dagger ale
Preserved but no longer current.
The ale of the Dagger, a low- class gambling-house m Holborn, famous in Elizabethan times for its strong drink, furmety, and meat-pies. There was another tavern of the same name in Cheapside. The exact site of neither is known.
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 “dagger ale” mean?
The ale of the Dagger, a low- class gambling-house m Holborn, famous in Elizabethan times for its strong drink, furmety, and meat-pies. There was another tavern of the same name in Cheapside. The exact site of neither is known.
Is “dagger ale” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.