barnstorm
[bahrn-stawrm]
- to conduct a campaign or speaking tour in rural areas by making brief stops in many small towns.
- Theater. to tour small towns to stage theatrical performances.
- (of a pilot) to give exhibitions of stunt flying, participate in airplane races, etc., in the course of touring country towns and rural areas.
- (of a professional athletic team) to tour an area playing exhibition games after the regular season.
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- to tour (various places) as a barnstormer.
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Origin of barnstorm
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for barnstorm
Contemporary Examples
Now he ought to take his show on the road, barnstorm the country in behalf of the tax hike, see what happens.
Just get in the same plane and barnstorm the country together.
I half-expected him to barnstorm out in riding boots and harangue us, Mussolini-style, underlit from a plinth.
barnstorm
- to tour rural districts putting on shows, esp theatrical, athletic, or acrobatic shows
- mainly US and Canadian to tour rural districts making speeches in a political campaign
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Word Origin
C19: from barn 1 + storm (vb); from the performances often being in barns
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for barnstorm
v.
1815, in reference to a theatrical troupe's performances in upstate New York barns (usually featuring short action pieces to suit vulgar tastes); extended 1896 to electioneering, 1928 to itinerant airplane pilots who performed stunts at fairs and races. Related: Barnstormed; barnstorming.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper