Valiant as an Essex lion
Preserved but no longer current.
Said ironically of a timid person. Cp. COTSWOLD. Estate (O.Fr. estat, Lat. status from stare, to stand). Estates of the realm. The powers that have the administration of affairs in their hands, that on which the realm stands. The three estates of Britain are the Lords Spiritual, the Lords Temporal, and the Commons; popularly speaking, the public press is termed the "fourth estate" (q.v.).
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 “Valiant as an Essex lion” mean?
Said ironically of a timid person. Cp. COTSWOLD. Estate (O.Fr. estat, Lat. status from stare, to stand). Estates of the realm. The powers that have the administration of affairs in their hands, that on which the realm stands. The three estates of Britain are the Lords Spiritual, the Lords Temporal, and the Commons; popularly speaking, the public press is termed the "fourth estate" (q.v.).
Is “Valiant as an Essex lion” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.