The Pope's eye
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The tender piece of meat (the lymphatic gland) surrounded by fat in the
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 Pope's eye” mean?
The tender piece of meat (the lymphatic gland) surrounded by fat in the
Is “The Pope's eye” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.