some pumpkins
Preserved but no longer current.
Substantial, im- portant; the opposite of "small potatoes." Somerset House occupies the site in the Strand, London, of a princely mansion built by Somerset the Protector, brother of Lady Jane Seymour, and uncle of Edward VI. At the death of Somerset on the scaffold it became, the property of the Crown, and in the reign of James I was called Denmark House in honour of Anne of Denmark, his queen.
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 “some pumpkins” mean?
Substantial, im- portant; the opposite of "small potatoes." Somerset House occupies the site in the Strand, London, of a princely mansion built by Somerset the Protector, brother of Lady Jane Seymour, and uncle of Edward VI. At the death of Somerset on the scaffold it became, the property of the Crown, and in the reign of James I was called Denmark House in honour of Anne of Denmark, his queen.
Is “some pumpkins” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.