John Barleycorn
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Sir John Barleycorn
Meaning · English
A personifica- tion of malt liquor. The term was made popular by Burns.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “John Barleycorn” mean?
A personifica- tion of malt liquor. The term was made popular by Burns.
Is “John Barleycorn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.