Hie Goat and Compasses
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
There have been several more or less ingenious derivations found for this inn sign; none of them has yet been endowed with authority.
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 “Hie Goat and Compasses” mean?
There have been several more or less ingenious derivations found for this inn sign; none of them has yet been endowed with authority.
Is “Hie Goat and Compasses” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.