churchyard cough
Preserved but no longer current.
A deep, chesty cough which sounds like a presage of death. Churrigueresque (chu rig er esk'). Over- ornate, as applied to architecture. The word, frequently used by Richard Ford (1796-1858) in his writings on Spain, derives from Jose Churriguera (1650-1723) a Spanish architect of the baroque school.
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 “churchyard cough” mean?
A deep, chesty cough which sounds like a presage of death. Churrigueresque (chu rig er esk'). Over- ornate, as applied to architecture. The word, frequently used by Richard Ford (1796-1858) in his writings on Spain, derives from Jose Churriguera (1650-1723) a Spanish architect of the baroque school.
Is “churchyard cough” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.