P
PRISON - PRISONER OF WAR
PRISON - adjectives/adverbs
• ABROADED imprisoned ...L19 sl.
• ACROSS THE BUBBLE into prison ...1912 criminals’ sl.
• AWAY in prison ...1909 Brit. euphemism
• BEHIND imprisoned ...1961 US sl.
• BEHIND BARS in prison ...1951 sl.
• BEHIND THE DOOR locked in a prison cell ...1996 UK sl.
• BUNGED UP in a prison cell ...20C sl.
• BURIED serving a life sentence ...20C US criminal sl.
• CARCERAL † belonging to a prison ...1563-87
• DAY-FOR-DAY serving a prison sentence without any reduction in the sentence for good behaviour ...1990 US sl.
• DOWN THE CHUTE in prison ...1920s Aust. sl.
• DOWN THE RIVER serving time in prison ...L19 sl.
• EATING CORN serving time in prison ...1940s Aust. prison sl.
• FASTENED UP imprisoned ...2000 UK sl.
• FLUMMOXED imprisoned for 1 month ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• FLUMMUXED imprisoned for 1 month ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• GATE HAPPY of prisoners: exuberant or excited at the approach of a release date ...1996 UK sl.
• GATEY of prisoners: suffering anxiety as the date of release from prison approaches ..1959 UK sl.
• ICED in jail; placed in the punishment block, in a dark cell in prison ...1925 US criminals' sl.
• IMMURATE † immured; enclosed in walls or as in walls; imprisoned, confined ...1593
• IN in prison ...19C sl.
• IN-BACK in the death chamber ..1928 US prison sl.
• IN DUTCH in jail; imprisoned ...20C US criminals' sl.
• IN HOCK in prison ...1860 sl.
• IN LUMBER in prison ...1812 Brit. sl.
• IN QUOD in prison ...1700 sl.
• INSIDE in prison ...1888 sl.
• IN STIR in prison ...1851 sl.
• IN THE SHADE in prison ...1925 US criminals' sl.
• JAILISH * suggestive of a jail; jail-like ...1751
• JAMMED of prison sentences: concurrent ...1982 US sl.
• JOINTWISE well-adjusted to prison life; capable of sustaining one's existence in prison ...20C US prison sl.
• JUGGED imprisoned ...1996 UK sl.
• KEY HAPPY used of a prison officer who is keen to keep inmates locked in their cells ...1996 UK sl.
• LAGGED imprisoned, transported ...L18 sl.
• LIFED-UP sentenced to life imprisonment ...2002 UK sl.
• MAINLINE pert. to the main prison population, and the rules to which it is subjected ...1930s US prison sl.
• ON BONE unpopular among fellow prisoners after committing some form of mistake in terms of inmate codes of conduct ...2000s US prison sl.
• ON THE CORN serving time in prison ...1940s Aust. prison sl.
• ON THE IN in prison ...2000 UK sl.
• ON VACATION serving a jail or prison sentence ...1986 Amer. dial.
• OUT OF TOWN in jail or prison ...1982 US sl.
• OUTSIDE out of prison ...1903 sl.
• QUODDED imprisoned ...L17 sl.
• SLABBED AND SLID dead and gone, or certainly long since departed from the prison and thus the immediate knowledge or interest of those left behind ...1940s UK prison sl.
• STACKED used of prison sentences, consecutive, not concurrent ...1998 US sl.
• STATE-RAISED said of a prisoner who has spent most of his life incarcerated ...1992 US sl.
• TALL of a prison sentence: lengthy ...1992 US sl.
• THREED-UP having three prisoners sharing a cell ...1960s UK prison sl.
• TIPPED UP having a membership in a prison gang or clique ...2000s US prison sl.
• TWOED-UP having two prisoners sharing a cell ...1960s UK prison sl.
• UNDER COVER safe from the police; out of jail ...1901 US criminals' sl.
• UNDER GLASS imprisoned; arrested ...1920s sl., orig. US
• UNDER THE HATCHES in trouble, dead, in jail ...M16 sl.
• UNDER THE SCREW in prison ...M19 sl.
• UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF until a prison clique disbands; ultimately loyal ...1989 US sl.
• UP arrested, in prison ...L19 sl., orig. UK criminals' usage
• UP ABOVE in prison ...1910s Aust. sl.
• UP NORTH to prison ...1989 US sl.
• UPSTATE in prison ...1934 US euphemism
• UP THE RIVER in prison ...1891 US sl.
• UP THE SPOUT imprisoned; certain to be imprisoned ...1872 US criminals' sl.
• WALKED OFF taken off to prison ...1910s sl.
• WALKING THE LINE serving a jail sentence ...1980s Aust. prison rhyming sl. for 'do time'
• WARDED † detained 'in ward', imprisoned ...c1610 Sc.
PRISON - nouns
• AB the Aryan Brotherhood, a white prison gang in the US ...1990 US sl.
• ABBOTT'S LODGE the King's Bench prison ...M19 sl.
• ABBOTT'S PARK the King's Bench prison ...M19 sl.
• ABBOTT'S PRIORY the King's Bench Prison ...c1820 sl.
• ABBOTT'S TEETH the spiked that topped the prison wall at the King's Bench prison
• A.C. Aryan Circle, A White supremacist prison gang ...2000s US prison sl.
• ACADEMY a prison ...E19 sl.
• AIRY a ventilator in a prison cell ...1970s sl.
• AKERMAN'S HOTEL Newgate prison ...c1788 Eng. sl.
• ALKY TANK a holding cell in a jail reserved for drunk prisoners ...1962 US sl.
• ALMA MATER a prison where a criminal has served time ...1949 US sl.
• BACK-DOOR PAROLE dying in prison before one's sentence is over ...1930s US prison sl.
• BACK-GATE COMMUTE death in prison, esp. by suicide ...1942 Amer. prison sl.
• BACK-GATE DISCHARGE an inmate's death in prison ...1920s US prison sl.
• BACK-GATE EXIT an inmate's death in prison ...1920s US prison sl.
• BACK-GATE PAROLE death in prison, esp. by suicide ...1929 Amer. prison sl.
• BAGNIO an oriental prison; a place of detention for slaves; a penal establishment ...1599
• BALL a prison ration, 170g (6oz) of meat ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• BAND † confinement, imprisonment, custody ...a1300
• BAND-HOUSE a prison ...1942 US criminals' sl.
• BANG-UP 1. imprisonment within one's cell, without association or exercise ...1950s UK prison sl.
2. the shutting of a cell door at the end of a prison day ...1950s UK prison sl.
• BASTILLE a prison ...1790
• BIG HOUSE, THE prison ...1916 sl., orig. US
• BIG PASTURE a penitentiary ...1968 Amer. dial., Western usage
• BIG ROCK a jail or penitentiary ...1967 Amer. dial.
• BIRD-CAGE a compound for prisoners in WWII
• BLACK HOLE prison; a police cell ...Bk1911 Sc.
• BLADHUNK a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BLOCKHOUSE a prison ...1624 sl.
• BLUE GOOSE the convict cage at a prison camp ...1927 Amer. dial.
• BOARDING-HOUSE a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BOAT a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BOIL-UP an illegal brewing of tea or some other hot beverage in one's cell ... ...Aust. prison sl.
• BOOB a prison cell ...1908 sl., orig. US
• BOOB, THE prison ...1908 sl., orig. US
• BOOBY, THE prison ...1929 US sl.
• BOOBY HATCH, THE prison ...1859 US sl.
• BOWER a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BOX a prison cell; a lockup; hence, a jail, prison, or stockade ...1834 Amer. sl.
• BUCKET a jail ...1955 Amer. dial.
• BUGHOUSE a jail ...1956 Amer. dial.
• BUST-OUT a breakout; a jailbreak ...1930 US sl.
• CABBAGE-PATCH Kingston prison in Portsmouth ...1996 UK sl.
• CABOOSE a jail; a prison...1865 US sl.
• CABIN † a cell, as in a convent or prison ...1362
• CADILLAC 1. the maximum amount which may be spent at a prison canteen ...1989 US sl.
2. a line used for transferring article, as a pack of cigarettes, from one cell to another ...1990s US prison sl.
3. a vacant cell ...1990s US prison sl.
4. an easy job within the prison ...1990s US prison sl.
5. a note-and-string based method of communication in prison ...2000 US sl.
• CADILLAC BUNK a single prison bed in a setting where most beds are two-tiered bunk beds ...1989 US sl.
• CAEMESS prison porridge ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• CAGE 1. a minor kind of prison for petty malefactors; a country lock-up ...1500 sl.
2. an exercise cage or yard ...E19 UK prison sl.
• CAGE OF ANGER prison ...1980s Black sl.
• CAKE drugs smuggled into a prison or hospital ...1950s US drugs & prison sl.
• CAKE AND WINE bread and water as a punishment diet ...1920s US prison & Navy sl.
• CALABOOSE the common jail ...1792 sl., orig. US
• CALABOSO a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1963 Amer. sl.
• CALABOZO. a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1892 sl.
• CALLIBOUSE a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1792 Amer. sl.
• CALLIE a prison ...1919 US tramps' sl.
• CALLY a calaboose; a jail, a lock-up ...1919 Amer. sl.
• CALLYBOOSE a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1929 Amer. sl.
• CAN a place of confinement; a prison; a cell ...1912 criminals' sl., orig. US
• CANARY a convict's yellow jacket ...L19 sl.
• CANCELS † prison bars, limits, bounds, confines ...1596
• CANISTER a prison ...Bk1914 prison sl.
• CAPERDEWSIE † the stocks; prison ...1663
• CAPERDOCHY † the stocks; prison ...1600
• CAPPADOCHIO a prison ...1607 cant
• CAR 1. a group of inmates who associate to run money-making schemes, dominate other prisoners, and otherwise 'rule' the institution ...1970s US prison sl.
2. a line used for transferring article, as a pack of cigarettes, from one cell to another ...1990s US prison sl.
3. a group of prisoners who pool their supply of drugs ...1990s US prison sl.
• CARCEL a jail or prison ...1840 Amer. dial.
• CARCELAGE † prison fees ...1678-96
• CARCERATION imprisonment, incarceration ...1870
• CASTIEAU'S HOTEL a prison ...M19 Aust. sl.
• CELL 13 a padded cell ...1896 Amer. sl.
• CHEQUER INN IN NEWGATE STREET Newgate prison ...L18 sl.
• CHERRY FARM a prison, or the section of a prison reserved for first-time offenders ...1966 US sl.
• CHICK prison food ...20C Amer. criminals' sl.
• CHICKEN COOP a women's prison ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• CHICKEN WALK an exercise yard ...L19 UK prison sl.
• CHOAKEE a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• CHOKEY prison ...1873 Brit. sl.
• CHOKY prison ...1873 Brit. sl.
• CHUMMAGE 1. a monetary forfeit, usually 2s 6d (12.5p), paid by a new prisoner to those who have already established themselves in the prison ...L18 sl.
2. a sum of money paid by a rich prisoner to a poorer one, for which payment the latter forfeits his part of a shared cell, leaving it all to the rich prisoner and taking up a position in some communal area of the prison ...L18 sl.
• CHUMMING UP the initiatory welcoming of a new prisoner, paid for by a mandatory fee of 2s 6d ...M19 UK prison sl.
• CLINCH a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• CLINK a prison ...E16 sl.
• COB-CASTLE a satirical name for any building which overtops those around it; more usually applied to a prison ...a1687
• COOLER, THE prison; also, a solitary confinement cell ...1872 sl., orig. US
• COOP a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• COP a sentence ...1930s sl.
• COPPER allowance for good conduct in prison ...1924 US convicts’ sl.
