English · Idiom Historical

Lincoln Cathedral

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The phrase occurs as early as 1562. (John Heywood's Proverbs). Than wolde ye looke ouer me with stomoke swolne Like as the divell lookt ouer Lincolne.

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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “Lincoln Cathedral” mean?

The phrase occurs as early as 1562. (John Heywood's Proverbs). Than wolde ye looke ouer me with stomoke swolne Like as the divell lookt ouer Lincolne.

Is “Lincoln Cathedral” formal or informal?

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

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