donnybrook

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English

Etymology

Named from Donnybrook, a suburb of Dublin, the site of a notoriously disorderly annual fair.

Pronunciation

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Noun

donnybrook (plural donnybrooks)

  1. A brawl or fracas; a scene of chaos.
    • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘His Chance in Life’, Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio 2005, p. 56:
      But the Hindus turned out and broke their heads; when, finding lawlessness pleasant, Hindus and Muhammadans together raised an aimless sort of Donnybrook just to see how far they could go.
    • 2003, Robert Casemore, Gold Is Where You Find It, Xlibris 2003, p. 47:
      The regulars here, includin' me, put up a real donnybrook to save the place.