| Definitions | | beat Banaghan |
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verb
- (idiom) (1811) An Irish saying of one who tells wonderful stories, or of something which is amazing and remarkable.
- 1837, William Harrison Ainsworth, Rookwood (Revised) http://books.google.com/books?id=RRoGAAAAQAAJ, page 147:
- "'Jack Palmer, as I'm a sinner,' cried Titus. 'Why this beats Banaghan. Arrah ! Jack, honey, what does this mean ? Is it yourself I see in such company?'"
- 1875, F.J. Hall, Conquered at Last http://books.google.com/books?id=f_oBAAAAQAAJ, page 325:
- "He watched her as she slowly disappeared, and shook his head with a puzzled air. ¶'This beats Banaghan, and he beats --'"
- 1988, Maureen O'Donoghue, Winner http://books.google.com/books?id=MC_1JviNBWIC, page 178:
- "'So you see, it was a gallimaufry of a mess until you appeared.' ¶ 'Beats Banaghan,' agreed the boy."
- 2004, David Kales, The Phantom Pirate: Tales of the Irish Mafia and the Boston Harbor Islands http://books.google.com/books?id=5oQcauJaWBwC, ISBN 1418459984, page 2:
- "Whenever he can find an audience, Doherty will spin some tale of local history or ancestral lineage in that inimitable Irish blend of fact and blarney. 'He beats Banaghan,' as the Irish saying goes of one who tells wonderful stories."
Etymology: The Classic 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue speculates "perhaps Banaghan was a minstrel famous for dealing in the marvellous."
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