kick the bucket
A euphemism for dying or death.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
knuckle to
Synonym of knuckle under.
lame duck
A person who cannot fulfill their contracts.
leg bail
Escape from custody by running away.
limb of the law
A lawyer, or clerk articled to that profession.
little go
Any minor or preliminary activity.
lob's pound
Alternative form of lobspound (“prison”).
London Ordinary
The beach at Brighton.
louse trap
A comb (toothed implement for grooming).
milch cow
A German WWII submarine designed to carry large cargoes of supplies and transfer them to other submarines.
Mrs. Jones
An outhouse; a toilet.
mullingar heifer
A girl with thick ankles.
nail in one's coffin
An alcoholic drink.
nap the regulars
To divide up the booty.
neck and neck
Level in a race.
Ned Stokes
The four of spades.
needy mizzler
A shabby person; a tramp who runs away without paying for his lodging.
never trust me
Used in oaths, suggesting that one should never be trusted again if what one says now is not true.
newgate knocker
A lock of hair worn twisted back toward the ear.
old gentleman
A playing card that is almost imperceptibly longer than the others in the deck, used by cheats.
Old Gooseberry
The Devil; Satan.
old toast
A lively fellow who drinks excessively; a carouser.
on the fly
Carried out during the running of a program without interrupting.
Paddy's Goose
The White Swan, a celebrated public house in Ratcliff Highway, east London, England.
palm oil
Money given as a bribe.
pantile shop
Synonym of meetinghouse (“building where Quakers assemble for worship”).
Parson Trulliber
A rude, vulgar country clergyman, devoted to agricultural pursuits.
penny starver
A small bread roll costing one penny.
Peter Funk
A shill bidder at an auction.
pig's eye
The ace of diamonds.
pig's whisper
A low or inaudible whisper.
pitch into
To attack; to assault; to abuse.
poll parrot
A talkative, gossiping woman.
powdering tub
the pocky Hospital at Kingsland near London.
put the pot on
To exaggerate.
putter up
A person who seeks out information of use to burglars, for example by ingratiating himself with the members of a household, and in return receives payment after the burglary is committed.
Queen Bess
The queen of clubs.
Rag and Famish
The Army and Navy Club in London, England.
real jam
Anything exceptionally good.
Red Liner
An officer of the Society for the Suppression of Mendicity.
resurrection pie
A pie supposed to be made of the scraps and leavings of previous meals.
right as ninepence
Perfectly all right; in sound condition.
ring the changes
To pass counterfeit money.
robin redbreast
A Bow Street Runner (from the colour of his waistcoat).
rogue's yarn
A thread of red, blue or gold worsted, worked into the ropes manufactured in the government Royal dockyards, to identify them if stolen. Red for Pompey (Portsmouth), Blue for Guz (Plymouth), Gold for Chatham. Also a blue thread worked into canvas for the same purpose.
rum cull
A theatrical manager, especially one in charge of a travelling troupe.
running stationer
A street hawker of books and newspapers.
scaldrum dodge
A beggar's trick of burning the body with a mixture of acids and gunpowder, so as to appear to have been injured in an accident.
scarlet fever
Romantic attraction to soldiers in preference to other people.
Scotch coffee
Ship's biscuits toasted and boiled in water.
Scotch fiddle
Scabies; an itch.
screw loose
A state of insanity or eccentricity.
seeley's pigs
Unused blocks of iron kept in government dockyards.
serve out
To win a set, or by extension a match, by holding serve (winning a game as the server).
shell out
A game played on a billiard table, a variation of pool.
shivering Jemmy
A person who goes half-naked on the streets in order to beg for money.
shoot the moon
To abscond without paying one's rent.
shot in the locker
Money or other resources available on hand.
shove in the mouth
A glass of spirits drunk quickly in one go.
sit under
To be in the habit of hearing the preaching or teaching of (someone).