• COPPER JOHN a prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• COUNTRY CLUB a minimum security, comfortable prison generally reserved for corporate and banking criminals ...1960 US sl.
• COUNTY BOARDING HOUSE a jail ...1965 Amer. sl.
• CRUSH-OUT an escape from prison ...Bk1974 Amer. criminals' sl.
• CUCUMBERS, THE in prison: Rule 43, which allows a prisoner to be kept apart from the main prison community for 'safety of self or others' ...2003 UK rhyming sl. for 'numbers'
• D.C. the Death Cell ...1990s US prison sl.
• DADDY TANK an area or cell set aside to provide protective custody for effeminate homosexuals ...1971 US prison sl.
• DAIRY. drawing attention to oneself so as to allows a confederate to break prison rules unnoticed ...1910s UK prison sl.
• DAMPER solitary confinement, punishment cells ...1950s Amer. prison sl.
• DANCEHALL 1. the cell in which a prisoner is placed before being executed ...1928 US prison sl.
2. the execution chamber in a prison in which death sentences are executed ...1928 US sl.
• DANCEHOUSE a pre-execution cell; an execution chamber ...1939 US prison sl.
• DARBY-ROLL a style of walking that betrays an individual's experience of fetters and thus time spent in prison ...c1820 sl.
• DARBY'S FAIR the day on which a prisoner is moved from one prison to another and must thus be fettered ...M19 sl.
• DARK solitary confinement in a dark cell ...1900s Aust. prison sl.
• DARK CELL a prison punishment cell ...20C US criminals' sl.
• DARKS, THE. the punishment cell, solitary confinement ...M19 UK prison sl.
• DATE a prisoner's expected date of release from prison ...1989 US sl.
• DEAD LINE in prison: a line the crossing of which will bring gun fire from the guards ...1962 US sl.
• DEADLOCK solitary confinement, forfeiture of privileges ...1930s US prison sl.
• DEAD TIME 1. time served in jail which does not count towards fulfilment of the prisoner's sentence ...1973 US sl.
2. any period of one's prison sentence when one is prohibited from associating with other prisoners ...1970s US prison sl.
• DEATH HOUSE the execution chamber in a prison ...20C US sl.
• DEATH ROW the condemned cells ...M19 US prison sl.
• DIGGER a county or city jail ...1969 Amer. dial.
• DIMPS a small amount of money, tobacco, or other prison currency ...1996 UK sl.
• DISNEYLAND a prison known for its liberal regime ...20C US criminals' sl.
• DOWNS a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• DOWNS, THE Tothill Fields prison ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• DRY BATH a search of a prisoner who has been stripped naked ...1933 sl.
• DRY ROOM a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• DUCAT in prison: a written order given to a prisoner for an appointment ...1926 US sl.
• DUMMY, THE the punishment cell in a prison ...1936 NZ sl.
• EASY TIME an uneventful time in prison ...20C US criminals' sl.
• ESTABLISHMENT, THE the Fremantle jail ...M19 Aust. sl.
• EVERLASTING STAIRCASE the prison treadmill ...M19 sl.
• FACTORY a prison; a women's prison ...1806 Aust. sl.
• FAG FACTORY a prison, esp. one with a large homosexual population ...1992 US sl.
• FAMILY HOTEL a prison ...c1840 colloq.
• FANNY HILL the Los Angeles County women's jail ...1981 US sl.
• FARM 1. a prison ...20C US sl.
2. the prison infirmary ...Bk1901 sl.
• FARRINGDON HOTEL the Fleet prison, in Farringdon Road, London ...M19 sl.
• FILLET OF VEAL a prison ...1857 rhyming sl. on the 'Steel'
• FLOATER a book, newspaper, etc. passed surreptitiously from prison cell to prison cell ...1933 Brit. sl.
• FLOATING ACADEMY a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• FLOATING HELL a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• FLOWERY a prison cell ...1925 Brit. rhyming sl. (flowery dell)
• FLOWERY DELL a prison cell ...1925 Brit. rhyming sl.
• FREE BOARDING HOUSE a jail ...1965 Amer. sl.
• FRESHWATER BAY the Fleet prison ...E19 UK criminals' sl.
• GAFF 1. a prison ...L19 sl.
2. a prison cell ...1996 UK sl.
• GAL BLOCK a section of a prison reserved for blatantly homosexual prisoners ...1972 US sl.
• GALLERY THIRTEEN a prison burial ground ...1937 US sl.
• GAL TANK a holding cell in a jail reserved for homosexual prisoners ...1972 US sl.
• GAPPER a mirror; used to describe one used by prisoners to watch for approaching guards while the prisoners do something which they ought not to do ...1934 US prison sl.
• GARBAGE DUMP the California State Prison at San Quentin ...1992 US sl.
• GATE release from prison ...1966 US sl.
• GATE FEVER the anxiety suffered by prisoners as they approach their release date ...1958 UK sl.
• GATE MONEY the cash given to a prisoner upon release from prison ...1931 US sl.
• GAVIL † jail ...1483 Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
• GEHENNA a place of torture; a prison ...1594
• GLASS-HOUSE, THE a military prison ...1925 Brit. sl.
• GOLDFISH BOWL a jail's interrogation room ...1962 US sl.
• GOLDFISHING the behaviour of visitors being shown around a prison ...1996 UK sl.
• HALF A SHEET a punishment for wardens, usually a fine ...1930s UK prison sl.
• HARD-ROCK CITY a prison ...1940s US sl.
• HARD-ROCK HOTEL a prison ...1940s US sl.
• HATCH a jail, a prison; a police station ...1914 Amer. dial.
• HIGH POWER the maximum security section ...1940s US prison sl.
• HOBO CELL the iron cage in a prison for locking up minor offenders ...1900s US sl.
• HOOSEGOW, THE prison ...M19 US sl.
• HOSPITAL jail ...1959 US euphemism
• HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• HUNTING LICENSE an assignment given by a prison gang to kill someone ...1992 US sl.
• HUT a jail cell ...1949 US sl.
• HUTCH a prison ...1956 US sl.
• ICE solitary confinement ...1970s US prison sl.
• ICEBOX 1. a solitary confinement cell ...1920s Can. & US prison sl.
2. a jail or prison ...1938 US sl.
• ICE BOX, THE the prison at Dannemora, New York ...1935 US criminals' sl.
• IDIOT JUICE any alcoholic beverage brewed in prison, esp. a nutmeg/water mixture ...1974 US sl.
• IMMEDIATE an immediate release from prison ...1934 US prison sl.
• IMPRISON †* imprisonment ...1509
• IRISH THEATRE a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• IRON-DOUBLET a prison ...1779 sl.
• ISO the isolation cells ...1930s US prison sl.
• JACK KETCH'S KITCHEN 'a room in Newgate, where that honest fellow, the hangman, boiled the quarters of those executed and dismembered for high treason' ...1714 sl.
• JAILERING * the occupation of a jailer ...1837
• JAILERY confinement, imprisonment ...1825 nonce word
• JAR a county or city jail ...1969 Amer. dial.
• JAVEL † jail ...1483 Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
• JERICHO a place of concealment or banishment; later, a prison ...1635 sl.
• JIGGER a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• JOINT, THE prison ...sl.
• JUG a jail or prison ...1816 US sl.
• JUG AND PAIL a prison or jail ...1992 UK rhyming sl.
• JUGGING in prison: an attack with a jug of boiling sugared water ...2000 UK sl.
• KEEPING † confinement, imprisonment; prison ...1382
• KING'S COLLEGE the King's Bench prison ...L18 sl.
• KING'S HEAD INN Newgate prison ...L18 sl.
• KITE a letter or message smuggled into or out of prison ...1923 sl.
• KITE BOX a box used both for institutional correspondence and for passing on messages that accuse fellow inmates of illegal activity ...1990s US prison sl.
• KITTY a jail ...arch.
• LAG a term of transportation or penal servitude ...M18 US criminals' sl.
• LAGGING DUES a sentence of penal servitude ...L19 sl.
• LAGGING STATION a prison for long-term prisoners ...20C UK prison sl.
• LAKE † an underground dungeon; a prison ...1382
• LAST MILE in prison: the walk from the death cell to the execution chamber ...1950 US sl.
• LIE-DOWN in prison: time spent in the segregation unit ...1996 UK sl.
• LIFEBOAT a pardon, esp. of a death sentence ...1908 Amer. prison sl.
• LINE the area housing a prison's general population ...1989 US sl.
• LITTLE EASE † a prison cell too small to permit the person occupying it to assume a comfortable position ...1690
• MACGORREY'S HOTEL Chelmsford Prison, Essex ...L19 sl.
• MADHOUSE a prison having brutal discipline ...1928 Amer. prison usage
• MAGPIE convict clothing (coloured yellow and black); hence, the convict who wears it ...M19 Aust. & UK prison sl.
• MAINLINE the prison convict population, excluding those who are detained in punishment cells ...1930s US prison sl.
• MANDER a remand to prison, pending trial ...M19 UK prison & criminals' sl.
• MEDITATION solitary or segregated confinement ...1960s US prison sl.
• MILL a prison ...1851 sl.
• MOAN AND WAIL a jail ...1940s rhyming sl.
• MOBY prison ...L19 rhyming sl. for 'nick' (Moby Dick)
• MOBY DICK prison ...L19 rhyming sl. for 'nick'
• MODEL, THE Pentonville prison, Caledonian Road, north London ...M19 sl.
• MONKEY-CAGE a grated room from which a convict sees his relatives and friends ...c1870 sl.
• MONKEY HOUSE a jail, prison stockade ...1982 US military sl.
• MOOR, THE Dartmoor prison ...1869 UK sl.
• MOOSH 1. a guardroom or cell; a military prison ...1917 sl.
2. prison food, esp. porridge ...1945 Aust. sl.
• MOVIES prison ...1970s US criminal sl.
• MUCK TRUCK in prison: a food trolley ...1996 UK sl.
• MUD CHECK a forced confrontation to see how brave a new inmate may be ...2000s US prison sl.
• MUSH 1. prison food, often porridge ...L19 Aust. sl.
2. a guardroom or cell; a military prison ...1917 sl.
• NASK a prison ...1686 cant
• NASKIN a prison ...1686 cant
• NAVY-OFFICE the Fleet Prison ...1823 sl.
• NEWGATE a jail; spec., the prison for the City of London ...1592
• NEWMAN'S Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NEWMAN'S COLLEGE Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NEWMAN'S HOTEL Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NEWMAN'S TEA-GARDENS Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NICK prison ...1882 sl.
• NIGGER-STICK (offensive) a baton carried by policemen, prison warders, etc. ...1971 US sl.
• NONCE-BASHING violent attacks against rapists, child molesters, or sexual offenders, esp. inside a prison ...20C Brit. & Aust. prison sl.
• OBS an observation wing of a prison ...1950s Aust. & US prison sl.
• OBSO an observation wing of a prison ...1950s Aust. & US prison sl.
• OLD DOSS, THE † 1. the Bridewell prison, sited on the banks of the Fleet River ...1823 criminals' sl.
2. The Toms, New York Prison ...1859 US sl.
• OLD NASK Bridewell prison, Totillfields, London ...E19
• OLD SHOP a prison ...Bk1905 Eng. dial.
• OLD START, THE Newgate prison ...L18 sl.
• OUT, THE the world outside prison ...20C US prison sl.
• OUTSIDE, THE the world out of prison ...1903 sl.
• PACKAGE a positive report on a prisoner ...1990s US prison sl.
• PAD(S) a prison cell ...1943 US criminals' sl.
• PADDY a padded cell for mentally disturbed prisoners ...1940s UK prison sl.
