jumping the besom
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Omitting the marriage service after the publication of banns, and living together as man and wife.
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 “jumping the besom” mean?
Omitting the marriage service after the publication of banns, and living together as man and wife.
Is “jumping the besom” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.