barmecide feast

English - Turkish

Definition of barmecide feast in English Turkish dictionary

Göstermelik cömertlik; hayâli ziyafet

English - English

Definition of barmecide feast in English English dictionary

Something that promises much but delivers nothing; an illusion

A Barmacide Feast (or Barmecide Feast) is something that appears highly desirable, but proves to be imaginary, illusory and ultimately very disappointing. It is a reference to a story (The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights of a hungry beggar invited by a Barmacide prince to a banquet, which proved a long succession of merely empty dishes, and which he enjoyed with such seeming gusto and such good-humour as to earn for himself a sumptuous real one

Hyphenation

Bar·me·cide feast

Etymology

() From a tale in the Arabian Nights|Arabian Nights]] in which a rich man serves a beggar an imaginary banquet; see Barmecide|Barmecide]].