• PAEDIE-PUMP a prison-issue training shoe worn by sex offenders ...2002 UK sl.
• PAL SQUAD a dog squad used for searching cells ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• P AND Q solitary confinement in prison (peace and quiet) ...1982 US sl.
• PANOPTICON a prison of circular shape having cells built round and fully exposed towards a central 'well', whence the warders could at all times observes the prisoners ...1791
• PAPER proof that a prisoner is an informer ...2000s US prison sl.
• PAPERS in prison: a person's background ...2000 US sl.
• PARK a prison ...E19 sl.
• PARRY the Paremoremo maximum security prison ...1982 NZ sl.
• PATCH a cloth piece sewn on to a uniform in order to identify a prisoner as an escapee ...1958 Brit. sl.
• PEEK, THE the observation cell ...M20 prisons' sl.
• PEN prison ...1884 US sl.
• PETER a prison cell; a cell in a police station, etc. ...1890 sl., orig. Aust.
• PHONE in prison: the toilet bowl in a cell; when the bowl empties of water, it is possible to prisoners in other nearby cells using the pipes to carry the soundwaves ...1978 Aust. sl.
• PHONE CALL in prison: a remark that someone wants to talk to you ...1990 US sl.
• PHONECARD DEAL in prison: a trade that values a marijuana cigarette at one phonecard ...1996 UK sl.
• PIE WAGON a ship's prison ... Amer. World War I sl.
• PIG HOUSE a county or city jail ...1970 Amer. dial.
• POGEY a jail ...1965 Amer. dial.
• POKE a jail or prison ...1950 Amer. dial.
• POKEY a jail ...1919 Amer. sl.
• POKY a jail ...1919 Amer. sl.
• Q San Quentin prison, California ...L19 US criminals' sl.
• QUA a prison ...L18 cant
• QUAD prison ...a1700 sl.
• QUARTERN † a prison ...c975
• QUAY prison ...M18 US criminals' sl.
• QUEE prison ...M18 US criminals' sl.
• QUEEN'S ROW an area in a prison reserved for blatantly homosexual prisoners ...1967 US sl.
• QUEEN TANK a jail holding cell reserved for flamboyantly effeminate homosexual men ...1988 US sl.
• QUEER KEN a prison ...M16 UK criminals' sl.
• QUEER PLACE a prison ...1920s sl.
• QUENTIN San Quentin prison, California ...1920s US prison & criminals' sl.
• QUOD a prison ...1700 sl.
• RABBIT BLOOD a seemingly unstoppable urge to try to escape from prison ...1950 US sl.
• RABBIT FEVER the urge to try to escape from prison ...1962 US sl.
• RABBIT SEASON spring, when prisoners are inclined to try to escape ...1967 US sl.
• RACK a maximum security prison cell ...1982 US sl.
• RAGS clothing and insignia that indicate one's membership of a prison gang ...1990s US criminals' sl.
• RAILWAY STATION an 'allocation' prison from which prisoners are forwarded ...1999 UK sl.
• RALLY UP a prison riot ...1960s Aust. sl.
• RAMP a search of a prisoner or prison cell; conducted to search for contraband, though often carried out with much destruction in order to harass the prisoner ...1919 Aust. sl.
• RANGE the open area outside a row of cells ...1910s Can & US prison sl.
• RASHERHOUSE the Mountjoy women's prison ...1990s Irish sl.
• RASP-HOUSE † a prison; a house of correction ...1818 Sc.
• RASPIN a prison ...E19 sl.
• REESBIN a prison ...Bk1903 tinker's sl.
• ROCK PILE prison ...1888 US sl.
• RUNAROUND an area of confinement that is outside the cells proper ...1900s US prison sl.
• SACK a sack of tobacco, used as prison 'currency' ...1910s US prison sl.
• SALT-BOXES the condemned cells in Newgate prison ...1812 sl.
• SAN Q San Quentin prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• SAN QUENTIN CROSS blackmail of one inmate by another, who desires homosexual favours ...1970s US prison sl.
• SATCHEL a prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• SCRUBS, THE Wormwood Scrubs prison, London ...20C UK police & criminals' usage
• SHAKER WIRE a motion-detector system used for perimeter security in prisons ...1996 US sl.
• SHERIFF'S BASKET a basket or tub placed outside a prison to receive charitable gifts for the prisoners ...E17
• SHERIFF'S BOARDING HOUSE a jail ...1965 Amer. sl.
• SHERIFF'S HOTEL a prison ...L18 sl.
• SHERIFF'S TUB a basket or tub placed outside a prison to receive charitable gifts for the prisoners ...E17
• SHITCAN the punishment cells ...1970s US prison sl.
• SHOP a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• SHOWDOWN in prison: private time for sex ...1972 US sl.
• SIBERIA 1. Clinton prison, Dannemora, NY ...1930s US prison sl.
2. Sing Sing Penitentiary, New York ...1930s US prison sl.
3. the solitary confinement cells ...1930s US prison sl.
4. solitary confinement ...1984 US sl.
• SIN BIN in prison, a punishment cell or the punishment block ...1996 UK sl.
• SIXER a sixth term of imprisonment ...1872 sl.
• SKID ROW in prison: cells for troublesome prisoners ...1996 UK sl.
• SKOOKUM a prison; often preceded by 'strong' ...L19 Can.
• SKOOKUM HOUSE a jail ...1885 Amer. dial.
• SLAM, THE prison ...1960 US sl.
• SLAMMER, THE prison ...1952 sl., orig. US
• SLAMMERS, THE prison ...1952 sl., orig. US
• SLOT a prison cell ...c1950 prison sl.
• SNEEZER a jail or prison ...1953 US sl.
• SNITCHBALL any game played by those inmates, among them informers, who live in protective segregation ...1990s US prison sl.
• SNITCH BOX an in-house prison post box ...1992 US prison sl.
• SNITCH KITE a note sent by a prisoner to prison authorities, informing on other prisoners ...2000 US prison sl.
• SOLITARY solitary confinement ...1854 sl.
• SOUTH-GATE DISCHARGE an inmate's death in prison ...1920s US prison sl.
• SPEEDING TICKET a rules violation notice for inappropriate behaviour in the visiting room ...2000s US prison sl.
• SPRING release or an escape from prison ...1901 sl., orig. US
• STAGE a period of imprisonment during which privileges are allowed ...1932 sl.
• STATE a state prison ...1991 US sl.
• STATE COLLEGE a state prison ...1949 US sl.
• STAY-OUT in prison: a confrontational tactic in which prisoners refuse to return to their cells ...1976 US sl.
• STEEL a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• STIFF a note surreptitiously passed in a prison ...1889 sl.
• STIR a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• STONE FRIGATE a prison on land ...Amer. World War I sl.
• STONE-JUG a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• STRIPES a prison uniform ...1887 US sl.
• STURIBEN a prison; a State prison ...Bk904 thieves' sl.
• STURRABIN a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• SWISH TANK a holding cell in a jail where homosexual suspects and prisoners are kept ...1992 US sl.
• TAB 1. any form of prison documentation, esp. reports on prisoners that are submitted to the parole board ...20C US prison sl.
2. letters passed between inmates; a letter smuggled out of prison ...1930s US prison sl.
• TAG a letter smuggled out of prison ...1930s US prison sl.
• TAG PLANT a prison number plate manufacturing shop ...2000 US sl.
• TAG SHOP the area in a prison where number plates are manufactured ...1958 US sl.
• TALK AND WALK the practice of professing psychological improvement in a prison therapeutic setting to improve your chances of parole ...1971 US sl.
• TALLY HO rubber cement found in prison shoes, used as an inhalant ...2000s US prison sl.
• TANK 1. a holding cell ...1910s Can. & US prison sl.
2. a prison, a prison wing ...1950s Can. & US prison sl.
• THIEVES'-HOLE a jail, prison, esp. a particularly bad dungeon reserved for thieves ...1631 Sc.
• TOLBOOTH a town prison, a jail ...c1470 chiefly Sc.
• TOLL SHOP a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• TOPPING SHED in prison: a place of execution ...1950 UK sl.
• TRONK a jail ...Bk1892 S. Afr. sl.
• TROTLINE in a town where there was no jailhouse, a drill cable was strung between big timbers planted in the earth, and the prisoners changed to the cable, called a 'trotline' ...1941 Amer. dial.
• TUG the act of breaking someone out of prison ...1940s Irish sl.
• UGJAY a jail ...1930 US Pig Latin for 'jug'
• UNDERGROUND KITE an illicit letter passed in prison ...c1910 US prison sl.
• UNDERGROUND TUNNEL, THE the system by which contraband articles, such as whisky, drugs, etc. are brought into a prison ...1904 US prison sl.
• UNIVERSITY, THE † any large London prison ...1770 UK criminals' sl.
• UPSTATE prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• VACATION 1. the period a criminal spends out of prison ...L19 sl.
2. time spent in prison ...1920s US sl.
• VACATION PLACE a jail or prison ...1970 Amer. dial.
• VILLE, THE Pentonville prison, London ...1920 sl.
• VIRTUE REWARDED prison ...L19 sl.
• WALDORF-ASTORIA an especially spartan solitary confinement cell ...1976 US sl.
• WALK 1. a release from jail ...1965 US sl.
2. the regular patrol route of a prison warder ...1990s US prison sl.
• WALKING PAPERS an office notice to inform a prisoner that they have finished their sentence ...1960s US prison sl.
• WALL CITY San Quentin prison, California ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• WALLED-OFF ASTORIA a jail ...1966 Amer. dial.
• WALLED-OFF HOTEL n. a jail ...1966 Amer. dial.
• WARD * 1. care or charge of a prisoner; the condition of being a prisoner; custody, imprisonment ...c1290
† 2. a prison ...1338
• WARDHOUSE † a guard-house for prisoners ...1590 Sc.
• WARDING imprisonment ...1497 Sc.
• WARDING-PLACE † a place of confinement for prisoners ...1573 Sc.
• WOODPILE the area in a prison yard where White prisoners exercise ...1989 US sl.
• WORKS, THE a convict establishment ...c1870 prison sl.
• WRITE-UP a disciplinary report ...1920s US prison sl.
• WRITING a means of smuggling drugs into prison; a letter is soaked in some form of narcotized solution and the text of the letter makes it clear, with simple codes, that this has been done ...1930s US drugs & prison sl.
• X-ROW the area in a prison housing inmates condemned to death ...1992 US sl.
• YARD 1. the recreation area of a prison ...1930s US prison sl.
2. in prison, your cell ...1950 W. Indies and UK Black sl.
• ZOO a prison ...1920s sl.
• ZUUZUUS AND WHAMWHAMS confectionery sold to the prisoners ...1960s US prison sl.
PRISON, PRISONER - nouns, person (also see CONVICT)
• ACADEMICIAN a prisoner ...E19 sl.
• ACCIDENTAL a prison inmate convicted for a social crime ...1930s US prison sl.
• ACE-DEUCE a fellow prisoner upon whom you can rely without question ...1989 US sl.
• ACES HIGH a prison inmate popular among his peers ...1930s sl., orig. US prison
• ALL-NIGHTER a person who stays in jail all night after being arrested ...1992 US sl.
• ASS OUT an inmate who has neither advantages nor respect ...2000s US prison sl.
• ATLAS 1. a very strong prisoner ...1980s US prison sl.
2. a prisoner who attempts to carry out everything unaided ...1980s US prison sl.
• BUTTERFLY a new, young, and attractive prisoner, characterized as being potentially appealing to prison homosexuals ...1990s US criminals' sl.
