Dictionary

barnacle

Pronunciation

Noun

barnacle (plural barnacles)

A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.
Hypernyms: arthropod, crustacean
The barnacle goose.
(engineering, slang) In electrical engineering, a change made to a product on the manufacturing floor that was not part of the original product design.
(computing, slang) On printed circuit boards, a change such as soldering a wire in order to connect two points, or addition such as an added resistor or capacitor, subassembly or daughterboard.
(software engineering, slang) A deprecated or obsolete file, image or other artifact that remains with a project even though it is no longer needed.
(obsolete, in the plural) 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.
Synonyms: twitch
(archaic, British, slang, in the plural) A pair of spectacles.
(slang, obsolete) A good job, or snack easily obtained.
(slang) A worldly sailor.
Synonyms: shellback

Translations

Verb

barnacle (barnacles, present participle barnacling; past and past participle barnacled)

To connect with or attach.
- 2009, Liza Dalby, Hidden Buddhas: A Novel of Karma and Chaos, Stone Bridge Press (2009), ISBN 9781933330853, page 178 ↗:
  Tokuda went over everything his grandfather had taught him, including the commentary that had barnacled on to the core knowledge.
To press close against something.
- 2002, Douglas Coupland, All Families Are Psychotic, Vintage Canada (2002), ISBN 0679311831, page 16 ↗:
  He turned a corner to where he supposed the cupboard might be, to find Howie and Alanna barnacled together in an embrace.

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