Plough Monday
Preserved but no longer current.
The first Monday after Twelfth Day is so called because it is the end ol the Christmas holidays, and the day when men return to their plough or daily work. It was customary on this day for farm labourers to draw a plough from door to door of the parish, and solicit "plough-money" to spend m a frolic.
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 “Plough Monday” mean?
The first Monday after Twelfth Day is so called because it is the end ol the Christmas holidays, and the day when men return to their plough or daily work. It was customary on this day for farm labourers to draw a plough from door to door of the parish, and solicit "plough-money" to spend m a frolic.
Is “Plough Monday” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.