• CAITIFF † a captive, a prisoner ...1330
• CAMEL a prisoner who neglects personal hygiene ...1990s Aust. prison sl.
• CANARY 1. a prisoner; a very old cant term for habitual offenders; 'a person used to be kept in a cage' ...Bk1891 sl.
2. a prisoner who has been caught in an escape attempt ...L19 UK prison sl.
• CANARY-BIRD a prisoner; a very old cant term for habitual offenders; 'a person used to be kept in a cage' ...1673 sl.
• CAPSULE CON a prisoner convicted on drug charges ...1970 US sl.
• CARP a Black prisoner ...1989 US sl.
• CARVIE 1. a fellow prisoner who shares in a supply of tobacco, perhaps by subscription to a common supply ...1950 UK sl.
2. a prisoner who deals in contraband tobacco; a tobacco baron ...1996 UK sl.
• CELL GANGSTER one who poses as tough while in their cell but follows orders elsewhere ...2000s US prison sl.
• CELLIE a cellmate ...1966 Amer. prison sl.
• CELL WARRIOR one who poses as tough while in their cell but follows orders elsewhere ...2000s US prison sl.
• CENTERMAN a prisoner who toadies to the guards ...20C Can. & US prison sl.
• CHUM a companion, bedfellow; a fellow prisoner ...Bk1890 sl.
• CHUMP a deliberate insult, implying the subject's weakness and/or homosexuality; the spur to a fight ...1990s US prison sl.
• CON a prisoner; a convict ...1888 sl.
• COPPER a prisoner, esp. a convict, that informs on his fellow prisoners ...1885 sl.
• CRACKERS prisoners that are insane or epileptic or suicidal or injured in head and spine ...20C sl.
• CRANK a prison bully ...1958 US sl.
• CREEP a prisoner who is neither respected nor liked ...1951 US sl.
• DAD a homosexual prisoner's 'owner' (protector and lover) ...1992 US prison sl.
• DADDY 1. a leader (through intimidation and other influence) of the inmates in a borstal or prison ...1940s UK prison sl.
2. the active, or 'masculine' partner of a prison homosexual couple ...1960s US prison sl.
• DEADLOCKER one who is in solitary confinement or deprived of privileges ...1940s US prison sl.
• DEBUTANTE a woman serving her first jail sentence ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• EARLY RISER an inmate who is granted an early parole ...1960s US prison sl.
• EASY-DOER one who copes well with prison life ...1940s US prison sl.
• FANTAIL a highly promiscuous prison homosexual ...1960s US prison sl.
• FIDO a trusty ...1930s US prison sl.
• FISH a new prisoner; a recent arrival ...1982 Amer. dial.
• FRESH MEAT a new, young inmate, a potential victim of predatory prison homosexuals ...1960s US criminals' sl.
• GAFFER a dominant prisoner ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• GALLOWS-ROGUE a jailbird, a rascal; a good-for-nothing ...1894 Eng. dial.
• GALLOWS-TAG a jailbird, a rascal; a good-for-nothing ...Bk1900 Eng. dial.
• GALLOWS-TANG a jailbird, a rascal; a good-for-nothing ...1887 Eng. dial.
• GAOL-BIRD someone who has been in prison a long time or is often sent to prison ...1618 sl.
• GIRLFRIEND the male lover of another prisoner ...1950s S. Afr. prison sl.
• GUNSLINGER an inmate who habitually exposes himself to female guards ...1990s Amer. prison sl.
• HARD CANDY a person who has been identified for revenge by a prison gang ...1997 US sl.
• HIGH POWER a convict who, on the grounds of good behaviour and trustworthiness, is allotted a privileged position in prison ...1970s Aust., UK, & US prison sl.
• IDLE POOR unemployed convicts ...1933 US prison sl.
• JAIL-BIRD someone who has been in prison a long time or is often sent to prison ...1603 sl.
• KNICK-KNACK a man who is raped frequently in prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• LAG a prisoner ...1812 sl.
• LIFER a convict serving a life sentence ...1830 Amer. prison sl.
• LONG-FINGERED LOUSE an inmate who steals from other inmates ...1936 Amer. prison sl.
• LOSER someone who has been to prison ...1912 US sl.
• MAGPIE convict clothing (coloured yellow and black); hence, the convict who wears it ...M19 Aust. & UK prison sl.
• MAINLINER a convict who is part of the main prison population, rather than those held in punishment cells ...1940s US prison sl.
• MAMA an inmate who poses as a woman ...1970s US prison sl.
• MICKEY a fellow inmate ...1940s US prison sl.
• MICKIE a fellow inmate ...1940s US prison sl.
• MICKY a fellow inmate ...1940s US prison sl.
• MILCH-COW a prisoner who is generous in bribing warders; one who is easily tricked out of money or property ...L17 UK prison sl.
• MPATA a new inmate, a fool; one who has not yet learned how to cope with prison conditions ...1980s S. Afr. criminal sl.
• MUGGER a prisoner who preyed on fellow prisoners ...US Civil War usage
• MUPPET a retarded, incapacitated or grotesque person; generally applied to hospital inmates, mentally deranged prisoners, or to unattractive teenagers by their peers ...Brit. sl.
• MUSTARD-POT a catamite in a prison ...M20 US sl.
• NATURAL PUNK in prison: a man who had been homosexual outside prison ...1972 US sl.
• NEWGATE-BIRD a thief, a sharper, a jailbird ...1607 sl.
• NEWGATE-NIGHTINGALE a thief, a sharper, a jailbird ...c1531 sl.
• NEW MEAT a new inmate ...1930s US prison sl.
• NICK-NACK a man who is raped frequently in prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• NIC-NAC a man who is raped frequently in prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• NIGHT CRAWLER a prisoner who steals from other inmates ...1950s US criminals' sl.
• NOBLE an influential, respected prisoner ...1976 US sl.
• OLD BIRD an old hand in prison ...1877 UK sl.
• OLD DOG an experienced convict ...c1820 Aust. prison sl.
• OLD HEAD 1. a veteran prisoner ...1927 US sl.
2. an older prisoner ...2002 US sl.
• OLD TIMER a prisoner that has served more than five years ...20C US prison sl.
• OLD WOMEN, THE the prisoners, who, being unfit for physically hard work, are employed in knitting stockings ...c1865 UK prison sl.
• PAD MATE in prison: the inmate with whom a cell is shared ...1996 UK sl.
• PAD SHARK a prisoner who steals from others' cells ...1996 UK sl.
• PASSMAN a prisoner allowed to leave his cell in order to enjoy certain privileges ...1965 sl.
• PIGGY one who has been jailed for bestiality ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• PUNK a young prisoner ...Bk1974 Amer. sl.
• QUASIMODO the prisoner who is responsible for cleaning the prison chapel ...1923 sl.
• QUEER FELLOW a prisoner condemned to hang ...1980s sl.
• QUIM a heterosexual inmate, subjected to homosexual rape ...1970s US prison & homosexual sl.
• QUOD a prisoner ...E19 sl.
• RABBIT a prisoner who is known for attempting to escape prison ...1972 US sl.
• RADIO a prisoner who talks loudly and without paying attention to who might be listening ...1976 US sl.
• RAH-RAH a female inmate who fraternizes with the authorities ...1990s US prison sl.
• RAMPER one who initiates a new prisoner by robbing them of their possessions ...E19 UK prison sl.
• RAT a thieving prisoner ...1900s US criminals' sl.
• RED BAND a privileged prisoner, allowed to carry out special duties ...1950 sl.
• SCAB an inmate who curries favour with the authorities ...1970s NZ prison sl.
• SILVERTAIL 1. a better-class prisoner ...c1930 Aust. prison sl.
2. a prisoner who enjoys privileges ...1950 Aust. sl.
3. a prisoner who colludes with the authorities ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• SOLID a trustworthy fellow criminal or prison inmate ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• SOLID CON a trustworthy fellow criminal or prison inmate ...20C US criminals' sl.
• STAR a convict serving a first prison sentence ...1903 Brit. sl.
• TAILER a stool pigeon in a jail ...1930 US prison sl.
• TAKE-OFF ARTIST an escaped prisoner ...1996 UK sl.
• TOBACCO BARON a prisoner who controls the supply of cigarettes to other prisoners, and so dominates them ...1964 sl.
• TRAC an intractable prisoner ...1967 Aust. sl.
• UP AND UP GEE an inmate who has not properly learned prison survival ...20C US criminals' sl.
• UPPER TEN PUSH a grouping of upper-class prisoners ...L19 Aust. prison sl.
• VIKING an inmate who has a very dirty or untidy cell ...2000s US prison sl.
• WALKALONE a prisoner who has to exercise alone ...2000s US prison sl.
• WALK-BUDDY in prison: a close friend and steady companion ...1976 US sl.
• WALKIE-TALKIE a prisoner who is over-friendly towards the authorities ...1990s Aust. & US prison sl.
• WALLFLOWER a prisoner obsessed with the possibility of escape ...1980s UK prison sl.
• WARDER †* a person in ward, a prisoner ...1584 Sc.
• WOMBLE in prison: an inmate detailed as a litter collector ...2003 UK sl.
• WRINKLE an old prisoner ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• WRINKLY an old prisoner ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• WRIT BUG a prison inmate who becomes a self-taught lawyer, either to pursue their own case, to combat prison corruption, or to help fellow inmates ...1940s US prison sl.
• WRIT WRITER a prison inmate who becomes a self-taught lawyer, either to pursue their own case, to combat prison corruption, or to help fellow inmates ...1940s US prison sl.
• WRONG 'UN in prison: a sex offender or convicted paedophile; an informer ...1996 UK sl.
• X-CAT an inmate who is in need of mental health care ...2000s US prison sl.
• YARDBIRD a prisoner, a convict ...1956 US sl.
• YARDBIRD LAWYER a prison inmate who has become a self-taught lawyer, either to pursue his own case, to combat prison corruption, or to help fellow inmates ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• YARD BUDDY a close friend in prison ...1974 US sl.
• YARD QUEEN a prison homosexual ...2000s US prison sl.
• YARD RAT a prisoner who frequents the prison yard, socializing with friends ...1990s US prison sl.
PRISON, PRISON OFFICERS, ETC. - nouns, person, other
• ABBEY-CROAKER the chaplain of Newgate ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• ABBOT a prison warden ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• ADAM a prison warder ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• BABYLON the police; a prison warder ...1940s sl., orig. W. Indies, then UK & US Black
• BABYSITTER a prison officer ...20C Can. sl.
• CABALLO a person who smuggles drugs into a prison ...1992 US sl.
• CAGE AND KEY MAN a prison guard responsible for a particular row of cells ...20C US prison sl.
• CARCERIST one who advocates or has to do with prisons ...1821 nonce word
• COP a warder, a guard ...1970s US prison sl.
• COPPER JOHN a prison warden ...1910s US criminals' sl.
• CRANK a prison guard who takes pleasure in making life difficult for prisoners ...1981 US sl.
• CROAKER a prison doctor ...1859 sl., now mainly US
• DEACON a prison warden ...1949 US sl.
• DEAN OF MEN a prison warden ...1949 US sl.
• DICK-SMACKER a prison guard ...1984 US sl.
• FATHER TIME the warden ...1940s US prison sl.
• GABRIEL the chapel organist ...1930s US prison sl.
• GAGGER † a prison warder or keeper ...1782 UK sl.
• GUN-BULL an armed prison guard ...1928 US sl.
• HACK a guard, esp. one in a jail or prison ...1914 US sl.
• HACKER a prison guard ...1990s US prison sl.
• HAEMORRHOID a prison officer ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• HAM AND BEEF the chief warder of a prison ...1941 rhyming sl. for 'chief'
• HAWK a guard in a federal prison ...1936 Amer. dial.
