A Vacation Barrister
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Formerly one newly called to the bar, who for three years had to attend in "Long Vacation." The practice (and consequently the term) is now obsolete.
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 Vacation Barrister” mean?
Formerly one newly called to the bar, who for three years had to attend in "Long Vacation." The practice (and consequently the term) is now obsolete.
Is “A Vacation Barrister” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.