king's English

noun

1. standard, educated, or correct English speech or usage, especially of England.

King's English

noun

1. (esp when the British sovereign is male) standard Southern British English

Word History and Origins

Origin of king's English¹

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

The King's English and Cockney are no longer common dialects among young people in the South East of England, according to a new study.

From BBC

In recent years, Cockney and the King's English were spoken by people of all ages, but now 49% of the participants spoke in a standard southern British English accent, which the study said was a modern, updated version of received pronunciation.

From BBC

“Know how much teasing your ma and I got when we were your age? Even before that? When we started school, long time ago way back, neither one of us spoke what they called the King’s English. We spoke Gullah, like your gran, and like you did just now. Everybody, including the teachers, laughed at us for sounding ignorant. They wanted to put us in a special class for slower children because they thought we couldn’t learn.”

From Literature

We don't get a pass because we speak the King's English well or don't have one mark on a criminal record between us or any of the other Black respectability measurements we're constantly expected to stay ahead of.

From Salon

As an added pleasure, Ralph gives Herriot a fine Glasgow accent, which the books, written in the King’s English, did not, and Diana Rigg puts in one last wonderful performance as the iconic Mrs. Pumphrey, whose lavish attention to her over-pampered Pekingese provides sharp contrast with the mucky reality of farm life, where an ailing animal can ruin the family fortune.

From Los Angeles Times