seeley's pigs
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Unused blocks of iron kept in government dockyards.
Register: slang
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
blocks of iron in Government dockyards. Mr. Seeley, M.P., was the first to call attention in the House of Commons to the scandalous waste of pig-iron in the dockyards. Some of the yards were found to be half paved with blocks of metal, which were thence called "SEELEY’S PIGS."
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 “seeley's pigs” mean?
Unused blocks of iron kept in government dockyards.
Is “seeley's pigs” formal or informal?
seeley's pigs is generally slang.