cotswold lion
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Ah ironical name for a sheep, for which Cotswold hills are famous. Then will he look as fierce as a Cotssold lion. UDALL: Roister Doister, IV, vi (c. 1566).
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 “cotswold lion” mean?
Ah ironical name for a sheep, for which Cotswold hills are famous. Then will he look as fierce as a Cotssold lion. UDALL: Roister Doister, IV, vi (c. 1566).
Is “cotswold lion” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.