What it means
A barney is a proper row, a loud argument or a bit of a scrap that flares up and blows over. It is old British slang, the kind your nan might use, and it always sounds more comical than menacing, like two people going at it over something daft and forgetting about it ten minutes later.
Usage examples
"The neighbours had a massive barney last night, you could hear every word through the wall."
"The two regulars at the corner pub had a proper barney last night over which Bond actor was the best, and by closing time they were arm in arm singing Tom Jones at the karaoke machine, both versions of the truth conveniently forgotten."
"They had a right barney over the telly remote, did not speak for an hour, then shared a packet of biscuits like nothing happened."
"My mum had a small barney with the postman about a parcel signed for by the next-door neighbour, then they discovered they were second cousins on her dad’s side, and now she has invited him round for tea every Wednesday."
"We had a bit of a barney in the kitchen over who'd finished the milk, then five minutes later we were splitting chips on the sofa."
Where it comes from
It comes from Cockney rhyming slang. Barney Rubble rhymed with trouble, then it got shaved down to just Barney. That clipping took root in London speech and spread across Britain. These days it still usually means a noisy row or little flare-up, not some heavy, blood-and-thunder fight.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Clever Mushroom Forager Official watcher of this expression
Tell me, what have you got for me?