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Glite Dictionary
🍻 A cheap bar 🎹 Energetic jazz style
barrelhouse

barrelhouse

1 9.9
An old cheap bar or club with loud lively music and dancing
  • noun
  • /ˈbærəlˌhaʊs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : bar de mala muerte

Examples

  • Plenty of white barrelhouses down there.

    Sinners (2025)

  • "This place is brilliant," says Meehan of The Barrelhouse Flat in Chicago, who also likes that it's open later than most places in the city (the website doesn't include closing times).

    Blog text (22)

  • The old barrelhouse in New Orleans was always filled with music and laughter.

  • During the festival, we danced all night at a vibrant barrelhouse that showcased local musicians.

  • Visitors flocked to the barrelhouse to enjoy the lively atmosphere and great live music.

Synonyms

honky-tonk
vsbarrelhouse
  • US
8 9.4

A cheap bar with country music where people dance

focuses on lively southern music and dancing rather than specifically country style
gin mill
vsbarrelhouse
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A cheap bar where people drink and are often rowdy

is a historical southern venue known for lively music and dancing
alehouse
vsbarrelhouse
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A pub where people drank ale in the past

focuses on lively music and dancing not primarily on selling ale
taphouse
vsbarrelhouse
  • US
1 8.1

A pub that serves many beers and simple meals

is focused on lively music and dancing rather than meals or rooms
gutbucket
vsbarrelhouse
  • Archaic
9.9

A small cheap bar where rough blues or jazz is played

highlights lively dancing music rather than a raw blues focus

Surface Forms

barrelhouse singular
barrelhouses plural

Morphology

barrelhouse = barrel + house (semi-transparent) = barrel + house

Formally a compound of 'barrel' + 'house'; the components are clear but the specific idiomatic meaning 'cheap music venue with lively music' is not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Barrelhouse comes from barrel and house — a barrel is 'a large wooden container for drink', and early places like this often had barrels standing around; these were simple, rough spots where people ate, drank, and danced. So a barrelhouse became the name for a cheap, lively bar or club with loud music and dancing.