Background for barnacles

barnacles

/ˈbɑːrnəkəlz/ /ˈbɑːrnɪkəlz/

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

Illustration barnacles - Image 2

noun

A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.

Examples :

"The bottom of the old sailboat was covered in barnacles, making it slow and difficult to steer. "

animal nature organism biology nautical ocean environment

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

The barnacle goose.

Examples :

"The flock contained both Canada geese and barnacle geese. "

animal bird nature organism biology environment ecology

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

In electrical engineering, a change made to a product on the manufacturing floor that was not part of the original product design.

Examples :

"The engineer added extra shielding to the circuit board during production; these unplanned modifications were considered "barnacles" by the design team. "

technology electronics industry technical machine

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

On printed circuit boards, a change such as soldering a wire in order to connect two points, or addition such as an added resistor or capacitor, subassembly or daughterboard.

Examples :

"The engineer added some barnacles to the circuit board, including a small capacitor and a connecting wire, to improve its performance. "

electronics technical device computing

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

A deprecated or obsolete file, image or other artifact that remains with a project even though it is no longer needed.

Examples :

""After the website redesign, many old image files became barnacles, cluttering the server but serving no purpose." "

computing technical internet

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

(in the plural) An instrument like a pair of pincers, to fix on the nose of a vicious horse while shoeing so as to make it more tractable.

Examples :

"The blacksmith used the barnacles on the horse's nose to keep it calm while he fitted the new shoes. "

animal utensil agriculture

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

(in the plural) A pair of spectacles.

Examples :

"My grandfather wore his barnacles to read the newspaper every morning. "

wear appearance

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

A good job, or snack easily obtained.

Examples :

""For him, grading those simple quizzes was real barnacles; he finished them quickly and got back to watching TV." "

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

noun

A worldly sailor.

Examples :

"Captain Pete, a true barnacle, had sailed the seven seas for over fifty years and had a fascinating story for every port he'd visited. "

nautical sailing ocean person

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

Illustration barnacles - Image 2

verb

To connect with or attach.

Examples :

"The algae barnacled to the side of the boat, making it difficult to clean. "

organism nautical biology ocean animal

Illustration barnacles - Image 1

Illustration barnacles - Image 2

verb

To press close against something.

Examples :

"The tired children barnacled their mother as they waited in the long security line at the airport, clinging to her legs and arms for comfort. "

animal biology nautical ocean