barrelhead

American  

[bar-uhl-hed] / ˈbær əlˌhɛd /

noun

1. either of the round, flat sections that form the top and bottom of a barrel.

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idioms

1. on the barrelhead, in advance or on demand.

   They won't deliver the merchandise unless we pay cash on the barrelhead.

Etymology

Origin of barrelhead

First recorded in 1830–40; barrel + head

Example Sentences

From five bids for the Stevens it chose to take $5,251,000 cash on the barrelhead from Arnold Kirkaby, who already owns Chicago's Drake and Blackstone Hotels.

From Time Magazine Archive

Thereafter no belligerent may buy arms in the U. S. without paying cash on the barrelhead.

From Time Magazine Archive

But overseas, the same companies often demand cash on the barrelhead.

From Time Magazine Archive

The money would be cash on the barrelhead, said Ratliff, where the Times-Star offered only $1,250,000 down.

From Time Magazine Archive

But as I hurried to cross the street just before reaching the depot, the old men playing checkers on a barrelhead under the Cold Sassy tree winked and grinned at me.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns