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barley-bree

American  
[bahr-lee-bree] / ˈbɑr liˌbri /

noun

Chiefly Scot.

  1. liquor, malt liquor, or the like, especially whiskey.

Etymology

Origin of barley-bree

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"In a snug shelter maybe at our hostelrie below, with a mug of the right barley-bree buzzing at our elbow—oat-cake and cheese conformable thereto."

From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John

Oh, the worthy German dragoons! they were much more reasonable guests; they knew how to appreciate the good barley-bree!

From Hungarian Sketches in Peace and War Constable's Miscellany of Foreign Literature, vol. 1 by Jókai, Mór

By eight o'clock, however, he was merry with the barley-bree, and making a butt of himself to amuse the company.

From The House with the Green Shutters by Brown, George Douglas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.