barnburner

[ bahrn-bur-ner ]

/ ˈbɑrnˌbɜr nər /

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noun

Informal. something that is highly exciting, impressive, etc.: The All Stars game was a real barnburner.

Chiefly Pennsylvania. a wooden friction match.

(initial capital letter) a member of the progressive faction in the Democratic Party in New York State 1845–52.Compare Hunker.

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

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Origin of barnburner

1835–45, Americanism;barn¹ + burner; (def. 3) so called with reference to burning down a barn to get rid of rats

He was born in a barn to penniless parents who were part of a people under occupation.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.|Gene Robinson|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the roof of the barn is a long loop of rope, through this the turkey is suspended by its legs.
Confessions of a Turkey Killer|Tom Sykes|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Denzel Washington in Philadelphia: “There was something like that [with Philadelphia] where I was on the back-burner.”
Bill Murray’s Words of Wisdom: On Comedy, the Greatness of In-N-Out, and Searching For Great Love|Marlow Stern|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is an ancestral homestead, but it has a meth lab in the barn.
Book Bag: Gritty Stories From the Real Montana|Carrie La Seur|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I read that you recorded it at a converted barn in Devon, UK.
La Roux Discusses New Album ‘Trouble in Paradise,’ the 5-Year Gap, and Embracing Her Androgyny|Marlow Stern|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He went blindly down the street, turned at the corner and sought a quiet place, a livery barn.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Then, kindly and gently, the boy took Squinty over to the place where the corn crib was built on to the barn.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
She knew there would be plenty of rope in the Norwood barn or the garage for their need in erecting the aerials.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
If we go against 'em now, it'll be all same goin' blindfolded into a barn t' pick out the best hoss.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
A man driving a number of cattle to Boston, one of his cows went into a barn-yard, where there stood a young lad.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various