Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. late, delayed.

1903		Mudgee Guardian (NSW) 16 July 18/3: Now, during my lifetime I have heard some very strange sayings, and the one that I am going to quote is one of them, and here it is: ‘All behind like Barney's bull’.
1907		Truth (Perth) 24 Feb. 7/5: A weirdly woeful wail ascends toward the Heavens whenever A. E. Johnston [...] lifts up his voice, in an attempt to sing. When A.E. essays to follow the music, however, he’s like Barney's Bull.
1943		Truth (Brisbane) 10 Jan. 3/3: Half-a-furlong from the post, Barney O’Hay was like Barney’s bull, and it was only by the proverbial whisker that he sneaked into third place.
1945		Baker Aus. Lang. 88: Of additional similes peculiarly our own, the following are among the best: [...] all behind like Barney’s bull, delayed, backward (a play on the word behind, although the expression is probably as alliterative as it is biological).
1950		Argus (Melbourne) 20 June 6/2: They have been mystified by such intensively Australian bon mots as [...] ‘All behind like Barney’s Bull’ .

2. overweight.

1972

A. Chipper Aussie Swearers Guide 52: Short of a Gallop. Mild descriptive phrase [for] overplump or out of condition. A more unkind expression is all behind like Barney’s bull.

completely worthless.

1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 26/2: Sold — as dead as Barney’s bulls — the little curse has ‘namased’ after ‘kidding’ me out of my ‘super’.
1893		West Australian (Perth) 1 May3/4: Mr Wray’s theory shares the same fate as Barney’s bull.
1906		: He did not want charity, only justice. If he and Miss Inglis had been like Mr Serpell over the business the council would have been like Barney’s bull.
1915		Queenslander (Brisbane) 25 Dec. 32/4: If I had told my lad to hitch up and plant it [i.e. bad maize seed] I should have been like Barney’s bull at the close of next season.

(Aus.) extremely drunk.

1930

Townsville Daily Bull. 1 Nov. 8/2: You’re as full as Barney’s bull.

1. (Aus./N.Z.) exhausted, tired out; brought to a halt.

1883		North. Star (Lismore, NSW) 22 Aug. 2/5: Here we are like Barney's bull, stuck in a creek and no way to get out.
1903		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 12 Aug. 6/5: The latter floored Barney repeatedly, and it looked as if he, like Barney’s bull, was completely busted. But he came up for more stoush and weathered the storm.
1913		North. Star (Lismore, NSW) 7 Apr. 2/4: He’s like Barney’s bull [...] in a bit of a fog.
1931		Dubbo Liberal (NSW) 25 June 4/1: Like Barney’s Bull. W. P. Pettiford notified that his bicycle required new tyres and tubes, also a new rear wheel sprocket.

2. (Aus.) energetically.

1903		Tasmanian News (Hobart, Tas.) 3 June 4/3: And, ot coarse, the chair was jumping up and down like Barney’s bull,.
1910		Bathurst Times (NSW) 28 Nov. 2/1: With the Labor Party bellowing like Barney’s bull foi the nationalisation of all Aus'ialian industries [etc].
1925		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 7 Apr. 6/1: Instantly the human fog-horns bellowed like Barney's bulls, and used enough gas to have stripped Joe of his avoirdupois in no time.
1935		Sun (Sydney) 21 July 50/6: Night black as pitch. Blowing like Barney’s bull, with a dead drunk or doped crow.
1940		Wingham Chron. (NSW) 20 Feb. 2/4: 'The croc can roar like Barney’s bull — So far, he’s done us brown.

3. for certain.

1928

V. Palmer Passage 59: By hell, we’ve got ’em. Trapped like Barney’s bull!