barney

noun

bar·​ney ˈbär-nē 

plural barneys

1

British, informal

a

: an angry argument : altercation, row

You might have a barney with your husband over his inability to find your jokes funny but actually resorting to punching, kicking or lifting a weapon is beyond me.

—Elaine C. Smith, Sunday Mail, 31 July 2005

She accused him of knocking her front teeth out in a barney, while admitting that more often than not she initiated the punch-ups.

—David Bennun, The Guardian (London), 17 Sept. 1999

b

: a boisterous good time

2

: a small car attached to a cable used to push cars up a slope in a mine

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from the name Barney

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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