noun General Slang

Barnet Fair

/ˌbɑːnɪt ˈfɛː/ · noun · slang

Cockney for hair — 'Barnet Fair' rhymes with hair, clipped to your 'Barnet'.

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Definitions

1

The hair. 'Barnet Fair' rhymes with 'hair', and is clipped to 'Barnet', dropping the rhyme.

“Look at the state of your Barnet, comb it.”
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2

Clipped to 'Barnet', a hairstyle or head of hair.

“He's spent a fortune on that Barnet.”
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3

Used of a haircut, a bad hair day, or a flamboyant 'do'.

“She's off to get her Barnet done before the wedding.”
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Barnet Fair In A Sentence

The wind's played havoc with my Barnet.
Nice Barnet, did you do it yourself?
His Barnet Fair was sticking up all over the place.

Origin & Usage

Victorian East End rhyming slang on 'hair', named for Barnet Fair, the historic horse and livestock fair held at Barnet in north London; the clipped 'Barnet' is among the most enduring rhyming-slang survivals, rooted in the tradition Hotten recorded from 1859.

Variants Barnet
Tags #cockney#rhyming#british#uk#body

People Also Ask

What does Barnet Fair mean in Cockney?

It means hair. 'Fair' rhymes with 'hair', shortened to 'Barnet'.

Where is Barnet Fair?

Barnet Fair was a famous horse and livestock fair in north London; its name was borrowed for the rhyme on 'hair'.

Is Barnet still used for hair?

Yes, 'Barnet' for hair is one of the best-surviving and most widely understood pieces of rhyming slang.

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