~Bar~, or BARRING, excepting; in common use in the betting-ring; "Two to one bar one," _i.e._, two to one against any horse with the exception of one. The Irish use of BARRIN' is very similar, and the words BAR and BARRING may now be regarded as general.
~Barber's Cat~, a half-starved sickly-looking person. Term used in connexion with an expression too coarse to print.
~Barber's Clerk~, an overdressed shopboy who apes the manners of, and tries to pass himself off as, a gentleman; a term of reproach applied not to an artisan but to one of those who, being below, assume airs of superiority over, handicraftsmen.
~Barge~, a term used among printers (compositors) to denote a case in which there is an undue proportion of some letters and a corresponding shortness of those which are most valuable.
~Bark~, an Irish person of either sex. From this term, much in use among the London lower orders, but for which no etymology can be found, Ireland is now and then playfully called Barkshire.
~Barker~, a man employed to cry at the doors of "gaffs," shows, and puffing shops, to entice people inside. Among touting photographers he is called a doorsman.
~Barking-Iron~, or BARKER, a pistol. Term used by footpads and thieves generally.
~Barnacles~, spectacles; possibly a corruption of binoculi; but derived by some from the barnacle (_Lepas Anatifera_), a kind of conical shell adhering to ships' bottoms. Hence a marine term for goggles, which they resemble in shape, and for which they are used by sailors in case of ophthalmic derangement.
~Barney~, an unfair race of any kind: a sell or cross. Also a lark, jollification, or outing. The word BARNEY is sometimes applied to a swindle unconnected with the sporting world.
~Barn Stormers~, theatrical performers who travel the country and act in barns, selecting short and tragic pieces to suit the rustic taste.
~Barrikin~, jargon, speech, or discourse; "We can't tumble to that BARRIKIN," _i.e._, we don't understand what he says. "Cheese your BARRIKIN," shut up. _Miege_ calls it "a sort of stuff;" _Old French_, BARACAN.
~Bash~, to beat, thrash; "BASHING a dona," beating a woman; originally a provincial word, applied to the practice of beating walnut trees, when in bud, with long poles, to increase their productiveness. Hence the West country proverb--