A person who works in or travels with a carnival; someone involved in carnival attractions, games, or entertainment; also refers to carnival life or culture itself.
Shortened form of 'carnival' (from Italian 'carnevale,' literally 'farewell to meat,' marking pre-Lenten celebration). The shortened form emerged in early 20th-century American English among traveling fair workers.
Carnival workers developed their own secret language called 'carny speak' to communicate with each other without customers understanding—words like 'clem' (hungry) and 'gaffer' (boss) are still used today.
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