What does “double-barrelled” mean? Is it commonly used?

Rebecca

"Double-barrelled" is considered British English. It is common to use when a surname has two hyphenated names. So let's say a man and woman get married, they each have their own surnames, but when they get married, they decide to "double-barrel" their surnames together. Their names become joined together with a hyphen. Or! It can be used when talking about something that has two meanings or two parts to it. A gun can have a double-barrel, and that means it has two barrels- two places where a bullet can be fired. Ex: When we got married, we double-barrelled our surname to 'Smith-Johnson.' Ex: That comment she said was double-barrelled. => two meanings. Ex: We have a double-barrelled proposal for the company. The proposal deals with marketing and service. => two aspects or parts. Ex: He had a double-barrelled shotgun.