John Barleycorn en · PROPN
Etymology
John (commonly used to personify a concept) + barleycorn; barley is used to produce malt, the source of most British alcoholic drink.
Meanings
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A personification of alcoholic drink made from barley, particularly beer and whisky.
Blazing face: redhot. Too much John Barleycorn. Cure for a red nose.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 6: Hades]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 92: