Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who strips trees of their bark.
- noun A tanner.
- noun An animal that barks; a person who clamors unreasonably.
- noun The spotted redshank, Totanus fuscus. Albin; Montagu.
- noun A person stationed at the door of a house where auctions of inferior goods are held, to invite strangers to enter; a touter; a tout. [Cant.]
- noun A pistol.
- noun A lower-deck gun in a ship.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who strips trees of their bark.
- noun An animal that barks; hence, any one who clamors unreasonably.
- noun Cant, Eng. One who stands at the doors of shops to urg� passers by to make purchases.
- noun Slang A pistol.
- noun (Zoöl.) The spotted redshank.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Someone or something who
barks . - noun A person employed to
solicit customers by calling out to passersby, e.g. at acarnival . - noun A
shelf-talker . - noun video games A video game mode where the action is demonstrated to entice someone to play the game.
- noun obsolete, obsolete, slang A person that removes the
bark fromwood , or prepares it for use intanning . - noun A
machine used to remove the bark from wood.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun informal terms for dogs
- noun someone who stands in front of a show (as at a carnival) and gives a loud colorful sales talk to potential customers
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"Anyone who uses the term 'barker' is betraying their ignorance," Baker said.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011
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Gradually it dawned on Bob that this man was acting in the capacity of "barker" -- that with quite admirable perspicacity and accuracy, he was engaged in selecting from the countless throngs the few possible purchasers for Lucky Lands.
The Rules of the Game Stewart Edward White 1909
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Forensic investigators have been pouring over the parched ground of this so-called barker ranch.
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However, Zigun -- who says he voted for Obama in 2008 and will probably support him again in 2012 -- does believe the President misspoke when he used the term "carnival barker."
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011
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Baker said he has a bone to pick with people who use the term "carnival barker" and admitted to being shocked when the President singled out his industry.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011
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So we believe that really this ABThera system will cannibalize what's called the barker system, which is really the standard of care for treating those patients today.
unknown title 2009
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After three days 'parley I had just concluded my bargain with his breechless majesty, when a "barker" greeted me with the cheerless message that the "Aguila" was surrounded by man-of-war boats!
Captain Canot or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver Theodore Canot
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The "puller-in" and the "barker" of Baxter Street and the Bowery are mere sucking doves compared with the vendors of Jerusalem: they will get in front of you and pull you into their shops, and the only way you can prevent an assault is to jump to the other side of the street or dive into an alley.
A Fantasy of Mediterranean Travel S. G. Bayne
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A 'barker' is a man who jumps onto a big tree after a chopper has felled it, and strips the bark off with his axe, so that the trunk can be easily hauled over the snow.
Camp and Trail A Story of the Maine Woods Isabel Hornibrook
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I had many a friend among the villagers, both there and at Bangalang, and when the "barker" came from the Isles _de Loss_ with the news of my capture and misery, the settlement had been keenly astir until it was known that Mongo Téodore was safe and sound among his protectors.
Captain Canot or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver Theodore Canot
Prolagus commented on the word barker
Can anybody confirm WordNet #2? I'd like to avoid hilarious misunderstandings.
August 28, 2009
reesetee commented on the word barker
I'd call that a WeirdNet definition myself.
August 28, 2009
bilby commented on the word barker
Wouldn't say it was in wide use, Pro.
Go on, I love hilarious misunderstandings.
August 28, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word barker
Haven't heard that one, but I'm sure it comes from an extended meaning of #1. Though I don't often hear it as just "barker" by itself but "carnival barker."
I think #3 and #4 are less explicable.
August 28, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word barker
"An animal that barks; hence, any one who clamors unreasonably."
-- GNU Webster's 1913
September 21, 2012