http://books.google.com/books?id=b1ZOAAAAYAAJ&q=%22to+beat+the+band%22&dq=%22to+beat+the+band%22&hl=en&ei=DTMWTdf6K4us8Abm_JnsBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA. Where does the phrase originate? His brother beat out the flames with a blanket. I hear you sing to beat the band And Adelina Patti. The -ed participle is beaten. Talking away to beat the band. : : I have no back up on this so my explanation might be called a big maybe! In a game or contest, you say that one person or side defeats or beats the other. Banagher, an Irish town on the Shannon, was in the mid-19th century a notorious 'pocket borough' where most residents were employed by the local lord … How to use beat the band idiom? You would laugh to beat the band https://www.thefreedictionary.com/to+beat+the+band. : : "It was raining to beat the band." “Beat the band,” as in, “it’s snowing to beat the band,” or “he’s dressed to beat the band,” is an idiom that’s mainly used as a positive intensifier. We can stop, we can stop searching, Look at yourself, if you had a sense of humor Saw it in the Great Gatsby. The expression is used to describe physical activity. From the "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997), : Posted by Shae on December 10, 2002: I was asked about the origin of the phrase by a student of the Unofficial University of Clare and, having searched the archives, found erudite ESC's explanation posted on May 19, 2000. His yelling and fussing was loud enough to beat the band. q: "beat the band", Some additional and supportive information is provided by Terence Patrick Dolan in his 'Dictionary of Hiberno-English': 'Banagher, a place-name, a town in Co. Offaly in which the novelist Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) spent some time as a Post Office surveyor but chiefly famous for its inclusion in the saying 'That beats [often pronounced /be:ts/] (or bangs) Banagher,' a common reaction to something extraordinary or absurd. I prefer “it is raining harder than a cow pissing on a flat rock”. The town became famous for this (once-common) undemocratic way of conducting politics, so if something was really anomalous it was said to 'beat Banagher.' To start to sing or play. away from main roads, centres of population, Any jackass gets aboard one and runs it from hell to breakfast, blowin' his whistle, "Why, Saxon, I've fought battles, good ones, frazzlin' my silk away, In this case, I had just read Lili Loofbourow's brilliant commentary in "The Week" called "The Myth of the Male Bumbler" --and there was Bogie bumbling, "They have Andreas Cornelius, who Cardiff paid PS11m for when he was scoring goals for Copenhagen, What it cost me for one jaunt would have run me a whole month back in Los Angeles and we have distances. Getting the measure of change. To Beat the Band. Now, however, I am curious about the origins of “likety split!”. dates back to the early19th century (“Well!’ I says, ‘if this don’t beat everything!’,” Charles Dickens, 1863). The band would be the most audible and conspicuous entity around. 1921, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 7, in The Little Warrior: Last time I saw you, you were a kiddy in short frocks, running around and shouting to beat the … type: video. Unfortunately, none of that has anything to do with “beat the band” meaning, as you say, to exceed or excel in doing something, especially in a energetic or forceful manner (“You certainly are working to beat the band just now,” P.G. : "beat the band. : : : I saw the phrase used on many sites to mean "Out does anything … * /The party last night  […], [hot number] {n.}, {slang} :: : I saw the phrase used on many sites to mean "Out does anything around"! - Usually used in negative or interrogative sentences […], [strike up] {v.} 1a. Generally, nowadays, we don't think about singing loudly enough to be heard over a band, because we have microphones to help amplify our voices. с большой силой; в преувеличенной манере; до крайности; сильно; обильно. Some additional and supportive information is provided by Terence Patrick Dolan in his 'Dictionary of Hiberno-English':: 'Banagher, a place-name, a town in Co. Offaly in which the novelist Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) spent some time as a Post Office surveyor but chiefly famous for its inclusion in the saying 'That beats [often pronounced /be:ts/] (or bangs) Banagher,' a common reaction to something extraordinary or absurd. mode: exact match, — Pat Edgar. Something outrageously corrupt or unfair was said “to beat [be worse than] Banagher,” meaning to surpass the accepted standard. The town became famous for this (once-common) undemocratic way of conducting politics, so if something was really anomalous it was said to 'beat Banagher.' We beat the band c. To punish by hitting or … Here is previous discussion and a follow-up that includes a couple of theories. ---In the early 1900's band concerts were popular and bands often played at ceremonial events. It is always used in the infinitive form but functions as an adverb. beat the band : B : American Idioms @ English Slang. It's reasonable to suggest, as Partridge does, that the later phrase 'that beats the band,' derived from it. The fire engines were going down the road to beat the band. }, {dialect} To hear of or to see someone or something better or surpassing. ing, beats v.tr. Don't say that someone 'wins' an enemy or opponent. The base in baseball where the batter stands and that a runner must touch to score. he beat his brother out of the inheritance. band does its thing. - "(it) beats me!" Posted by RRC on March 06, 2008 at 06:56: In Reply to: To beat the band posted by ESC on March 05, 2008 at 22:43: : : Has anyone ever heard of the phrase "to beat the band": : what does it mean? I was asked about the origin of the phrase by a student of the Unofficial University of Clare and, having searched the archives, found erudite ESC's explanation posted on May 19, 2000. Banagher was once a 'pocket borough', meaning that the local lord nominated its representatives in Parliament. Here is previous discussion and a follow-up that includes a couple of theories. His politickin' was their favorite brand, They should burn “to beat the band” means that you are working furiously so as to complete your task before the band starts playing? See: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bea2.htm. It originated in late-nineteenth-century Britain and soon traveled to the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking lands. http://books.google.com/books?id=b1ZOAAAAYAAJ&q=%22to+beat+the+band%22&dq=%22to+beat+the+band%22&hl=en&ei=DTMWTdf6K4us8Abm_JnsBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA. Pretty good; all right; good enough. It's reasonable to suggest, as Partridge does, that the later phrase 'that beats the band,' derived from it. I especially like the last entry because I'm called erudite. Look at yourself, do you still believe the rumor, Him an' his jokes travelled all through the land A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time--pills or stairs. Incidentally the town of Banagher which is supposedly the origin of the phrase is in County Offaly in the Irish midlands. to punch, kick or hit (a person) severely and repeatedly. I had always assumed that “beat the band” definitely had something to do with “band” in the musical sense, but I notice that Michael Quinion, at his World Wide Words website (www.worldwidewords.org), points out that the eminent etymologist Eric Partridge had a different theory. "It was raining to beat the band." As long as you need to see what you were for me Someone struck up a song, and we all joined in./ * /The […], [beat the bushes] also [beat the brush] {v. "how did he escape?" Beat the eggs and sugar until they start to thicken. If you win a war, fight, game, or contest, you defeat your opponent.