moon
Preserved but no longer current.
A month; generally used to express the length of time a person has been sentenced by the magistrate; thus "one MOON" is one month of four weeks. A calendar month is known as a "callingder" or long MOON. A "lunar MOON," ridiculous as the phrase may seem, is of constant use among those who affect slang of this description.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
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 “moon” mean?
A month; generally used to express the length of time a person has been sentenced by the magistrate; thus "one MOON" is one month of four weeks. A calendar month is known as a "callingder" or long MOON. A "lunar MOON," ridiculous as the phrase may seem, is of constant use among those who affect slang of this description.
Is “moon” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.