To box Harry
Preserved but no longer current.
A phrase in use among commercial travellers; applied to one who avoids the table d'hdte and takes something substantial for tea, in order to save expense; also, to cut down one's expenditure after a bout of extravagance. To box a tree is to cut the bark to procure the sap, and these travel- lers dram the landlord by having a cheap tea instead of an expensive dinner. To "box the fox*' is to rob an orchard.
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 “To box Harry” mean?
A phrase in use among commercial travellers; applied to one who avoids the table d'hdte and takes something substantial for tea, in order to save expense; also, to cut down one's expenditure after a bout of extravagance. To box a tree is to cut the bark to procure the sap, and these travel- lers dram the landlord by having a cheap tea instead of an expensive dinner. To "box the fox*' is to rob an orchard.
Is “To box Harry” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.