Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to cough.

1813		Examiner (London) Feb. 75 I: The play went on, amidst croaking, squeaking, barking [F&H].
1877		J. Greenwood Dick Temple I 254: You’ll get the smoke down your throat and begin barking ag’in.

2. to tout a shop or attraction; to work as a costermonger’s assistant; thus barking n. and occas. adj.

1808		B. Bradshaw Hist. of Billy Bradshaw 35: As we turned down the Fleet market we were accosted by the usual sort of barking parsons, with ‘walk in and get married’.
1818		W. Perry London Guide 98: Ladies’ clothes used to be barked pretty much [...] in the neighbourhood of Leicster Square.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 563: Ladies’ dresses also used to be barked in Cranbourn Alley.
1836		‘’ in New Cockalorum Songster in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) II 25: Then at night am working, burking, / Hocussing or carrying swag!
1838		Blackburn Standard 16 May 4/1: ‘Drumming in New York’. ‘Drumming’ is a term which New Yorkers have invented to signify what we Englishers denominate ‘touting’ or ‘barking’ — that is to say looking out for customers.
1841		‘Ax My Eye’ Dublin Comic Songster 101: Then at night am vorking burking, / Hocussing or kening svag!
1866		J. Greenwood Little Ragamuffin 121: What put barkin’ into your head, Smiffield? [...] Father a coster, then?
1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 301: Then I resumed my barking for Fatima.
1905		‘Hugh McHugh’ You Can Search Me 68: I’m only a silent partner in this concern, so you for the Bad Lands to do the barking for the show.
1914		S. Lewis Our Mr Wrenn (1936) 26: Picture? [...] Funny ain’t it? – me barking for ’em like I was the grandmother of the guy that invented ’em.
1920		T. Thursday ‘Missed in Missouri’ in Top-Notch 15 May 🌐 The grinders barked loudly enough to make a dog pound sound like a violin solo.
1935		N. Algren Somebody in Boots 346: He saw that the barking job was fairly permanent [...] He became proud of his barking, too.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 13: Barking at the Blue Note was a license to stand in one public spot for eight straight hours.

3. (UK Und.) to inform [underpinned by dog n.² (1)].

1889		Clarkson & Richardson Police! 321: To inform ... To come it, to bark.
1900		Truth (Sydney) 23 Dec. 8/2: It’s safe enuff of course, sir, / Them there boys they never bark.
2017		Harlem Spartans ‘Kennington Where It Started’ 🎵 Splash, splash, splash / Any man that them man barking with.

4. to fire a gun [ext. of SE bark, to make a sudden loud noise, esp. of gunfire].

1904

Number 1500 Life In Sing Sing 263: What does the greaser do but flash his rod and bark away. He plugged the main guy for keeps.

5. to hurt.

1958		F. Norman in Sun. Graphic 10 Aug. in Norman’s London (1969) 27: About this time my plates of meat began to bark.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 116: ‘My puppies are barking’ = ‘My shoes are hurting’.
2012		R.A. Dickey Wherever I Wind Up 183: My shoulder’s barking and [...] I spend a few weeks on the disabled list.

6. (US) to boast, to brag; to make statements without substance.

1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 3: When one is barking, he is bragging, blowing his horn, chest-beating about his greatness.
2000		E. Quiñones Bodega Dreams 41: ‘Bullshit. This guy is talking a lot of dreams, bro. Clouds.’ [...] ‘No, bro [...] You don’t know, so don’t go fucken barkin’ all this shit’.

7. (also bark at the lawn, bark out, (orig. Aus./N.Z.) to vomit.

1999		G. Seal Lingo 135: As over-indulgence in alcoholic beverages may induce vomiting, the Lingo is well stocked with terms for this, including [...] bark.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.
2010		Codella and Bennett Alphaville (2011) 6: He’ll boot up, bark out vomit, and feel the high fade fast.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] VITAL AUSSIE VERNACULAR Vomit: 1. Up and under 2. Chunder 3. The technicolour yawn 4. Barking at the lawn 5. Driving the porcelain bus.

8. (US campus) to lie.

1997–2000

Da Bomb 🌐 2: Bark: [...] to lie.