slang and techn. a. Humbug, cheating. b. A prize-fight. c. Mining (see quot.).
1865. B. Brierley, Irkdale, II. 19. I won thee i’ fair powell one toss an’ no barney.
1881. Raymond, Mining Gloss., Barney, a small car attached to a rope and used to push cars up a slope or inclined plane.
1882. Even. News, 2 Sept., 1/6. Blackguardly barneys called Boxing Competitions.
