What it means
A very British way to say something's completely daft, absurd, or miles past sensible. It's usually short for barking mad, but on its own it still lands fast. You chuck it at unhinged plans, stupid prices, or behaviour that's so ridiculous it deserves a proper side-eye, not a full debate.
Usage examples
"Mum says she’s taking the night bus to Croydon for a two quid kebab at 3am. That’s barking, bruv. Get her a cuppa and hide her Oyster card."
"Forty quid for a sandwich at the airport, that's barking, I'd rather go hungry till I land."
"He wants to drive through the night just to save on a hotel, the man's absolutely barking."
"You're paying eighty quid to stand in a field and drink warm lager? That's barking."
"She reckons she's gonna revise twelve topics the night before and still get a first. Absolutely barking."
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Where it comes from
It comes from the older British phrase barking mad, built on the image of a dog barking wildly and not acting right. By the late 20th century, people were clipping it to just barking in casual speech. Same bite, less syllable-wrangling, very UK, very dry.
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