# born in a barn

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/born-in-a-barn
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

In a past tense: criticizing the person to whom the phrase is directed for inappropriately, and usually neglectingly, leaving an exterior door or window open, considered ill-mannered.

## Examples

- Close the door, were you born in a barn?
- Every time he leaves the front door wide open, his mother asks if he was born in a barn.
- After the guest left the garden gate unlatched for the third time, the host remarked dryly that he must have been born in a barn.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.