big house
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
Prison, jail.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
He was 38 years old and had been in the big house twice for shooting scrapes.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
The workhouse.
Register: slang
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 3
Meaning · English
or LARGE HOUSE, the workhouse,—a phrase used by the very poor.
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 “big house” mean?
Prison, jail.
Is “big house” formal or informal?
big house is generally slang.