What does "barnacle" mean?
Barnacle: pl. (Far.) An instrument for pinching a horse's nose, and thus restraining him. Note: [Formerly used in the sing.] The barnacles . . . give pain almost equal to that of the switch. Youatt.
Additional senses
- 2.pl. Spectacles; -- so called from their resemblance to the barnacles used by farriers. [Cant, Eng.] Dickens.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00