Pardon Bell
Preserved but no longer current.
The Angelus bell. So called be- cause of the indulgence once given for reciting certain prayers forming the Angelus (#.v.). Pardoner's Tale, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, is that of Death and the Rioters, which comes from an Oriental source through the Italian Cento Novelle Antiche.
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 “Pardon Bell” mean?
The Angelus bell. So called be- cause of the indulgence once given for reciting certain prayers forming the Angelus (#.v.). Pardoner's Tale, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, is that of Death and the Rioters, which comes from an Oriental source through the Italian Cento Novelle Antiche.
Is “Pardon Bell” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.