• HEMO a prison officer ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• JAILERESS a female jailer ...1748
• JAILORESS a female jailer ...1748
• JAVELER † a jailer ...c1450 Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
• JIGGER a doorkeeper; a jailor or turnkey ...1749 sl.
• JIGGER-DUBBER a doorkeeper; a jailor or turnkey ...1781 sl.
• KANGA a prison warder ...1920s rhyming sl. for 'screw' (kangaroo)
• KANGAROO a prison warder ...1920s rhyming sl. for 'screw'
• KEY a prison officer ...1934 US sl.
• KEYS a prison officer ...1934 US sl.
• LADY GREEN a prison chaplain ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• LAW a prison warder ...1940s US prison sl.
• LAW, THE a warder ...1920s US prison sl.
• MAN, THE any man or group in charge of an institution, a commanding officer, esp. a prison warden, a policeman ...1910s sl., orig. US
• MR. WRIGHT a warder 'going between' a prisoner and his friends ...19C sl.
• MULLIGAN a prison guard; used derisively by prisoners ...1939 US sl.
• NEW LIGHT one who attends the prisons to assist villains in evading justice ...1823 sl.
• NIGHT BULL a guard who works the night shift ...1960s US prison sl.
• NIGHT COCKY in prison: a night patrolman ...2000 Brit. sl.
• OFFICER † a jailer; an executioner ...a1600
• PACK HORSE a person, usually a guard, who brings contraband into prison ...1984 US sl.
• PARTICULARS any member of the authorities who has an immediate effect on a prisoner's life, a warder, the sentencing judge, the parole board, etc. ...1970s US prison sl.
• POH-POH a prison officer ...1980s US prison sl.
• PO-PO a prison officer ...1980s US prison sl.
• PUDDING AND BEEF a chief prison officer ...Brit. rhyming sl.
• QUAD CULL a prison warder, a turnkey ...M18 sl.
• QUAECALL a turnkey; a jailer ...L18 US criminals' sl.
• QUA-KEEPER a 'gaoler' ...L18 cant
• QUEER COVE a turnkey ...M19 sl.
• QUOD COVE the governor of a prison ...E19 UK criminals' sl.
• QUOD CULL a prison warder, a turnkey ...M18 sl.
• RAMBO an intolerant prison officer who would rather punish inmates ...2002 UK sl.
• SAFE SCREW a corrupt prison officer ...1996 UK prison sl.
• SAINT an incorruptible prison officer or police officer ...1996 UK sl.
• SCREW a prison warder ...1812 sl.
• SPLIT FINGER a clerk; a prison clerk ...1930s US prison & criminals' sl.
• STREET-WALKER a jailer; a turnkey ...Bk1904 sl.
• TRACK a warder who carries contraband for prisoners ...1950 Aust. sl.
• TWIRL a prison warder ...1891 sl.
• UNDER DUBBER a turnkey; an assistant jailer ...1850s sl.
• UNDER DUBSMAN a turnkey; an assistant jailer ...1850s sl.
• UNIFORM a prison officer ...1970s
• VET a prison doctor ...1974 S. Afr. sl.
• WARDERESS a female warder in a prison ...1878
• WARDRESS a female warder in a prison ...1878
• WARDSMAN a watchman who is responsible for prisoners ...1683
• WHITE COAT a hospital attendant in prison ...1932 cant
• WHITESHIRT a senior prison officer ...1996 UK sl.
• YARD BULL a prison guard ...1930s sl.
• YARD HACK a prison guard ...20C US sl.
• YARD PATROL a prison guard ...20C US prison sl.
• ZOMBIE a prison officer who looks permanently miserable and humourless ...1980s UK prison sl.
PRISON, PRISON SENTENCE - nouns
• ACE a 1-year jail sentence ...1927 US criminals' sl.
• ACRE a prison sentence, cited variously as 1 month, 12 months or 'plenty' ...1930s Aust. & US sl.
• ACRE OF CORN a prison sentence, cited variously as 1 month, 12 months or 'plenty' ...1930s Aust. & US sl.
• ALL DAY a life sentence ...1970s US criminals' sl.
• ALL DAY AND A NIGHT a life sentence without the opportunity of parole ...2000s US prison sl.
• ALL DAY FROM A QUARTER a sentence of 25 years to life ...1970s US criminals' sl.
• ALL THE YEAR ROUND a 12-month prison sentence ...1920s Aust. sl.
• ANCHOR a brake applied to a death sentence, a stay of execution ...Brit. sl.
• BABY LIFE 1. the maximum sentence that prisoners must serve (6 years, 4 months) before a parole board is bound to consider their case for the first time ...1950s US prison sl.
2. a prison sentence of at least ten years ...2002 US sl.
• BEGGAR'S LAGGING a prison sentence of 90 days ...1950 UK sl.
• BEN NEVIS a long prison sentence ...2002 UK sl.
• BID a prison sentence ...1965 US prison sl.
• BIG BIT a long prison sentence ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• BIG BITCH a conviction under any crime that carries a mandatory life sentence, or a sentence so long that it is an equivalent ...1960s US prison sl.
• BIRD a prison sentence ...1924 Brit. sl.
• BIRD-LIME imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1857 Brit. rhyming slang for 'time'
• BIT imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1866 sl.
• BITCH a conviction under any crime that carries a mandatory life sentence, or a sentence so long that it is an equivalent ...1960s US prison sl.
• BOTH HANDS a ten-year prison sentence ...1930s Amer. sl.
• BOUNCE a jail or prison sentence ...1957 US sl.
• CALENDAR a prison sentence of one year ...1926 US sl.
• CARPET 1. a three month period of imprisonment ...1903 UK sl.
2. a three year sentence of imprisonment ...1956 UK sl.
• CARPET BAG, A three months' imprisonment ...1903 Brit. sl.
• CLOCK, THE twelve months imprisonment ...1950 Aust. sl.
• C-NOTE a prison sentence of 100 years ...1990 US sl.
• CREDIT a reduction of a jail sentence due to good behaviour ...1949 US sl.
• DIME a ten year prison sentence ...1967 US sl.
• DIPSEY a sentence to a workhouse, country jail, minor prison ...c1910 tramps’ sl.
• DIPSY a sentence to a workhouse, country jail, minor prison ...c1910 tramps’ sl.
• DOOR the end of one's prison sentence ...2000s US prison sl.
• DOUBLE NICKEL a ten-year prison sentence ...1998 US sl.
• DOUBLE SAW twenty years imprisonment ...1930 US sl.
• DOUBLE SAWBUCK twenty years imprisonment ...1930 US sl.
• DUCK a prison sentence of two years ...1990 US sl.
• EARTH SIS NOMS a 3-month prison term ...M19 back-slang
• EARTH SITH-NOMS a 3-month prison sentence ...M19 back-slang
• EVLENET SITH-NOMS 12 months, usually as a prison sentence ...M19 back-slang
• FALL imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1933 US sl.
• FLUMMUT a 1 month prison sentence ...M19 sl.
• GAG an indefinite prison sentence ...1958 US sl.
• HAIRCUT a short term of imprisonment, in a local prison from a few weeks up to 2-3 months, or in a convict prison for 3-5 years ...1940s UK prison sl.
• HALF A DOLLAR a prison sentence of 50 years ...1990 US sl.
• HALF A STRETCH 6 months imprisonment; also used by criminals for any period of 6 months ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• HALF STRETCH 6 months imprisonment; also used by criminals for any period of 6 months ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• HANDFUL, A five years imprisonment ...1930 sl.
• HITCH a term of imprisonment ...1923 Amer. sl.
• HUMP the middle section of a prison sentence ...1962 US sl.
• ICEBOX a life sentence ...1930s US prison sl.
• JACKET a jail sentence ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• JACK KETCH a jail sentence ...L19 sl.
• JADE a long term of imprisonment ...Bk1896 Amer. thieves' sl.
• JOLT a prison sentence, usually with the number of years specified, as a 'six-year jolt' ...1910s US criminals' sl.
• KATH a prison sentence of indeterminate time ...1910s Aust. sl.
• KATHLEEN MAROON a 3-year prison sentence ...1910s Aust. sl.
• KATHLEEN MAVOURNEEN a prison sentence of indeterminate length ...1910 Aust. & NZ sl.
• L a life sentence ...L19 US prison sl.
• LAG 1. any length of sentence ...1910s prison sl.
2. a 3-month sentence ...1930s Aust. prison sl.
• LAGGING 1. a penal term of more than three years ...c1850 cant
2. any prison sentence ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• LEG a term of imprisonment or transportation ...1821 sl.
• LIFE life imprisonment ...1833 Aust.
• LIFE ON THE INSTALLMENT PLAN a series of prison sentences with brief periods of freedom between, which have the cumulative effect of a life sentence ...1949 US sl.
• LITTLE BITCH an exceptionally long prison sentence ...1970s US prison sl.
• MAG a six month jail sentence ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• MAGAZINE six months to a year in jail ...1926 Amer. prison sl.
• MOON a month's imprisonment ...1830 sl.
• NAG-DRAG a three-month period of imprisonment ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• NATURAL 1. a life sentence ...1930 Amer. prison sl.
2. a seven-year sentence ...1930 Amer. prison sl.
• NEWSPAPER thirty days imprisonment ...1926 sl.
• NICE BIT a long prison sentence, i.e. 10 years or more ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• NO-TRUMP a life prison sentence without chance of parole ...1976 US sl.
• ONE HUNDRED SMACKERS a prison sentence of 100 years ...1990s US prison sl.
• PACKAGE 1. a sentence of imprisonment ...1912 US criminals' sl.
2. a (long) prison term ...1950s US criminals' sl.
• PACKET a long sentence ...1990s US prison sl.
• PADDY DOYLE imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1919 Brit. services' sl.
• PAPER TIME the additional years added to a prison sentence because of publicity surrounding the crime, criminal, and/or trial ...1962 US sl.
• PONTOON, A twenty-one months imprisonment ...1950 Brit. sl.
• PORRIDGE imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1954 Brit. sl.
• QUART a one year prison sentence ...1950s W. Indies sl.
• QUARTER 1. a 3-month prison sentence ...L19 UK criminals' sl.
2. a prison sentence of 25 years ...1964 US sl.
• QUARTER BIT a jail sentence of three months ...1977 UK sl.
• QUARTER STRETCH a jail sentence of three months ...1977 UK sl.
• RAP 1. imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1927 sl., chiefly US
2. a 1-year sentence ...1930s US prison sl.
• READ OF TRIPE transportation for life ...M19 rhyming sl.
• ROFE a four-year prison sentence ...1940s US prison back slang
• ROFEFIL a life sentence ...M19 back slang
• ROUF, A four years imprisonment ...1950 Brit. sl.
• SANE a 10-year prison sentence ...1930s Aust. sl.
• SAWBUCK ten years' imprisonment ...1925 US sl.
• SEIN a 10-year prison sentence ...1930s Aust. sl.
• SIXER six months' imprisonment or hard labour ...1849 sl.
• SKIN BEEF a prison sentence for an unspecified sexual crime ...1976 US sl.
• SLEEP, A a comparatively short prison sentence ...1911 sl., orig. US
• SPELL a sentence of 3 months imprisonment ...L19 sl.
• SPLIT BIT an indeterminate sentence, subject to the decisions of the parole board ...1950s US criminals' sl.
• SPOT imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1901 US sl.
• STATE TIME a prison sentence served in a state prison ...1995 US sl.
• STRETCH imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1821 sl.
• TAIL-PIECE a term of three months imprisonment ...1859 UK criminals' sl.
