batty
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Wages, perquisites. Derived from BATTA, an extra pay given to soldiers while serving in India.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “batty” mean?
Wages, perquisites. Derived from BATTA, an extra pay given to soldiers while serving in India.
Is “batty” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.