Barmecide feast An illusion of a lot; any illusion. Inside the Arabian Evenings, Barmecide, a rich Persian noble, invited the beggar Schacabac to dine with him in a banquet desk laden with dishes, all vacant of food. The host feigned indulgence in the illusionary banquet, and when the beggar followed match with gusto, Barmecide repented of his joke