Barfly

Originally, barfly literally may have referred to the ubiquitous vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, commonly attracted to alcohol and hence an expected visitor to drinking establishments. It has been said that this small fly is trapped in liquor bottles not properly sealed.

The above is anecdotal. The etymology of barfly probably lies in the archetypal behaviour of most flies being strongly attracted to some much preferred destination. In the vernacular of our time, the term barfly (also bar fly) refers to a person who spends much time (and, usually, much money) at an establishment that serves alcoholic drink.

Barfly may also mean:

• Barfly (album), 1995 album by the band Buck-O-Nine
• Barfly (club), chain of music venues in the United Kingdom
• Barfly (film), 1987 American film starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway
• "Baen's Barfly", one who browses the internet at publisher Baen Books' author and fan website and forum known as "Baen's Bar"
• Barfly, small bar in Montreal, on Boulevard Saint-Laurent
• Barfly (band), Minneapolis, USA rock band since 1993
• Barfly (blog), Portland, Oregon area magazine/blog which reviews bars and pubs in the area
• Barfly (comic), comic strip featured in the Irish music magazine, Hot Press
• Barfly (newspaper), Chicago bi-weekly newspaper from 1994 to 2001
• Barfly Assembler Development System, software package for the Commodore Amiga