Old Fogs
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The 87th Foot, the Royal Irish Fusiliers, so called from the war-cry "Fag-an-Bealach" (Clear the way), pronounced Faug-a-bolla%h.
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 “Old Fogs” mean?
The 87th Foot, the Royal Irish Fusiliers, so called from the war-cry "Fag-an-Bealach" (Clear the way), pronounced Faug-a-bolla%h.
Is “Old Fogs” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.