. Sometimes clowns may even throw custard pies or food at each other. Children find clowns very funny, although some younger children can be slightly scared by clowns.

The other meaning for a clown is to describe someone who is not very serious and is usually a bit silly. So someone acting like this could be said to be 'acting the clown'.

Add Comment

Report