Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An extremely impressive event or successful outcome.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A member of the more progressive of the two factions into which the Democratic party in the State of New York was long divided, the other faction being called the Hunkers.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Political Cant, U. S. A member of the radical section of the Democratic party in New York, about the middle of the 19th century, which was hostile to extension of slavery, public debts, corporate privileges, etc., and supported Van Buren against Cass for president in 1848; -- opposed to
Hunker . - noun informal an impressively successful or unusually good event.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun idiomatic An extremely exciting or successful event or person.
- noun One who burns down a barn.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an impressively successful event
- noun someone who burns down a barn
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Calling the race between Shays and Himes a barnburner is interesting by its definition.
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One definition of barnburner is “someone who burns down a barn” but the other definition is “an impressively successful event.”
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A close game with high scores is also called a barnburner, a 1960s sports usage based on an old political epithet.
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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A close game with high scores is also called a barnburner, a 1960s sports usage based on an old political epithet.
The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004
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P.S. Just now on MS.BC, Joe S.arborough described Miller's speech as a "barnburner," presumably intending a compliment.
Angry White Man Wigs Out: James Wolcott Wolcott, James, 1952- 2009
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Washington (D): The minute former state Sen. Dino Rossi (R) decided he was running again, this race had "barnburner" written all over it.
Sound Politics 2009
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Washington (D): The minute former state Sen. Dino Rossi (R) decided he was running again, this race had "barnburner" written all over it.
Sound Politics 2009
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Back at the rally, a 'barnburner' speech was in progress, given by Juan Figueroa, Hartford's health care reform hero. (see Sleepy Little Connecticut: The Tip of the Health Care Reform Spear?
Suzanne Langlois: Pitchfork Toting Townsfolk Menace Fortress Aetna 2009
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I hope you all were glued to your TVs to watch our men's squad upset our Canadian friends in a 5-3 barnburner at Hockey Canada Place.
On the blueline: One game to go, vs. Canada, gold at stake 2010
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The most impressive speech of the entire weekend was the closer, a barnburner by a freshman congressman named Allen West.
Mark Joseph: Conservative Confab Produces An Unlikely Contender Mark Joseph 2011
chained_bear commented on the word barnburner
See lucifer.
Oh, and Weirdnet? Thanks.
July 23, 2009