Beat the band


a company of persons or, sometimes, animals or things, joined, acting, or functioning together; aggregation; party; troop:
a band of protesters.
Music.

a group of instrumentalists playing music of a specialized type:
rock band; calypso band; mariachi band.
a musical group, usually employing brass, percussion, and often woodwind instruments, that plays especially for marching or open-air performances.
big band.
dance band.

a division of a nomadic tribe; a group of individuals who move and camp together and subsist by hunting and gathering.
a group of persons living outside the law:
a renegade band.
to unite in a troop, company, or confederacy.
to unite; confederate (often followed by together):
They banded together to oust the chairman.
to beat the band, Informal. energetically; abundantly:
It rained all day to beat the band.
noun
a company of people having a common purpose; group: a band of outlaws
a group of musicians playing either brass and percussion instruments only (brass band) or brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments (concert band or military band)
a group of musicians who play popular music, jazz, etc, often for dancing
a group of instrumentalists generally; orchestra
(Canadian) a formally recognized group of Canadian Indians on a reserve
(anthropol) a division of a tribe; a family group or camp group
(US & Canadian) a flock or herd
verb
(usually foll by together) to unite; assemble
noun
a thin flat strip of some material, used esp to encircle objects and hold them together: a rubber band

a strip of fabric or other material used as an ornament or distinguishing mark, or to reinforce clothing
(in combination): waistband, hairband, hatband

a stripe of contrasting colour or texture See also chromosome band
a driving belt in machinery
a range of values that are close or related in number, degree, or quality

(physics) a range of frequencies or wavelengths between two limits
(radio) such a range allocated to a particular broadcasting station or service

short for energy band
(computing) one or more tracks on a magnetic disk or drum
(anatomy) any structure resembling a ribbon or cord that connects, encircles, or binds different parts
the cords to which the folded sheets of a book are sewn
a thin layer or seam of ore
(architect) a strip of flat panelling, such as a fascia or plinth, usually attached to a wall
a large white collar, sometimes edged with lace, worn in the 17th century
either of a pair of hanging extensions of the collar, forming part of academic, legal, or (formerly) clerical dress
a ring for the finger (esp in phrases such as wedding band, band of gold, etc)
verb (transitive)
to fasten or mark with a band
(US & Canadian) to ring (a bird) See ring1 (sense 22)
noun
an archaic word for bond (sense 1), bond (sense 3), bond (sense 4)
n.

“a flat strip,” also “something that binds,” a merger of two words, ultimately from the same source. In the sense “that by which someone or something is bound,” it is attested from early 12c., from Old Norse band “thin strip that ties or constrains,” from Proto-Germanic *bindan, from PIE *bendh- “to bind” (cf. Gothic bandi “that which binds; Sanskrit bandhah “a tying, bandage,” source of bandana; Middle Irish bainna “bracelet;” see bend (v.), bind (v.)). Most of the figurative senses of this word have passed into bond (n.), which originally was a phonetic variant of this band.

The meaning “a flat strip” (late 14c.) is from Old French bande “strip, edge, side,” via Old North French bende, from Old High German binda, from Proto-Germanic *bindan (see above). In Middle English, this was distinguished by the spelling bande, but since the loss of the final -e the words have fully merged. Meaning “broad stripe of color” is from late 15c.; the electronics sense of “range of frequencies or wavelengths” is from 1922. The Old North French form was retained in heraldic bend. Band saw is recorded from 1864.

“an organized group,” late 15c., from Middle French bande, which is traceable to the Proto-Germanic root of band (n.1), probably via a band of cloth worn as a mark of identification by a group of soldiers or others (cf. Gothic bandwa “a sign”). The extension to “group of musicians” is c.1660, originally musicians attached to a regiment of the army. To beat the band (1897) is to make enough noise to drown it out, hence to exceed everything.
v.

1520s, “to bind or fasten;” also “to join in a company,” from band (n.1) and (n.2) in various noun senses, and partly from French bander. The meaning “to affix an ID band to (a wild animal, etc.)” is attested from 1914. Related: Banded; banding.

band (bānd)
n.

An appliance or a part of an apparatus that encircles or binds a part of the body.

A cordlike tissue that connects or that holds bodily structures together.

A chromatically, structurally, or functionally differentiated strip or stripe in or on an organism.

band
(bānd)
A specific range of electromagnetic wavelengths or frequencies, as those used in radio broadcasting.

verb phrase

To surpass everything: if that doesn’t beat the band •often used in expressions of surprise (1897+)

Related Terms

big band, to beat the band
see: to beat the band
see:

on the bandwagon
to beat the band

Read Also:

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  • Beat the bushes for

    Look everywhere for something or someone, as in I’ve been beating the bushes for a substitute but haven’t had any luck. This term originally alluded to hunting, when beaters were hired to flush birds out of the brush. [ 1400s ] Also see: beat around the bush

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    a low plant with many branches that arise from or near the ground. a small cluster of shrubs appearing as a single plant. something resembling or suggesting this, as a thick, shaggy head of hair. Also called bush lot. Canadian. a small, wooded lot, especially a farm lot with trees left standing to provide firewood, […]

  • Beat the clock

    Finish something or succeed before time is up, as in The paper went to press at five o’clock, and they hurried to beat the clock. The term comes from various sports or races in which contestants compete within a certain time limit.

  • Draw

    to cause to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often followed by along, away, in, out, or off). to bring, take, or pull out, as from a receptacle or source: to draw water from a well. to bring toward oneself or itself, as by inherent force […]


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