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Beat the Band
This is the second in a series of short articles on idioms.
The one I’ll explore this time is: beat the band
This is an expression that has been around for a long time. I have found instances of it going back to 1895. Despite these sorts of references that prove its origin is from an earlier time, it still seems to be used fairly often. It is not unusual to hear someone say, “It’s raining to beat the band.” Or, perhaps, “He was screaming to beat the band.”
There are a few different theories on the origin, however, especially as to what is being referred to as ‘the band.’ It might seem obvious if the expression were only used to describe the making of loud noises that the band was a musical band. Listening to a band outdoors was a common form of entertainment in the late 1800s which, from my research, matches the era when the first instances this expression is first. In many cases, though, the phrase was used where a reference to a musical band was not made or would not make sense. There are thoughts that the ‘band’ was a reference to a group of people or people in general.
Essentially, the expression means to do something to the greatest possible degree, especially when it is done enthusiastically. It is similar to the expression ‘doesn’t that beat all.’
