Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1822-1828
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
‡BARLEY-FEVER, n. [′bɑrlĕ-′fɪvər]
1. "Sickness occasioned by drunkenness" (Jam.5 1879 for w.Sc.).
2. Intoxication.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch (1839) xxiv.:
Though then in his sixty-first year . . . this was the first time he ever had fallen a victim to the barley-fever!Ayr. 1822 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 129:
He found his guests . . . all labouring under that severe, though happily not epidemic distemper, known by the name of "Barley fever."
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Barley-fever n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/barleyfever>
