jericho

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

An improper quarter of Oxford. A lady visitor once writing her name down in the visitors’ book at the Bodleian or elsewhere, for a joke put down her residence as "Jericho," to the no small disgust of her undergraduate friend.—University.

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 “jericho” mean?

An improper quarter of Oxford. A lady visitor once writing her name down in the visitors’ book at the Bodleian or elsewhere, for a joke put down her residence as "Jericho," to the no small disgust of her undergraduate friend.—University.

Is “jericho” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.