judas slits
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: judas holes
Meaning · English
The peep-holes in a prison door, through which the guard looks into the cell to see if all is right; when not in use, the holes are covered up.
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 “judas slits” mean?
The peep-holes in a prison door, through which the guard looks into the cell to see if all is right; when not in use, the holes are covered up.
Is “judas slits” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.