drunkard's cloak
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A tub with holes for the arms to pass through, used in the 17th century for drunkards and scolds by way of punishment.
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 “drunkard's cloak” mean?
A tub with holes for the arms to pass through, used in the 17th century for drunkards and scolds by way of punishment.
Is “drunkard's cloak” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.