Patronymic of a family of princes ruling at Bagdad just before Haroun-al-Raschid, concerning one of whom the story is told in the Arabian Nights, that he put a succession of empty dishes before a beggar, pretending that they contained a sumptuous repast—a fiction which the beggar humorously accepted. Hence, one who offers imaginary food or illusory benefits. Often attrib.
1713. Guardian, No. 162. The Barmecide was sitting at his table that seemed ready covered for an entertainment.
1842. Dickens, Amer. Notes (1850), 81/1. It is a Barmecide Feast; a pleasant field for the imagination to rove in.
1854. Thackeray, Newcomes, II. 103. My dear Barmecide friend.
1863. Reader, II. 506. Sharing the boundless hospitality of a Barmecide.
