merry-go-around

Noun

merry-go-round (plural merry-go-rounds)

1. Synonym of carousel (“a pleasure ride, typically found at amusement parks and fairs and accompanied by music, consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which are fixed various seats, frequently shaped like horses or other animals, cars, etc., which may also move up and down”).
   • When we left the Madeleine we took our way to the Place de la Concorde, and thence through the Elysian Fields […] There were merry-go-rounds, wooden horses, and other provision for children's amusements among the trees; […]1858 January 9 (date written), Nathaniel Hawthorne, “France”, in Passages from the French and Italian Note-books of Nathaniel Hawthorne, volume I, London: Strahan & Co., […], published 1871, →OCLC...

   Synonyms:

   giddy-go-round, go-round, merry-go-around, merry-go-whirl, roundabout, whirligig, carousel

   1. (attributive, often) A freight train of hopper wagons which loads and unloads its cargo while moving continuously on a circular track, often incorporating a balloon loop.
      • Some of the desirable characteristics of the "Merry-go-round" railway described in this article are found in the Tyne Dock–Consett iron ore traffic of the N.E.R. [North Eastern Railway]. The ore is carried in high capacity wagons, run in trains of fixed formation. A triangle at the Consett works...1963 January, G[erard] F[rancis] Fiennes, “The ‘Merry-go-Round’ Railway—a New Plan for Mineral Trains”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 23
   2. (US) A piece of playground equipment consisting of a circular platform that is made to revolve by pushing while users stand on it.
2. (figuratively) A bustle of activity; also, a meaningless cycle of activity.
   • Come join the fun, it's a merry-go-round / Everyone's dancing their troubles away1983, Lionel Richie, “All Night Long”, in Can't Slow Down
3. (figuratively) A series of singles and doubles that allows the batting team to score while still having runners on base who can be driven in by the next batter.
   • Russell kept the merry-go-round moving with an RBI single that advanced Henderson to third.
4. (Kenya, figuratively) An informal cooperative scheme in which members (often women) regularly contribute money to a pool, the collected money being then paid out to one of the members; this is repeated so that every member eventually receives money. The collected money may also be invested, or loaned to members.

   Synonyms:

   chit fund, ROSCA, susu, tanda