dove's dung
Preserved but no longer current.
In 2 Kings vi, 25, we are told that during the siege of Samaria "there was a great famine . . . and ... an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
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 “dove's dung” mean?
In 2 Kings vi, 25, we are told that during the siege of Samaria "there was a great famine . . . and ... an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
Is “dove's dung” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.