A traveling carnival or circus with games, rides, and entertainment; also spelled 'carny,' it can refer to a carnival worker or performer.
Short form of 'carnival,' which comes from Italian 'carnevale' (literally 'farewell to meat,' a pre-Lenten festival). The term evolved to describe the traveling amusement shows and the workers who ran them.
Carnies were the original influencers—they traveled from town to town creating excitement and entertainment, and developed their own slang, culture, and reputation for being mysterious outsiders, which is why they show up so often in literature and film as romantic or dangerous figures.
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