Chiltern Hundreds
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
There are three, viz. Stoke, Desborough, and Burnham, Bucks. At one time the Chi Items, between Bedford and Hertford, etc.
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 “Chiltern Hundreds” mean?
There are three, viz. Stoke, Desborough, and Burnham, Bucks. At one time the Chi Items, between Bedford and Hertford, etc.
Is “Chiltern Hundreds” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.