a house of correction
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A jail governed by a keeper. Originally it was a place where vagrants were made to v»ork, and offenders were kept in ward for the correction of small offences.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a house of correction” mean?
A jail governed by a keeper. Originally it was a place where vagrants were made to v»ork, and offenders were kept in ward for the correction of small offences.
Is “a house of correction” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.