barn·burn·er

(bärn′bûr′nər)

n. Informal

An extremely impressive event or successful outcome: "September will not be any barnburner [for car sales]" (Lee Iacocca).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

barn•burn•er

(ˈbɑrnˌbɜr nər)

n.

Informal. something that is highly exciting, impressive, etc.

[1930–35, Amer.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	barnburner - someone who burns down a barn arsonist, firebug, incendiary - a criminal who illegally sets fire to property
	2.	barnburner - an impressively successful event; "the rock concert was a real barnburner" colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech success - an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; "let's call heads a success and tails a failure"; "the election was a remarkable success for the Whigs"

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References in periodicals archive

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After beating the top side (City) 4-3 in another Anfield barnburner, they motored to the then bottom club (Swansea City) and lost 1-0 before heading out of the FA Cup to West Brom.

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