gills
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The lower part of the face.—Bacon. "To grease one’s GILLS," "to have a good feed," or make a hearty meal. A man suffering from the effects of a previous night’s debauch, is said to "look queer about the gills."
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “gills” mean?
The lower part of the face.—Bacon. "To grease one’s GILLS," "to have a good feed," or make a hearty meal. A man suffering from the effects of a previous night’s debauch, is said to "look queer about the gills."
Is “gills” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.