barrack

v.

to jeer at opponents, to interruptnoisily, to make a disturbance; with the preposition «for,» tosupport as a partisan, generally with clamour. An Australianfootball term dating from about 1880. The verb has been ruledunparliamentary by the Speaker in the Victorian LegislativeAssembly. It is, however, in very common colloquial use. Itis from the aboriginal word borak (q.v.), and the senseof jeering is earlier than that of supporting, but jeering atone side is akin to cheering for the other. Another suggestedderivation is from the Irish pronunciation of «Bark,» as(according to the usually accepted view) «Larrikin» from «larking.» But the former explanation is the more probable.There is no connection with soldiers' «barracks;» nor is itlikely that there is any, as has been ingeniously suggested,with the French word baragouin, gibberish.

1890. `Melbourne Punch,' Aug. 14, p. 106, col. 3:

«To use a football phrase, they all to a man `barrack' for the British Lion.»

1893. `The Age,' June 17, p. 15, col. 4:

«[The boy] goes much to football matches, where he barracks,and in a general way makes himself intolerable.»

1893. `The Argus,' July 5, p. 9, col. 4, Legislative Assembly:

« Mr. Isaacs:. . . He hoped this `barracking' would notbe continued.» [Members had been interrupting him.]

1893. `The Herald' (Melbourne), Sept. 9, p. 1, col. 6:

«He noticed with pleasure the decrease of disagreeablebarracking by spectators at matches during last season.Good-humoured badinage had prevailed, but the spectators hadbeen very well conducted.»