cold meat train

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The last railway train of the night by which officers could reach Aldershot via the South Western Railway.

Register: slang

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

the last train at night by which officers can reach Aldershot per South Western Railway. So called because by this train corpses are often conveyed on account of the Necropolis Company to Woking.

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 “cold meat train” mean?

The last railway train of the night by which officers could reach Aldershot via the South Western Railway.

Is “cold meat train” formal or informal?

cold meat train is generally slang.