Gammer Gurton's Needle
Preserved but no longer current.
The earliest English comedy with the exception of Ralph Roister Doister; acted at Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1552, and printed in 1575. It was published as "By Mr. S. Mr. of Art," who remained unidentified until Isaac Reed in 1782 announced that it was Bishop Still. The comedy is vigorous and it closes with the discovery of Gammer Gurton's missing needle in the seat of Hodge's breeches.
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 “Gammer Gurton's Needle” mean?
The earliest English comedy with the exception of Ralph Roister Doister; acted at Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1552, and printed in 1575. It was published as "By Mr. S. Mr. of Art," who remained unidentified until Isaac Reed in 1782 announced that it was Bishop Still. The comedy is vigorous and it closes with the discovery of Gammer Gurton's missing needle in the seat of Hodge's breeches.
Is “Gammer Gurton's Needle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.