Barberton, noun

/ˈbɑːbətən/
Origin:
Name of an Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga) town.
1. [These plants are abundant in the Barberton area.]
a. In full Barberton daisy: the perennial plant Gerbera jamesonii of the Asteraceae, bearing large, daisy-like flowers on long stems; Transvaal daisy, see Transvaal.
1906 B. Stoneman Plants & their Ways 115When several bracts surround a head of flowers, as in Protea, the Barberton daisy, and others of their tribe, they form an involucre.
1932 R. Marloth Flora of S. Afr. III. 282The best known species is Gerbera Jamesoni from the Eastern Transvaal, commonly called Barberton daisy, now cultivated in many varieties of colour and foliage.
1956 H.F. Werner in Jrnl of Botanical Soc. of S. Afr. XLI. 17Gerbera jamesonii (Compositae) (‘Barberton Daisy’): 1½ — 2 ft. Scarlet. October to March. A very well-known plant.
1960 C. Lighton Cape Floral Kingdom 61The Barberton daisy is known..as the daisy from the Barberton district of the Transvaal, but outside the Union our Barbertons are commonly called gerberas.
1987 S. Afr. Panorama Sept. 19The famous Barberton daisy has been grown and hybridised world-wide, but many lowveld gardeners prefer the original form with its orange-red flowers.
1989 Your Gardening Questions Answered (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 324Barberton Daisy...Summer flowering perennials which have hairy, mid-green leaves and bear daisy-like flowers on long, stiff stems.
1991 Farmer’s Weekly 25 Jan. 92Barberton Daisies: Immediate post-free despatches 10 plants R40.
b. With distinguishing epithet designating a specific variety of Barberton daisy:
Mountain Barberton, Gerbera welwitschii.
1953 J. Hoyle Some Flowers of Bush 8The Mountain Barberton is found in grasslands at high elevation. Flowers are clear yellow and about 1 in. across.
2. Also Babaton, Baberton, Barbarton, and with small initial. In urban (especially township) slang: an illicitly brewed raw liquor. Also attributive. Cf. mbamba.
1948 E. Hellmann Rooiyard 48At the present time babaton comes first in popularity, with shimeya or shimeyani as close second.
1950 Report of Commission to Enquire into Acts of Violence Committed by Natives at Krugersdorp (UG47–1950) 10Illicit concoctions are still being brewed on a large scale. They consist chiefly of skokiaan, shimayane, barberton, etc.
1951 A. O’Dowd in B. Sachs Herman Charles Bosman (1971) 153The street was full of the nauseating smell of Barberton...There would be a liquor raiding squad later that night.
1960 J.J.L. Sisson S. Afr. Judicial Dict. 84The ingredients of barberton drink are uncertain, but it must contain yeast and mealie-meal. A policeman’s evidence that a concoction of which he produces a sample is barberton is prima facie proof of this fact.
1963 B. Modisane Blame Me on Hist. (1986) 35She turned our home into a shebeen, worked fourteen hours a day brewing and pressing home brews called skokiaan and barberton, and from the proceeds she educated me to high school level.
1972 Drum 8 Mar. 13Every boozer who has downed methylated spirits or barberton knows the gnawing fear of going blind or mad.
1979 Sunday Post 8 July 7Depending on the kind of shebeen..the brandy might be spread thin and mixed with all sorts of things — methylated spirits, tobacco, molasses, calcium carbides, pineapple, bread, potatoes — to make tshopase, uhamba, (Barberton) and skokiaan.
1982 Fair Lady 1 Dec. 188Blacks weren’t allowed to buy ‘white man’s liquor’ in those days (this only became legal in 1962) and the drink served was known as Barberton — a concoction made of bread, malt, sugar, yeast and warm water..strictly illegal, of course.
1987 M. Melamu Children of Twilight 9Baba Nhlapo had three great passions: horse-racing, an illicit brew called ‘Barberton’, and fish-and-chips, in that order.
In full Barberton daisy:the perennial plant Gerbera jamesonii of the Asteraceae, bearing large, daisy-like flowers on long stems; Transvaal daisy, see Transvaal.
Also Babaton, Baberton, Barbarton, and with small initial.In urban (especially township) slang: an illicitly brewed raw liquor. Also attributive.
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19061991

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Mountain Barberton

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barber, nounn.bari, nounn.
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