Tantivy Men
Preserved but no longer current.
The High Churchmen and Tories of the post-Restoration period; so called because about 1680 they were caricatured as being mounted on the Church of England, "riding tantivy" to Rome. To ride tantivy (a hunting term) is to ride at a rapid gallop.
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 “Tantivy Men” mean?
The High Churchmen and Tories of the post-Restoration period; so called because about 1680 they were caricatured as being mounted on the Church of England, "riding tantivy" to Rome. To ride tantivy (a hunting term) is to ride at a rapid gallop.
Is “Tantivy Men” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.