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John Barleycorn

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noun
  1. a personification of barley as used in malt liquor, of malt liquor itself, or of any intoxicating liquor.
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Origin of John Barleycorn

First recorded in 1610–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for john barleycorn

John Barleycorn

noun
  1. usually jocular the personification of alcohol, esp of malt spirits
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012