glasgow magistrate
Preserved but no longer current.
A salt herring; so called because when George IV visited Glasgow some wag placed a salt herring on the iron guard of the carnage of a well-known magis- trate who formed one of the deputation to receive him.
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 “glasgow magistrate” mean?
A salt herring; so called because when George IV visited Glasgow some wag placed a salt herring on the iron guard of the carnage of a well-known magis- trate who formed one of the deputation to receive him.
Is “glasgow magistrate” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.