English · Idiom Historical

dismal ditty

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The psalm sung by the felons at the gallows, just before they are turned off.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Bài hát buồn được hát bởi những kẻ phạm tội trước khi bị treo cổ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “dismal ditty” mean?

The psalm sung by the felons at the gallows, just before they are turned off.

Is “dismal ditty” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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