Barnburner - Wiktionary

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• 1 English Toggle English subsection
  • 1.1 Alternative forms
  • 1.2 Etymology
  • 1.3 Pronunciation
  • 1.4 Noun
    • 1.4.1 Related terms
    • 1.4.2 See also

• Entry
• Discussion

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In other projects Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wiktionary, the free dictionary See also: Barnburner and barn burner

English

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Alternative forms

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• barn burner

Etymology

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From barn +‎ burner, from the idea of burning down a barn to get rid of a rat infestation.

Pronunciation

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• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

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barnburner (plural barnburners)

1. (Midland US, idiomatic) A sensationally exciting or successful event or person.
   • 2007 January 26, The New York Times, “Classical Music/Opera Listings”, in New York Times‎[1]:Those deathless twin barnburners return to the Metropolitan Opera tonight.
   • 2023 October 7, Edward Luce, “The unending Republican revolution”, in FT Weekend, page 6: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.
2. (slang, chiefly Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland) A strike-anywhere match. Synonym: lucifer (Britain, archaic) Antonym: safety match
3. (literal) One who burns down a barn.

Related terms

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• barnstormer

See also

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• (exciting event): cliffhanger

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=barnburner&oldid=81282889" Categories:

• English compound terms
• English terms with audio pronunciation
• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• Midland US English
• English idioms
• English terms with quotations
• English slang
• Pennsylvania English
• New Jersey English
• Maryland English

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