John Barleycorn

noun

: alcoholic liquor personified

Did you know?

Inspiring bold John Barleycorn! / What dangers thou canst make us scorn! Robert Burns wasn't the first to use "John Barleycorn" as a personification of liquor when he penned those lines in his poem Tam O'Shanter in the late 1700s. The term had been part of English vernacular for more than 150 years before Burns's heyday, but the poet played a key role in popularizing it by carrying it into literature. "Barleycorn" undoubtedly became part of that euphemism for alcohol because barleycorns (that is, grains of barley) are a key ingredient in malt liquor. And "John" has long been used as a generic name or personifier in English.

Examples of John Barleycorn in a Sentence

she blamed John Barleycorn for the breakdown of their marriage

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Santa Claus had triumphed over John Barleycorn. —

Gary Kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Dec. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of John Barleycorn was circa 1625

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Cite this Entry

Style

“John Barleycorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/John%20Barleycorn. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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