• TAXI, A between five and fifteen years imprisonment ...1930 US sl.
• TENNER a ten-year prison sentence ...1866 Amer. prison sl.
• TEN-SPOT a ten-year prison sentence ...1928 Amer. prison sl.
• TIME imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1837 sl.
• TRAMP'S LAGGING a prison sentence of 90 days ...1950 UK sl.
• TRAY, A three years' imprisonment ...1887 sl.
• TREY, A three years' imprisonment ...1887 sl.
• TRICK imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1933 US sl.
• UNDERTAKER a life sentence; any other very long sentence ...1935 US prison sl.
• V a 5 year prison sentence ...1930s US prison sl.
• VALENTINE a short prison sentence, maximum 1 year ...1920s US prison sl.
• WAKE-UP n. a short time remaining on a jail sentence or term of military service, esp. the last morning ...1950 US sl.
• WALKING TICKET an official notice to inform a prisoner that they have finished their sentence ...1950s Aust. & US prison sl.
• WOLF a prison sentence of 15 years ...1990s US sl.
• WOODENER a sentence of imprisonment for 30 days
...1950 UK rhyming sl., 'wooden spoon' for 'moon'
• WOODEN SPOON a month's imprisonment ...1998 UK rhyming sl. for 'moon'
• YARD 1. a year; thus a sentence of 1 year ...1930s US prison sl.
2. a prison sentence of 100 years ...1969 US sl.
PRISON, PRISON VEHICLE - nouns
• KWELA-KWELA a police or prison wagon ...1950s S. Afr. Black sl.
• MEAT WAGON a prison-service or police vehicle used for confining and transporting prisoners ...1954 UK sl.
• SABLE MARIA a police or prison van ...L19 sl.
• SARDINE-BOX. a prison-van ...1909 sl.
PRISON - verbs
• BABYSIT to act as a mentor or protector for newly arrived prisoners ...1984 US sl.
• BACKDOOR of one prisoner, just released: to cuckold one who remains imprisoned ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• BAG to catch (a wrongdoer); hence, to arrest, to put in jail ...1824 Amer. sl.
• BAIL † to liberate from imprisonment ...1581
• BANG UP 1. to send to prison ...1950 Brit. sl.
2. to lock up a prisoner in his or her cell, esp. for the night ...prison sl.
• BASTILLE to confine in a bastille; to imprison ...1742
• BEAT to escape from prison ...1902 Amer. sl.
• BEAT THE RAP to escape punishment, esp. a prison sentence ...1927 US sl.
• BECK to imprison ...1861 cant
• BECLOSE † to shut up or in; to enclose, to imprison ...c1000
• BESHUT † to shut in, to enclose, to surround; to shut up, to confine, to imprison ...a1300
• BOARD OUT to spend time in jail ...1935 Amer. dial.
• BOTTLE in prison, to conceal articles such as drugs or money in the rectum ...1996 UK sl.
• BOX to imprison ...1979 Amer. sl.
• BREAK STONE to serve a sentence of penal servitude ...1929 sl.
• CABOOSE to imprison ...L19 US sl.
• CAGE to imprison ...Bk1974 Amer. sl.
• CAGE IN to imprison
• CALABOOSE to imprison ...1840 Amer. & nautical sl.
• CAN to imprison; to lock up ...1929 US police sl.
• CARCEIR † to imprison ...1630-56 Sc.
• CARCERATE to imprison, to incarcerate, to confine ...1839
• CARRY A CASE to be out of prison on bail 1996 UK sl.
• CARRY IT TO THE DOOR to serve all of a prison sentence ...2002 US sl.
• CLAP UNDER HATCHES to incarcerate ...1945 Amer. dial.
• CLINK to put in prison ...c1850 sl.
• COB to imprison ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• COME SHORT HOME to be put in prison ...17C colloq.
• COP to imprison ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• COP A HEEL to attack from behind ...20C US prison sl.
• COP AND HEEL to attack from behind ...20C US prison sl.
• CRACK to break jail; to escape from prison ...1791 Amer. prison sl.
• CRACK THE QUA to break out of jail ...1807 Amer. sl.
• CRUSH to escape from prison ...Bk1974 Amer. sl.
• CRUSH OUT to escape from prison ...Bk1974 Amer. criminals' sl.
• DINE IN in prison, to eat in your cell rather than communally ...1950 UK sl.
• DIS(S) to release, to discharge, as from prison ...1990 US sl.
• DITCH to be sent to prison ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• DO ONE'S BIRD to serve a prison sentence ...1924 Brit. sl.
• DO ONE'S OWN TIME to serve a prison sentence without becoming involved in any of the prison gangs, illicit business, etc. ...20C US criminals' & prison sl.
• DO TIME to serve a prison sentence ...1837 sl.
• DUB UP to lock someone up in a prison cell ...1753 sl.
• EMPTY to be transferred suddenly to another prison ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• FALL to be arrested or convicted; to be imprisoned ...1873 Amer. criminals' sl.
• FETCH THE FARM to have oneself admitted to the prison infirmary; to be ordered prison infirmary diet and treatment ...Bk1901 sl.
• GAFFLE to lock up in solitary confinement ...1960s US prison sl.
• GET A FALL to be arrested, to be imprisoned ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• GET THE DARK to be confined in a punishment cell ...c1880 criminals' sl.
• GO DOWN to send or be sent to prison ...1906 sl.
• GO OVER THE ROAD to be committed to the penitentiary ...Bk1913-17 Amer. dial.
• GO OVER THE WALL 1. to go to prison ...Amer. World War I sl.
2. to escape from prison ...1935 sl.
• GO TO STIR to go to prison ...Amer. World War I sl.
• GO TO THE BASKET to go to prison ...1632
• HAVE IT AWAY to escape from prison or impending arrest ...1950s sl.
• HAVE IT AWAY ON ONE'S TOES to escape from prison or impending arrest ...1950s sl.
• HIT THE BRICKS to be set free from prison ...1931 US sl.
• ICE 1. to sentence someone to imprisonment ...1925 US criminals' sl.
2. to place in solitary confinement ...1933 US sl.
• ICE DOWN to imprison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• IMMURE to shut up or enclose within walls; to imprison; to confine as in a prison or fortress ...1588
• INWARD † to imprison, to put in ward ...1802 Sc.
• JACK to serve a prison sentence ...1960s US prison sl.
• JUG to arrest or imprison ...1841 US sl.
• KITE to smuggle a letter or message into or out of prison ...1925 sl.
• KNOCK DOWN to serve a prison sentence ...1990s US prison sl.
• LAG 1. to send someone to prison or transport them ...1812 sl.
2. to imprison on trumped up charges and faked evidence ...1910s US criminals' sl.
3. to be serving a prison sentence ...1927 UK sl.
• LAM THE JOINT to escape from prison ...1932 US sl.
• LAY † to put in or commit to prison ...c1250
• LAY UNDER HATCHES to incarcerate ...1945 Amer. dial.
• LAY UP † to place in confinement, to imprison ...1565
• LIFE OFF to sentence someone to life imprisonment ...2000 UK sl.
• MAKE A LAM to escape from prison ...1928 US sl.
• MAX to complete a maximum prison sentence ...1972 US sl.
• MAX OUT to complete a maximum prison sentence
...1972 US sl.
• MILN UP to lock into a cell ...1940s UK prison sl.
• NEWGATE to imprison ...1740 sl.
• PACK to carry contraband in and out of a prison; to carry a concealed weapon ...1960s US prison sl.
• PACK A BIT AWAY to serve a term of imprisonment ...c1918 US prison sl.
• PACK IN to serve or complete a prison sentence ...1935 US criminals' sl.
• PANNAM BOUND to stop the issue of rations to a prisoner ...M19 UK prison sl.
• PARTAKE OF HER MAJESTY'S HOSPITALITY to spend time in prison ...L19 sl.
• PARTAKE OF HIS MAJESTY'S HOSPITALITY to spend time in prison ...L19 sl.
• PENETENTIAR to send to prison ...1924 Amer. dial.
• PENETENTIR to send to prison ...1927 Amer. dial.
• PENITENTIARY to send to prison ...1974 Amer. dial.
• PENITENTURE to send to prison ...1963 Amer. dial.
• PLAY THE FAG ROLE to pretend sexual interest in another inmate; the aim being to annoy a third party ...2000s US prison sl.
• POLISH THE KING'S IRON WITH ONE'S EYEBROW to look out of grated or prison windows ...1785 sl.
• PROGRAMME in prison: to follow the rules and avoid trouble in hope of an early release ...1981 US sl.
• PULL to serve time in prison or in the armed forces ...1961 US sl.
• PULL TIME to be sentenced to imprisonment ...1950 US sl.
• PUT AWAY to send to prison ...1872 sl.
• PUT ONE'S PEN TO THE WIND of a prisoner: to tell an officer to file disciplinary report; of an officer: to tell a prisoner to file a grievance ...2000s US prison sl.
• QUEER THE QUOD to break out of jail ...L18 US criminals' sl.
• QUOD 1. to put in prison ...1812 sl.
2. to serve a prison sentence ...L19 sl.
• RACK THE BARS to open or close a prison cell door ...1992 US sl.
• RACK UP in prison: to return prisoners to their cells ...1990 US sl.
• RAILROAD to send a person directly to prison without proof of guilt, due process of law, or a fair trial; to send to jail by false evidence or by cheating, tricking, deceiving, or framing ...L19 Amer. sl.
• RAISE to escape, to get out of, to be released from prison ...1960s US sl.
• RAISE UP to be given leave or parole to leave a prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• RAMP to search a prisoner or a prison cell ...1919 Aust. sl.
• SALT to initiate a new prisoner ...1940s UK prison sl.
• SCAB of an inmate: to curry favour with the authorities ...1970s NZ prison sl.
• SEND DOWN to send to prison ...1840 sl., orig. US
• SEND UP to send someone to prison ...1852 sl., now US
• SETTLE to send to prison ...1899 US sl.
• SKATE to be in a forbidden area of the prison ...2000s US prison sl.
• SLOUGH to send or be sent to prison ...1848 sl.
• SMELL OF THE ROAST to get into prison ...1696 sl.
• SPRING 1. to leave prison ...1900 sl., orig. US
2. to bail someone out of jail; to obtain the release of a person from prison ...1920s US sl.
• TAG to imprison ...1950s sl.
• TAKE A DROP to be arrested, to be imprisoned ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• TAKE A FALL to be arrested or convicted; to be imprisoned ...1928 sl.
• TAKE A FLIER to escape from prison ...20C US prison sl.
• TAKE A FLYER to escape from prison ...20C US prison sl.
• TAKE AN IMMEDIATE DUCK to escape from prison ...1934 US prison sl.
• TAKE A RAP to take a punishment, often a prison sentence, that is actually due to someone else ...c1886 US criminals' sl.
• TAKE A TRIP TO THE COUNTRY to go to prison ...1945 Aust. criminals' sl.
• TAKE A WALK UP BACK to be moved from one's cell to the execution chamber ...1920s US prison sl.
• TAKE FRENCH LEAVE to escape while on trust outside the prison walls ...1935 US prison sl.
• TAKE IT ON ONE'S TOES to escape from prison or impending arrest ...1950s sl.
• TAKE IT ON THE ARTHUR DUFFY to run away; to escape from prison ...c1915 US prison sl.
• TAKE IT ON THE HEEL AND TOE to depart, esp. swiftly and quietly to evade justice; to escape from prison ...c1915 US prison sl.
• TAKE IT OUT to serve a prison term rather than pay a fine ...L19 Aust. sl.
