merry-go-round

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English mery English merry Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *gāną Proto-West Germanic *gān Old English gān Middle English gon English go English round English go round English merry-go-round From merry (adjective) + go round (verb).

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; […]”

   “William had eleven consecutive rides on the merry-go-round. He had made up his mind to have twelve, but, much to his regret, had to relinquish the twelfth owing to certain unpleasant sensations.”

2. 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”).

   “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 enables each train, complete with its locomotive, to be turned and sent back without any remarshalling after unloading to Tyne Dock. At the quayside, the wagons are mechanically loaded as a train and at Consett they run directly on to a gantry above unloading bunkers; they have air-operated bottom-discharge doors worked from the locomotive.”

   “Reshaping [of British Railways] initiated the development of what would become merry-go-round trains, delivering coal non-stop to power stations in newly built hopper wagons.”

3. 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”).
4. A bustle of activity; also, a meaningless cycle of activity.

   “Some of us are lucky enough to still have families that care. But more often than not, we find that we have lost contact with the outside world, which leaves us very vulnerable in the merry-go-round of the parole process.”

   “There's no time for happiness today / Got a date for lunch, a plastic tray / Got a deal to sign her life away / Got an early grave she's gotta make / And we are all insane / Hold on / Slow down / You'll never get to heaven on this merry-go-round […]”

5. 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.”

6. 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.