The Pig and Tinderbox
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An old colloquial name for the Elephant and Castle public- house; in allusion to its sign of a pig-like
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 Pig and Tinderbox” mean?
An old colloquial name for the Elephant and Castle public- house; in allusion to its sign of a pig-like
Is “The Pig and Tinderbox” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.