yard of clay
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
A long pipe for smoking; a churchwarden pipe.
Register: archaic, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
[…] he failed repeatedly until he took over his famous house in Haymarket, where for many years, surrounded by such admirers as Byron, Tom Moore and Hazlitt, he smoked his yard of clay, drained his glass of 'daffy', and […]
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
a long, old-fashioned tobacco pipe; also called a churchwarden.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “yard of clay” mean?
A long pipe for smoking; a churchwarden pipe.
Is “yard of clay” formal or informal?
yard of clay is generally archaic, slang.