dog and pony show

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The Word of the Day for September 17 is:

dog and pony show   \DOG-and-POH-nee-SHOH\   noun 
     : an often elaborate public relations or sales 
presentation; also : an elaborate or overblown affair or 
event     

Example sentence:
     The press conference turned out to be a dog and pony show, 
put on just so the company could launch its new product line.

Did you know?
     Early in the 20th century, the term "dog and pony show" was 
used in reference to actual traveling circuses. With time, 
however, the phrase came to be derisive, implying that the 
collection of animals carried by an establishment was little 
more exotic than common dogs or ponies who could perform only a 
small number of tricks (hence the phrase "one-trick pony"). The 
proprietors usually took all sorts of measures to make these 
shows look much more glamorous than they really were, and the 
resulting package rarely justified the surrounding hype. 
Following this pattern, the term "dog and pony show" eventually 
developed an extended sense referring to an event that is made 
out to be more elaborate than the occasion demands.