Chapter Barker to Barratry of B by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Barnacle The Solan goose. The strange tales of this creature have arisen from a tissue of blunders. The Latin pernacula is a "small limpet," and bernacula (Portuguese, bernaca; French, barnache) is the Scotch bren-clake or "Solan goose." Both words being corrupted into "barnacle," it was natural to look for an identity of nature in the two creatures, so it was given out that the goose was the offspring of the limpet. Gerard, in 1636, speaks of "broken pieces of old ships on which is found certain spume or froth, which in time breedeth into shells, and the fish which is hatched therefrom is in shape and habit like a bird."

Barnacles Placemen who stick to their offices but do little work, like the barnacles which live on the ship but impede its progress.

"The redundants would be "Barnacles" with a vengeance ... and the work be all the worse done for these hangers-on." - Nineteenth Century (August, 1888, p. 280).

Barnacles Spectacles, or rather reading- glasses; so called because in shape they resemble the twitchers used by farriers to keep under restraint unruly horses during the process of bleeding, dressing, or shoeing. This instrument, formerly called a barnacle, consisting of two branches joined at one end by a hinge, was fixed on the horse's nose. Dr. Latham considers the word a corruption of binocles (double-eyes), Latin, binus oculus. Another suggestion is "binnacle," the case on board ship in which the steering compass is placed, illuminated when it is dark by a lamp.

Barnardine A reckless, dissolute fellow, "fearless of what's past, present, and to come." (Shakespeare: Measure for Measure.)

Barn-burners Destructives, who, like the Dutchman of story, would burn down their barns to rid themselves of the rats.

Barnet An epicure who falls in love with, and marries, a lady on account of her skill in dressing a dish of stewed carp. (Edward, a novel by Dr. John Moore, 1796.)

Barnwell (George) The chief character in a prose tragedy, so called, by George Lillo. He was a London apprentice, who fell in with a wanton in Shoreditch, named Sarah Millwood, whom he visited, and to whom he gave #200 of his master's money, and ran away. He next robbed his uncle, a rich grazier at Ludlow, and beat out his brains. Having spent the money, Sarah turned him out of doors, and each informed against the other. Sarah Millwood and George Barnwell were both hanged. (Lillo, 1693--1739.)

Baro-Devel The great god of the gipsies. His son is named Alako.

Baron properly means a man (Old High German, baro). It was a term applied to a serving-soldier, then to a military chief, and ultimately to a lord. The reverse of this is seen in our word slave (a servile menial), which is the Slavonic word slav (noble, illustrious). Barones vel varrones dicuntur servi militum, qui utique stultissimi sunt servi videlicet stultorum. (Scholiast.) (See Idiot.)

Baron Bung Mine host, master of the beer bung.

Baron Munchausen (pron. Moohn-kow-zn). Said to be a satire on Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller, to whom the work was dedicated. The author was Raspè, a German fugitive from the officers of justice, living in Cornwall (1785). The chief incidents were compiled from various sources, such as the Mendacia Ridicula of J. P. Lange; Lucian's True History of Things Discovered in the Moon: Rabelais; and the Folheto de Ambas Lisboa.

Baron of Beef Two sirloins left uncut at the backbone. The baron is the backpart of the ox, called in Danish, the rug. Jocosely said to be a pun upon baron and sir loin.