The Devil's Punch Bowl
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A deep combe on the S.W. side of Hmdhead Hill, two miles N. of Haslemere, in Surrey. A similar dell in Mangerton Mountain, near Killarney, has the same name.
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 “The Devil's Punch Bowl” mean?
A deep combe on the S.W. side of Hmdhead Hill, two miles N. of Haslemere, in Surrey. A similar dell in Mangerton Mountain, near Killarney, has the same name.
Is “The Devil's Punch Bowl” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.