• TAKE ONE'S DEGREES to be imprisoned, to serve a sentence ...E19 sl.
• TAKE ONE'S WALK UP BACK to move into the condemned-to-death cell ...1929 US criminals' sl.
• TAKE STRIPES to be sent to prison ...L19 US sl.
• TAKE THE RAP to serve a prison sentence, esp. for protection of another guilty person ...c1886 US sl.
• UNHOOK to release from being arrested or from prison ...1950s sl.
• VIKING to live a good life, with plenty of material comforts, despite being incarcerated ...2000s US prison sl.
• WALK to be released from prison or arrest ...1950s US prison & criminals' sl.
• WALK THE BLACK DOG ON to inflict a punishment on a new fellow-prisoner who refuses to pay the automatic fine that is levied on him as a new inmate ...L18 UK prison sl.
• WALK THE YARD to methodically walk in a prison open space ...1981 US sl.
• WARD † to keep in close custody or confinement; to imprison ...1390 chiefly Sc.
• WAREHOUSE to put in prison ...1881 sl.
• WIND UP WITH ONE'S JOINT IN ONE'S HAND to be put in jail with no sexual outlet but masturbation ...E20 US criminals' sl.
• WRAP UP to complete the final days of a prison sentence ...1976 US sl.
• WRITE UP to report a convict for misconduct ...1920s US prison sl.
• YANK SOMEONE'S COAT to confront a fellow inmate with a secret they do not wish revealed ...2000s US prison sl.
• YARD OUT to exercise in a prison yard ...1984 US sl.
PRISON - interjections
• OH, MY LEG! a teasing remark, aimed at anyone recently freed from prison ...c1810 sl.
• ON TOP! used as a warning that a prison officer is close ...1996 UK sl.
• RADIO THAT SHIT! used in prison as a demand for quiet ...1981 US sl.
• RADIO THAT! used in prison as a demand for quiet ...1981 US sl.
PRISON - phrases
• ANGEL CAKE AND WINE bread and water as a punishment diet ...1942 Amer. prison sl.
• ANGEL FOOD CAKE AND WINE bread and water as a punishment diet ...1942 Amer. prison sl.
• BEEN TO SEE CAPTAIN BATES? a greeting to a person one knows or suspects has been in prison ...L19 sl.
• FRESH AND SWEET very recently released from jail ...1982 US sl.
• MAN WALKING a signal that a prison officer is approaching ...2000s US prison sl.
• ON THE GRASS out of prison ...1885 Aust. sl.
• OVER THE WALL escaped from prison ...1935 sl.
• PLAYING TOO CLOSE becoming over-familiar and invading the privacy of a fellow inmate ...1960s US prison sl.
• QUODDING DUES ARE CONCERNED it is a matter that will involve imprisonment ...E19 UK criminals' sl.
PRISONER OF WAR - adjectives
• IN THE BAG in the military: taken as a prisoner of war ...1919 Amer. sl.
PRISONER OF WAR - nouns
• CRAMPER a small cage in which a prisoner of war is confined ...1986 US sl.
• ENTRAMELLS bondage, the chains of slavery; prisoners of war ...Bk1900 Sc.
PRISONER OF WAR - nouns, person
• GOON a German guard during World War II ...1945 Brit. & US prisoners-of-war usage
• KRIEGIE an Allied prisoner-of-war in German during World War II ...1944 sl.
• ABROADED imprisoned ...L19 sl.
• ACROSS THE BUBBLE into prison ...1912 criminals’ sl.
• AWAY in prison ...1909 Brit. euphemism
• BEHIND imprisoned ...1961 US sl.
• BEHIND BARS in prison ...1951 sl.
• BEHIND THE DOOR locked in a prison cell ...1996 UK sl.
• BUNGED UP in a prison cell ...20C sl.
• BURIED serving a life sentence ...20C US criminal sl.
• CARCERAL † belonging to a prison ...1563-87
• DAY-FOR-DAY serving a prison sentence without any reduction in the sentence for good behaviour ...1990 US sl.
• DOWN THE CHUTE in prison ...1920s Aust. sl.
• DOWN THE RIVER serving time in prison ...L19 sl.
• EATING CORN serving time in prison ...1940s Aust. prison sl.
• FASTENED UP imprisoned ...2000 UK sl.
• FLUMMOXED imprisoned for 1 month ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• FLUMMUXED imprisoned for 1 month ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• GATE HAPPY of prisoners: exuberant or excited at the approach of a release date ...1996 UK sl.
• GATEY of prisoners: suffering anxiety as the date of release from prison approaches ..1959 UK sl.
• ICED in jail; placed in the punishment block, in a dark cell in prison ...1925 US criminals' sl.
• IMMURATE † immured; enclosed in walls or as in walls; imprisoned, confined ...1593
• IN in prison ...19C sl.
• IN-BACK in the death chamber ..1928 US prison sl.
• IN DUTCH in jail; imprisoned ...20C US criminals' sl.
• IN HOCK in prison ...1860 sl.
• IN LUMBER in prison ...1812 Brit. sl.
• IN QUOD in prison ...1700 sl.
• INSIDE in prison ...1888 sl.
• IN STIR in prison ...1851 sl.
• IN THE SHADE in prison ...1925 US criminals' sl.
• JAILISH * suggestive of a jail; jail-like ...1751
• JAMMED of prison sentences: concurrent ...1982 US sl.
• JOINTWISE well-adjusted to prison life; capable of sustaining one's existence in prison ...20C US prison sl.
• JUGGED imprisoned ...1996 UK sl.
• KEY HAPPY used of a prison officer who is keen to keep inmates locked in their cells ...1996 UK sl.
• LAGGED imprisoned, transported ...L18 sl.
• LIFED-UP sentenced to life imprisonment ...2002 UK sl.
• MAINLINE pert. to the main prison population, and the rules to which it is subjected ...1930s US prison sl.
• ON BONE unpopular among fellow prisoners after committing some form of mistake in terms of inmate codes of conduct ...2000s US prison sl.
• ON THE CORN serving time in prison ...1940s Aust. prison sl.
• ON THE IN in prison ...2000 UK sl.
• ON VACATION serving a jail or prison sentence ...1986 Amer. dial.
• OUT OF TOWN in jail or prison ...1982 US sl.
• OUTSIDE out of prison ...1903 sl.
• QUODDED imprisoned ...L17 sl.
• SLABBED AND SLID dead and gone, or certainly long since departed from the prison and thus the immediate knowledge or interest of those left behind ...1940s UK prison sl.
• STACKED used of prison sentences, consecutive, not concurrent ...1998 US sl.
• STATE-RAISED said of a prisoner who has spent most of his life incarcerated ...1992 US sl.
• TALL of a prison sentence: lengthy ...1992 US sl.
• THREED-UP having three prisoners sharing a cell ...1960s UK prison sl.
• TIPPED UP having a membership in a prison gang or clique ...2000s US prison sl.
• TWOED-UP having two prisoners sharing a cell ...1960s UK prison sl.
• UNDER COVER safe from the police; out of jail ...1901 US criminals' sl.
• UNDER GLASS imprisoned; arrested ...1920s sl., orig. US
• UNDER THE HATCHES in trouble, dead, in jail ...M16 sl.
• UNDER THE SCREW in prison ...M19 sl.
• UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF until a prison clique disbands; ultimately loyal ...1989 US sl.
• UP arrested, in prison ...L19 sl., orig. UK criminals' usage
• UP ABOVE in prison ...1910s Aust. sl.
• UP NORTH to prison ...1989 US sl.
• UPSTATE in prison ...1934 US euphemism
• UP THE RIVER in prison ...1891 US sl.
• UP THE SPOUT imprisoned; certain to be imprisoned ...1872 US criminals' sl.
• WALKED OFF taken off to prison ...1910s sl.
• WALKING THE LINE serving a jail sentence ...1980s Aust. prison rhyming sl. for 'do time'
• WARDED † detained 'in ward', imprisoned ...c1610 Sc.
PRISON - nouns
• AB the Aryan Brotherhood, a white prison gang in the US ...1990 US sl.
• ABBOTT'S LODGE the King's Bench prison ...M19 sl.
• ABBOTT'S PARK the King's Bench prison ...M19 sl.
• ABBOTT'S PRIORY the King's Bench Prison ...c1820 sl.
• ABBOTT'S TEETH the spiked that topped the prison wall at the King's Bench prison
• A.C. Aryan Circle, A White supremacist prison gang ...2000s US prison sl.
• ACADEMY a prison ...E19 sl.
• AIRY a ventilator in a prison cell ...1970s sl.
• AKERMAN'S HOTEL Newgate prison ...c1788 Eng. sl.
• ALKY TANK a holding cell in a jail reserved for drunk prisoners ...1962 US sl.
• ALMA MATER a prison where a criminal has served time ...1949 US sl.
• BACK-DOOR PAROLE dying in prison before one's sentence is over ...1930s US prison sl.
• BACK-GATE COMMUTE death in prison, esp. by suicide ...1942 Amer. prison sl.
• BACK-GATE DISCHARGE an inmate's death in prison ...1920s US prison sl.
• BACK-GATE EXIT an inmate's death in prison ...1920s US prison sl.
• BACK-GATE PAROLE death in prison, esp. by suicide ...1929 Amer. prison sl.
• BAGNIO an oriental prison; a place of detention for slaves; a penal establishment ...1599
• BALL a prison ration, 170g (6oz) of meat ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• BAND † confinement, imprisonment, custody ...a1300
• BAND-HOUSE a prison ...1942 US criminals' sl.
• BANG-UP 1. imprisonment within one's cell, without association or exercise ...1950s UK prison sl.
2. the shutting of a cell door at the end of a prison day ...1950s UK prison sl.
• BASTILLE a prison ...1790
• BIG HOUSE, THE prison ...1916 sl., orig. US
• BIG PASTURE a penitentiary ...1968 Amer. dial., Western usage
• BIG ROCK a jail or penitentiary ...1967 Amer. dial.
• BIRD-CAGE a compound for prisoners in WWII
• BLACK HOLE prison; a police cell ...Bk1911 Sc.
• BLADHUNK a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BLOCKHOUSE a prison ...1624 sl.
• BLUE GOOSE the convict cage at a prison camp ...1927 Amer. dial.
• BOARDING-HOUSE a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BOAT a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BOIL-UP an illegal brewing of tea or some other hot beverage in one's cell ... ...Aust. prison sl.
• BOOB a prison cell ...1908 sl., orig. US
• BOOB, THE prison ...1908 sl., orig. US
• BOOBY, THE prison ...1929 US sl.
• BOOBY HATCH, THE prison ...1859 US sl.
• BOWER a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• BOX a prison cell; a lockup; hence, a jail, prison, or stockade ...1834 Amer. sl.
• BUCKET a jail ...1955 Amer. dial.
• BUGHOUSE a jail ...1956 Amer. dial.
• BUST-OUT a breakout; a jailbreak ...1930 US sl.
• CABBAGE-PATCH Kingston prison in Portsmouth ...1996 UK sl.
• CABOOSE a jail; a prison...1865 US sl.
• CABIN † a cell, as in a convent or prison ...1362
• CADILLAC 1. the maximum amount which may be spent at a prison canteen ...1989 US sl.
2. a line used for transferring article, as a pack of cigarettes, from one cell to another ...1990s US prison sl.
3. a vacant cell ...1990s US prison sl.
4. an easy job within the prison ...1990s US prison sl.
5. a note-and-string based method of communication in prison ...2000 US sl.
• CADILLAC BUNK a single prison bed in a setting where most beds are two-tiered bunk beds ...1989 US sl.
• CAEMESS prison porridge ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• CAGE 1. a minor kind of prison for petty malefactors; a country lock-up ...1500 sl.
