Barbary Coast

1. coastal region of N Africa, extending from Egypt to the Atlantic, inhabited chiefly by Berbers and once (until early 19th cent.) dominated by pirates

   also called Barbary
2. the waterfront district in San Francisco from the gold rush of 1849 to the earthquake of 1906, known for its saloons, gambling places, & brothels

   Etymology: after Barbary Coast

Etymology: < L Barbaria, lit., a foreign country: see barbarous