donnybrook

[ don-ee-brook ]

noun

, (often initial capital letter)

1. an inordinately wild fight or contentious dispute; brawl; free-for-all.

donnybrook

/ ˈdɒnɪˌbrʊk /

noun

1. a rowdy brawl

Word History and Origins

Origin of donnybrook¹

First recorded in 1850–55; after Donnybrook (Fair).

Word History and Origins

Origin of donnybrook¹

C19: after Donnybrook Fair, an annual event until 1855 near Dublin

Example Sentences

It is going to be an all-time donnybrook, one of great games of chicken we've seen in Washington in recent history.

From The Daily Beast

Michael Medved on the four big surprises from the Denver Donnybrook.

From The Daily Beast

Here there were probably village incompatibilities—Donnybrook fairs, cattle-lifting, and forays.

From Project Gutenberg

To express an opinion on a Celtic question is to accept an invitation to a Donnybrook fair.

From Project Gutenberg

The once famous Donnybrook Fair109 had not then become a thing of the past, although its extinction was approaching.

From Project Gutenberg

The spirit of Donnybrook Fair is there today as much as ever, and wherever you see a head, hit it, would be home rule.

From Project Gutenberg

He picked it up at Donnybrook Fair, and applied it practically in his present predicament.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Donnybrook

What does donnybrook mean?

A donnybrook is a wild brawl or a rowdy dispute.

The word implies a big, riotous scene, especially one that unfolds in public. When it refers to a brawl, it usually means a chaotic free-for-all among many people in a crowded place. Donnybrook is sometimes capitalized.

Example: After the game, a small argument in the parking lot between fans of the opposing teams turned into an all-out donnybrook.

Where does donnybrook come from?

The Donnybrook Fair, in the town of Donnybrook, Ireland, took place for centuries, starting in the 1200s. It earned a scandalous reputation and was famous for its rowdiness, frequent fights, and other wild behavior. It was last held in 1855, which is right around when donnybrook is first recorded as referring to a wild brawl or chaotic scene. Due to its origin in the name of the town, the word is still sometimes capitalized.

It’s pretty impressive that a country fair was so debaucherous that we still use its name centuries later to refer to riotous fistfights and free-for-alls. That word, free-for-all, implies a chaotic situation with no rules—or at least a lot of people not following any rules. And that’s what a donnybrook is, especially when it plays out in public. Picture a saloon scene in a movie: someone spills someone else’s drink, words are exchanged, fists start flying, and the next thing you know, everyone in the place is breaking chairs and bottles over each other’s heads, with the fight spilling out into the street. That’s a donnybrook.

Donnybrook isn’t the only word for a chaotic scene that’s named after a specific place. The word bedlam, meaning “a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion,” comes from the name of a mental institution in London.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for donnybrook?

• free-for-all
• fracas
• brawl
• melee

What are some words that often get used in discussing donnybrook?

• fight
• disorder
• chaos
• riot
• violence
• crowd
• debauchery
• fair
• uproar

How is donnybrook used in real life?

It’s not good to make light of violence, but donnybrook is fun to say, and it sounds kind of old-timey, so people often use it to be a bit funny. It’s especially applied to the kind of brawls that occasionally break out during professional sports games.

“Old Days”It’s a real”Donnybrook”between the RedSox and Yankees during a 1976 game at Yankee Stadium.#RedSox #Boston #Yankees #NYC #YankeeStadium #1970s

pic.twitter.com/McohvMU98T

— Tom's Old Days (@sigg20) April 15, 2020

Ryan gets hit hard from behind, big donnybrook breaks out. Oligny going nuts in the box. Crowd loves it.

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) February 9, 2014

Situation in Portland last night described as a "brawl." But more accurately it started as a brouhaha and then turned into an altercation, but it then became an affray, then morphed into a fracas, then transformed into a donnybrook before becoming a brawl, just short of a melee.

— Chris 'Sampo' Cornell (@MSampo) October 14, 2018

 

 

Try using donnybrook!

Which of the following situations could be called a donnybrook?

A. a bench-clearing brawl at a baseball game
B. a crowd of people fighting over items at a Black Friday sale
C. a barroom fight
D. all of the above