# member for Barkshire

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/member-for-barkshire
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A person who has a cough which causes them to sound as if they are barking.

## Examples

- He is the member for Barkshire because of his loud cough.
- You sound like the member for Barkshire with that dry cough.
- Is the member for Barkshire joining us for dinner tonight?
- Since he started coughing so loudly in the quiet library, everyone jokingly called him the member for Barkshire.
- The teacher had to pause the lesson because the member for Barkshire in the back row would not stop coughing during the exam.
- My sister stayed home from the party because she felt like the member for Barkshire and did not want to annoy the other guests.
- The poor man could not finish his speech without a hacking cough, earning him the unfortunate title of the member for Barkshire among his colleagues.

## Origin

The term originates as a pun on Berkshire, denoting a Member of Parliament for that particular district. It relies upon the phonetic similarity between the county and the sound of a dog to suggest a person who coughs or complains incessantly.

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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.