killing no murder
Preserved but no longer current.
A pamphlet published in Holland and sent over to England in 1657 advising the assassination of Oliver Cromwell. It purported to be by one William Allen, a Jesuit, and has frequently been attributed to Silas Titus flater made a colonel and Groom of the Bedchamber by Charles II), but it was actually by Col. Edward Sexby, a Leveller, who had gone over to the Royalists, and who, in 1657, narrowly failed in an attempt to murder Cromwell.
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 “killing no murder” mean?
A pamphlet published in Holland and sent over to England in 1657 advising the assassination of Oliver Cromwell. It purported to be by one William Allen, a Jesuit, and has frequently been attributed to Silas Titus flater made a colonel and Groom of the Bedchamber by Charles II), but it was actually by Col. Edward Sexby, a Leveller, who had gone over to the Royalists, and who, in 1657, narrowly failed in an attempt to murder Cromwell.
Is “killing no murder” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.