barnburner en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From barn + burner. In exaggerated use, from the hyperbolic idea of someone burning down a barn to end a rat infestation.
Meanings
- One who burns down a barn.
- (New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, qualifier:Maryland, slang) Synonym of phosphorus match, a friction match that can be struck anywhere.
-
(idiomatic) A sensationally exciting or successful event or person.
It is hard to know what could convince the barnburners to change their ways. The Maga base rewards them with money and the media lavishes them with airtime.
2023 October 7, Edward Luce, “The unending Republican revolution”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6:Those deathless twin barnburners return to the Metropolitan Opera tonight.
2007 January 26, The New York Times, “Classical Music/Opera Listings”, in New York Times:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| barn burner | alternative | lexicographic | |
| barnburners | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| barn-burner | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
cliffhanger (exciting event) · barnstormer