Barging In Comes From a Clumsy Boat
A barge is a flat-bottomed cargo boat. The verb meaning to push in rudely comes from how heavily such a boat moves.
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat for carrying cargo on rivers and canals. The verb is a direct metaphor for how one moves: a loaded barge is slow to steer and stops for nothing, so to *barge in* is to enter without care for whoever is already there. The same word once meant a ceremonial state boat, which is why Cleopatra's barge is not a coal carrier.
- A cargo boat. *A coal barge.*
- A ceremonial boat. *The royal barge.*
- To move heavily. *He barged through the crowd.*
- Barge in — to interrupt rudely. *Sorry to barge in.*
- Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole — want nothing to do with it. *I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | barge | A canal barge. |
| Plural | barges | Two barges. |
| Verb | barge | Barge past. |
| Compound | bargepole | A long bargepole. |
| Agent | bargee | An old bargee. |
- The barge carried gravel downriver.The boat.
- He barged in without knocking.The verb.
- I wouldn't touch that deal with a bargepole.British idiom.
Boats on inland water
- Barge — flat-bottomed, for cargo, often towed or pushed
- Narrowboat — under seven feet wide, built for British canals
- Lighter — a barge used to load and unload ships offshore
- Punt — flat-bottomed and pushed with a pole
- Tug — the powered boat that moves the others
Old French *barge*, from Medieval Latin *barga*, possibly from Greek *baris*, an Egyptian boat. The verb meaning to move heavily dates from the 1800s.
Why does barge in mean to interrupt?
From the way a heavy barge moves: slowly, unstoppably and without regard for anything in the way.
What is a bargepole?
A long pole used to push a barge clear of banks and other boats. The idiom means keeping something at maximum distance.