Word.ws English Dictionary

barlafumble

barlafumble interjection: a cry for peace or truce in children's games.

Interjection

(Scotland, obsolete)

  1. (Scotland, obsolete) A cry for peace or truce in children's games.
    • Quhile he cryed barlafummil, I am slane.c. 1500, Christis Kirk on the Green
    • To fight, lest ye, when canons rumble, / With shame for fear, cry barlafumble.1868, James Maidment, A Book of Scotish Pasquils. 1568-1715, page 140
    Synonyms:
    fainites, pax
  2. (Scotland, obsolete) A fall; the act of accidentally losing one's balance.
    • When Coach-men drinks & Horses stumble, / It's hard to miss a Barla-fumble.1687, Samuel Colvil, Mock Poem or Whiggs supplication, Jo. Reid for Alexander Ogston

Synonyms of barlafumble

Forms of barlafumble

alternative formbarla fummyll
alternative formbarla-fumble
alternative formbarlafummil
alternative formbarlafumle

Origin of barlafumble

Uncertain. For the first element, compare barley, which bears a similar meaning as an interjection. The second element may be from French parlez, foi mêlez (“let us have a truce and blend our faith”). First attested in 1568.

Questions about barlafumble

What does barlafumble mean?
Barlafumble means a cry for peace or truce in children's games.
What part of speech is barlafumble?
Barlafumble is an interjection.

Words near barlafumble in the dictionary

  1. Barlaam
  2. Barlaamite
  3. Barlaamites
  4. barladies
  5. barlady
  6. barlafumble
  7. barlafummil
  8. Barlage
  9. Barlages
  10. Barlaston
  11. Barlavento

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: barlafumble (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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