Idiom
to beat the band
Meaning
In such a way as to surpass all competition; hence, contextually, very vigorously, at a frantic pace, to a high degree.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The music played to beat the band all night long.”
“The kitchen was busy to beat the band as the staff prepared for the dinner rush.”
“Following the unexpected announcement, the stock market fluctuated to beat the band, leaving investors in a state of complete uncertainty.”
Examples
simple
“The music played to beat the band all night long.”
contextual
“The kitchen was busy to beat the band as the staff prepared for the dinner rush.”
complex
“Following the unexpected announcement, the stock market fluctuated to beat the band, leaving investors in a state of complete uncertainty.”
Origin
Jonathon Green suggests that it means to drown out the band, that is, talk or sing louder than the band. See also beat the band.
Key words
Related idioms
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