barnstorm

v., -stormed, -storm·ing, -storms.

v.intr.

1. To travel around the countryside making political speeches, giving lectures, or presenting theatrical performances.
2. To appear at county fairs and carnivals in exhibitions of stunt flying and parachute jumping.
3. To travel around an area appearing in exhibition sports events, especially baseball games.

v.tr.
To travel across while barnstorming.

barnstormer barn'storm'er n.

Originally, the term "barnstorming" applied to traveling theater companies bringingplays to the nineteenth-century American frontier because company members frequently performed and slept in barns. Subsequently, the term was more commonly used to describe itinerant flyers (also called gypsies) in the half decade immediately following World War I who buzzed the countryside performing stunts or taking people on their first airplane ride.

When World War I ended, the men trained to be military pilots quickly bought surpluses of military aircraft. The barnstormers took to the air, seeking to find fame and fortune and to introduce the airplane and its potential to America. The pilots cut dashing figures and their daring stunts captured the American imagination. As more people became familiar with airplanes, the barnstormers had to become more innovative (or reckless) to keep the public's attention. Critics felt the spectacular crashes and resulting fatalities did more harm than good to the image of flying. Notable barnstormers included Walter H. Beech, African American Bessie Coleman, and Charles A. Lindbergh. "Barnstorming" is also used to describe the numerous road games outside the regular league schedule played by baseball's Negro league teams during the Jim Crow era. These games occasionally included some white teams during the off-season.

Bibliography

Brady, Tim, ed. The American Aviation Experience: A History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000.

Gorn, Elliott J., and Warren Goldstein. A Brief History of American Sports. New York: Hill and Wang, 1993.

—Joel D. Kitchens

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: appear at county fairs and carnevals as a stunt flier and parachute jumper

Meaning #2: tour the country making political speeches, giving lectures, or presenting plays

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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - være på turné, rejse rundt, lave kunstflyvning
v. tr. - rejse rundt (i landet)

Nederlands (Dutch)
op tournee gaan (theater), bezoeken van landsteden (tijdens verkiezingen)

Français (French)
v. intr. - (Théât) faire une tournée théâtrale
v. tr. - (US, Pol) mener une campagne électorale (dans les circonscriptions rurales), faire des démonstrations aériennes et de parachutisme

Deutsch (German)
v. - durch die Provinz ziehen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - περιοδεύω με (θεατρικό) μπουλούκι, κάνω προεκλογική περιοδεία στην επαρχία, επιδίδομαι σε αεροπορικές ακροβασίες

Italiano (Italian)
passare da un luogo all'altro (per dar spettacoli)

Português (Portuguese)
v. - campanha (f) eleitoral no interior (EUA) (Pol.), mambembar

Русский (Russian)
приложить головы к проблеме

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - andar haciendo discursos o representando comedias por los pueblos
v. tr. - hacer campaña electoral por los pueblos, aparecer en ferias y festivales de provincia

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - vara ute på turné, valtala

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
作巡回演出, 作演说旅行, 在...作巡回演出

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 作巡迴演出, 作演說旅行
v. tr. - 在...作巡迴演出

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 지방 유세를[순회공연을] 하다
v. tr. - 지방 유세를[순회공연을] 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 地方巡業をする, 地方遊説をする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يجول بسرعه في مناطق متعددة ( للأنتخابات مثلا)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮ערך מסע נאומים‬
v. tr. - ‮ביקר בערי השדה‬

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