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queen's shilling

queen's shilling

noun

  1. (until 1879) a shilling paid to new recruits to the British army
  2. take the queen's shilling archaic.
    to enlist in the army
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of queen's shilling1

First recorded in 1875–80

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