Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also Mr Barney) humbug, cheating, fraud, esp. of a ‘fixed’ sporting event.

1843		Bell’s Life in London 8 Oct. 4/5: Martin knew [...] that he could not win the fight fairly; hence he had recrourse to any and every dodge to bring it to a ‘barney’.
1846		Bell’s Life in London 24 May 7/1: It certainly seemed strange that he should have run past the mile-stone [...] and the general opinion was that it was a ‘barney,’ but of this there is no positive proof.
1857		Bell’s Life in Victoria (Melbourne) 25 July 3/4: Some people hintod their belief that ‘Mr. Barney’ had been at work, but this we do not for a moment believe.
1858		Durham Chron. 2 July 7/6: [of a wrestling match] Every struggle was earnestly and honestly contended for, not the slightest symptoms of a ‘Barney’ was observable.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 71: BARNEY [...] a deception, a ‘cross.’.
1865		B. Brierley Irkdale II 19: I won thee i’ fair powell— one toss an’ no barney.
1894		N.Y. Tribune 10 Oct. 3/3: The most remarkable feat of the season was boosting Old Dominion without readjusting the raise, but then that was a ‘barney,’ but it went.
1895		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 11 May 4/4: There will be no more barneys at cricket when Brady is present. What say chaps.
1897		Marshall Pomes 115: The morning the Derby was run for, the barney was well understood, Old Feet gave the jockey the cough drop, which I’d fated for the animal’s good [F&H].
1900		Marvel 15 Nov. 3: Come, come, none of your barney!
1908		Sporting Times 11 Apr. 1/5: When the youth was in his prime he deemed it good one day to have a ‘barney’. The bookie, concurring, took the odds; the sprinter—changed his mind and romped in!
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 259: ’Alf o’ them there gilt-edged barneys as you read about in the newspapers – the big bank scoops that talk in five or six figures o’ speech.
1938		J.B. Booth Sporting Times 273: Once upon a time there was a youth who [...] deemed it good one day to have a ‘barney’.

2. (UK Und.) in specific use of sense 1, a fake fight, arranged by criminals to distract a potential victim’s attention.

1859		Matsell Vocabulum 125: barney. A fight that is sold.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 6: Barney, [...] a prize-fight that is sold.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 131: I don’t think I’ve lost anything, but — well, for a mere barney, they did go a bit, didn’t they?
1905		Spokane Press (WA) 28 July 2/1: We doubt the attempted assassination of the procurator of the holy synod was a ‘barney’.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 308: Course it was a bloody barney. [...] Swindled them all.
1938		A.J. Liebling Back Where I Came From 136: [The fight] looked like a barney – as if there were some collusion .

3. (US campus) a bad recitation.

1856

B.H. Hall College Words (rev. edn) 15: barney. At Harvard College, about the year 1810, this word was used to designate a bad recitation.

4. (US) a hoax.

1884

Referee 13 Apr. 7/4: Who would believe that Mr. Gladstone shammed being ill, and that Sir Andrew Clark issued false bulletins, and that the whole thing was a barney from beginning to end [F&H].

5. a tease.

1906		E. Pugh Spoilers 88: It’s a bit of a barney about her.
1953		J. Franklyn Cockney 285: He may get ‘narky’ if he does not cotton on [...] that the others are having a barney.