Dictionary

barbie en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /bɑː(ɹ)bi/

Etymology

Clipping of barbecue + -ie (diminutive suffix).

Meanings

1. (Australia, New-Zealand, UK, informal) A barbecue (apparatus for grilling).
2. (Australia, New-Zealand, UK, informal) A barbecue (event: cookout).

Forms

Coordinates

barbecue · BBQ · braai · barbeque

barbie en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /bɑː(ɹ)bi/

Etymology

Clipping of barbiturate + -ie (diminutive suffix).

Meanings

1. (informal) A barbiturate.
   • Then one day the King said, / Jules, you're grounded. / Absolutely grounded. / This is it. So Jules took / barbies, you know, barbiturates, / and he stayed down. Way down. / Grounded like his father said. 1989, The Pembroke Magazine, volumes 21–23, page 162:
   • “At nights,” she says, “we were both in our own little worlds, him with his alcohol and me with my barbies.” 1971, The Bulletin, volume 93, numbers 4762–4774, page 35:

Forms