barnacle

1 marine crustaceans with feathery food-catching appendages; free-swimming as larvae; as adults form a hard shell and live attached to submerged surfaces [syn: cerriped, cerripede]

2 European goose smaller than the brant; breeds in the far north [syn: barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis]

English

Noun

1. A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.
2. The barnacle goose.
3. An instrument like a pair of pincers, to fix on the nose of a vicious horse while shoeing so as to make it more tractable.
4. In the context of "archaic|UK": A nickname for spectacles.
5. In the context of "slang|obsolete": A good job, or snack easily obtained.

Translations

Related terms

• barnacle goose

See also

• limpet

References

• 1811 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue, available from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5402

adherent, adhesive, beat, bloodsucker, bramble, brier, bulldog, burr, cement, deadbeat, decal, decalcomania, freeloader, glue, gunk, hanger-on, leech, limpet, lounge lizard, molasses, mucilage, parasite, paste, plaster, prickle, remora, smell-feast, spiv, sponge, sponger, sticker, sucker, syrup, thorn