Barnburner

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or thing that is remarkably exciting, impressive, or successful, or a destructive fire that spreads rapidly through a structure used for storing grain and farm equipment
2. An event or individual that generates intense excitement or delivers outstanding performance ; a blaze that swiftly consumes a barn and its contents
3. Something or someone that causes great enthusiasm or remarkable outcomes ; a fast-moving fire that causes severe damage to a barn

Etymology: The most striking thing about "barnburner" is that its literal sense is an exaggeration. The word is compounded from "barn" and "burner," and the figurative sense, a very exciting event, draws on the hyperbolic image of someone burning down a barn in order to get rid of a rat infestation. The fire is so drastic that it is almost absurd, which is the joke: a thing so thrilling it seems to set the whole building alight. The compound itself is plain. "Burner" is an agent noun from "burn," meaning something that burns, and "barn" is the familiar farm building. Nothing in the word's formation requires a special story; the striking part lies in the metaphor that carries it from a rural mishap or pest-control measure into everyday praise for a dramatic game, race, or speech.

Synonyms: spectacular event, thriller