iron lung
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A bung; a bribe.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Most criminal cases, when I was practising, were paid for by SLAB, which kept a vice-like grip on the purse strings, paying a pittance no self-respecting plumber would get out of bed for, so an iron lung (bung) was the order of the day when dealing with the professionals of the underworld.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “iron lung” mean?
A bung; a bribe.
Is “iron lung” formal or informal?
iron lung is generally slang.