barnie

barn +‎ -ie

barnie (plural barnies)

1. (colloquial) A barn owl or barn swallow.
   • 1990 Owls: their life and behavior : a photographic study of the North

     Bonnot found that the "area covered by the bed was three inches deep with feathers, wings, and bodies" of the hapless birds. The barnies had so little difficulty catching them that in many instances they simply bit off the heads

   • 1998, Charles Robert Brown, Swallow Summer, →ISBN, page 230:

     As they do they're encountering barn swallows, and the meeker barnies are suffering.

   • 2010 Richard Mabey, A Brush With Nature: 25 years of personal reflections on nature

     BARNIES. Some 80 years ago the 'Transactions of the Norfolk Naturalists' Society' carried an extraordinary account of what was almost certainly a pair of luminous barn owls

2. (colloquial) A barn occupant.
   • 1974 Conor Brady,Guardians of the peace - Page 5

     The 'Barnies' as they were more commonly known, were, in the main, deserving pensioners

   • 2002 Man in the Spangled Pants: Jack Ragotzy and the First Fifty Years

     former Barnies, like me, knew very well that serious students — if they would work their butts off — could probably learn more of what the commercial theatre was really about in a summer at the Barn than they could in all four years

   • 2014 Enid Blyton, Famous Five: 12: Five Go Down To The Sea

     'What are the Barnies?' asked George, puzzled at Mrs Penruthlan's evident pleasure and excitement. 'Oh, they're travelling players that wander round the countryside and play and act in our big barns,' said Mrs Penruthlan

   • 2016 Peter Straub, Interior Darkness: Selected Stories

     During recess an inviolable border separated the townies at the northern end of our play area from the barnies at the southern.

   • 2017 "Room for Ruby", Steven Universe

     Peridot "You should just move in with us at this point."

     Steven "Actually, maybe not me. But I know someone else who might be interested."

     Navy "Hi! I'm Navy, a refugee from Homeworld. Just like you guys.

     Peridot "So uh, when did you show up on Earth?"

     Navy "Today."

     Peridot "New barnie!"

• townie

• bairnie

• abrine, bearin', berain, braine, erbian, inbear, nebari