2. an exercise cage or yard ...E19 UK prison sl.
• CAGE OF ANGER prison ...1980s Black sl.
• CAKE drugs smuggled into a prison or hospital ...1950s US drugs & prison sl.
• CAKE AND WINE bread and water as a punishment diet ...1920s US prison & Navy sl.
• CALABOOSE the common jail ...1792 sl., orig. US
• CALABOSO a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1963 Amer. sl.
• CALABOZO. a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1892 sl.
• CALLIBOUSE a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1792 Amer. sl.
• CALLIE a prison ...1919 US tramps' sl.
• CALLY a calaboose; a jail, a lock-up ...1919 Amer. sl.
• CALLYBOOSE a jail, esp. one in a village or small town ...1929 Amer. sl.
• CAN a place of confinement; a prison; a cell ...1912 criminals' sl., orig. US
• CANARY a convict's yellow jacket ...L19 sl.
• CANCELS † prison bars, limits, bounds, confines ...1596
• CANISTER a prison ...Bk1914 prison sl.
• CAPERDEWSIE † the stocks; prison ...1663
• CAPERDOCHY † the stocks; prison ...1600
• CAPPADOCHIO a prison ...1607 cant
• CAR 1. a group of inmates who associate to run money-making schemes, dominate other prisoners, and otherwise 'rule' the institution ...1970s US prison sl.
2. a line used for transferring article, as a pack of cigarettes, from one cell to another ...1990s US prison sl.
3. a group of prisoners who pool their supply of drugs ...1990s US prison sl.
• CARCEL a jail or prison ...1840 Amer. dial.
• CARCELAGE † prison fees ...1678-96
• CARCERATION imprisonment, incarceration ...1870
• CASTIEAU'S HOTEL a prison ...M19 Aust. sl.
• CELL 13 a padded cell ...1896 Amer. sl.
• CHEQUER INN IN NEWGATE STREET Newgate prison ...L18 sl.
• CHERRY FARM a prison, or the section of a prison reserved for first-time offenders ...1966 US sl.
• CHICK prison food ...20C Amer. criminals' sl.
• CHICKEN COOP a women's prison ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• CHICKEN WALK an exercise yard ...L19 UK prison sl.
• CHOAKEE a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• CHOKEY prison ...1873 Brit. sl.
• CHOKY prison ...1873 Brit. sl.
• CHUMMAGE 1. a monetary forfeit, usually 2s 6d (12.5p), paid by a new prisoner to those who have already established themselves in the prison ...L18 sl.
2. a sum of money paid by a rich prisoner to a poorer one, for which payment the latter forfeits his part of a shared cell, leaving it all to the rich prisoner and taking up a position in some communal area of the prison ...L18 sl.
• CHUMMING UP the initiatory welcoming of a new prisoner, paid for by a mandatory fee of 2s 6d ...M19 UK prison sl.
• CLINCH a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• CLINK a prison ...E16 sl.
• COB-CASTLE a satirical name for any building which overtops those around it; more usually applied to a prison ...a1687
• COOLER, THE prison; also, a solitary confinement cell ...1872 sl., orig. US
• COOP a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• COP a sentence ...1930s sl.
• COPPER allowance for good conduct in prison ...1924 US convicts’ sl.
• COPPER JOHN a prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• COUNTRY CLUB a minimum security, comfortable prison generally reserved for corporate and banking criminals ...1960 US sl.
• COUNTY BOARDING HOUSE a jail ...1965 Amer. sl.
• CRUSH-OUT an escape from prison ...Bk1974 Amer. criminals' sl.
• CUCUMBERS, THE in prison: Rule 43, which allows a prisoner to be kept apart from the main prison community for 'safety of self or others' ...2003 UK rhyming sl. for 'numbers'
• D.C. the Death Cell ...1990s US prison sl.
• DADDY TANK an area or cell set aside to provide protective custody for effeminate homosexuals ...1971 US prison sl.
• DAIRY. drawing attention to oneself so as to allows a confederate to break prison rules unnoticed ...1910s UK prison sl.
• DAMPER solitary confinement, punishment cells ...1950s Amer. prison sl.
• DANCEHALL 1. the cell in which a prisoner is placed before being executed ...1928 US prison sl.
2. the execution chamber in a prison in which death sentences are executed ...1928 US sl.
• DANCEHOUSE a pre-execution cell; an execution chamber ...1939 US prison sl.
• DARBY-ROLL a style of walking that betrays an individual's experience of fetters and thus time spent in prison ...c1820 sl.
• DARBY'S FAIR the day on which a prisoner is moved from one prison to another and must thus be fettered ...M19 sl.
• DARK solitary confinement in a dark cell ...1900s Aust. prison sl.
• DARK CELL a prison punishment cell ...20C US criminals' sl.
• DARKS, THE. the punishment cell, solitary confinement ...M19 UK prison sl.
• DATE a prisoner's expected date of release from prison ...1989 US sl.
• DEAD LINE in prison: a line the crossing of which will bring gun fire from the guards ...1962 US sl.
• DEADLOCK solitary confinement, forfeiture of privileges ...1930s US prison sl.
• DEAD TIME 1. time served in jail which does not count towards fulfilment of the prisoner's sentence ...1973 US sl.
2. any period of one's prison sentence when one is prohibited from associating with other prisoners ...1970s US prison sl.
• DEATH HOUSE the execution chamber in a prison ...20C US sl.
• DEATH ROW the condemned cells ...M19 US prison sl.
• DIGGER a county or city jail ...1969 Amer. dial.
• DIMPS a small amount of money, tobacco, or other prison currency ...1996 UK sl.
• DISNEYLAND a prison known for its liberal regime ...20C US criminals' sl.
• DOWNS a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• DOWNS, THE Tothill Fields prison ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• DRY BATH a search of a prisoner who has been stripped naked ...1933 sl.
• DRY ROOM a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• DUCAT in prison: a written order given to a prisoner for an appointment ...1926 US sl.
• DUMMY, THE the punishment cell in a prison ...1936 NZ sl.
• EASY TIME an uneventful time in prison ...20C US criminals' sl.
• ESTABLISHMENT, THE the Fremantle jail ...M19 Aust. sl.
• EVERLASTING STAIRCASE the prison treadmill ...M19 sl.
• FACTORY a prison; a women's prison ...1806 Aust. sl.
• FAG FACTORY a prison, esp. one with a large homosexual population ...1992 US sl.
• FAMILY HOTEL a prison ...c1840 colloq.
• FANNY HILL the Los Angeles County women's jail ...1981 US sl.
• FARM 1. a prison ...20C US sl.
2. the prison infirmary ...Bk1901 sl.
• FARRINGDON HOTEL the Fleet prison, in Farringdon Road, London ...M19 sl.
• FILLET OF VEAL a prison ...1857 rhyming sl. on the 'Steel'
• FLOATER a book, newspaper, etc. passed surreptitiously from prison cell to prison cell ...1933 Brit. sl.
• FLOATING ACADEMY a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• FLOATING HELL a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• FLOWERY a prison cell ...1925 Brit. rhyming sl. (flowery dell)
• FLOWERY DELL a prison cell ...1925 Brit. rhyming sl.
• FREE BOARDING HOUSE a jail ...1965 Amer. sl.
• FRESHWATER BAY the Fleet prison ...E19 UK criminals' sl.
• GAFF 1. a prison ...L19 sl.
2. a prison cell ...1996 UK sl.
• GAL BLOCK a section of a prison reserved for blatantly homosexual prisoners ...1972 US sl.
• GALLERY THIRTEEN a prison burial ground ...1937 US sl.
• GAL TANK a holding cell in a jail reserved for homosexual prisoners ...1972 US sl.
• GAPPER a mirror; used to describe one used by prisoners to watch for approaching guards while the prisoners do something which they ought not to do ...1934 US prison sl.
• GARBAGE DUMP the California State Prison at San Quentin ...1992 US sl.
• GATE release from prison ...1966 US sl.
• GATE FEVER the anxiety suffered by prisoners as they approach their release date ...1958 UK sl.
• GATE MONEY the cash given to a prisoner upon release from prison ...1931 US sl.
• GAVIL † jail ...1483 Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
• GEHENNA a place of torture; a prison ...1594
• GLASS-HOUSE, THE a military prison ...1925 Brit. sl.
• GOLDFISH BOWL a jail's interrogation room ...1962 US sl.
• GOLDFISHING the behaviour of visitors being shown around a prison ...1996 UK sl.
• HALF A SHEET a punishment for wardens, usually a fine ...1930s UK prison sl.
• HARD-ROCK CITY a prison ...1940s US sl.
• HARD-ROCK HOTEL a prison ...1940s US sl.
• HATCH a jail, a prison; a police station ...1914 Amer. dial.
• HIGH POWER the maximum security section ...1940s US prison sl.
• HOBO CELL the iron cage in a prison for locking up minor offenders ...1900s US sl.
• HOOSEGOW, THE prison ...M19 US sl.
• HOSPITAL jail ...1959 US euphemism
• HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• HUNTING LICENSE an assignment given by a prison gang to kill someone ...1992 US sl.
• HUT a jail cell ...1949 US sl.
• HUTCH a prison ...1956 US sl.
• ICE solitary confinement ...1970s US prison sl.
• ICEBOX 1. a solitary confinement cell ...1920s Can. & US prison sl.
2. a jail or prison ...1938 US sl.
• ICE BOX, THE the prison at Dannemora, New York ...1935 US criminals' sl.
• IDIOT JUICE any alcoholic beverage brewed in prison, esp. a nutmeg/water mixture ...1974 US sl.
• IMMEDIATE an immediate release from prison ...1934 US prison sl.
• IMPRISON †* imprisonment ...1509
• IRISH THEATRE a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• IRON-DOUBLET a prison ...1779 sl.
• ISO the isolation cells ...1930s US prison sl.
• JACK KETCH'S KITCHEN 'a room in Newgate, where that honest fellow, the hangman, boiled the quarters of those executed and dismembered for high treason' ...1714 sl.
• JAILERING * the occupation of a jailer ...1837
• JAILERY confinement, imprisonment ...1825 nonce word
• JAR a county or city jail ...1969 Amer. dial.
• JAVEL † jail ...1483 Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
• JERICHO a place of concealment or banishment; later, a prison ...1635 sl.
• JIGGER a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• JOINT, THE prison ...sl.
• JUG a jail or prison ...1816 US sl.
• JUG AND PAIL a prison or jail ...1992 UK rhyming sl.
• JUGGING in prison: an attack with a jug of boiling sugared water ...2000 UK sl.
• KEEPING † confinement, imprisonment; prison ...1382
• KING'S COLLEGE the King's Bench prison ...L18 sl.
• KING'S HEAD INN Newgate prison ...L18 sl.
• KITE a letter or message smuggled into or out of prison ...1923 sl.
• KITE BOX a box used both for institutional correspondence and for passing on messages that accuse fellow inmates of illegal activity ...1990s US prison sl.
• KITTY a jail ...arch.
• LAG a term of transportation or penal servitude ...M18 US criminals' sl.
• LAGGING DUES a sentence of penal servitude ...L19 sl.
• LAGGING STATION a prison for long-term prisoners ...20C UK prison sl.
• LAKE † an underground dungeon; a prison ...1382
• LAST MILE in prison: the walk from the death cell to the execution chamber ...1950 US sl.
• LIE-DOWN in prison: time spent in the segregation unit ...1996 UK sl.
• LIFEBOAT a pardon, esp. of a death sentence ...1908 Amer. prison sl.
• LINE the area housing a prison's general population ...1989 US sl.
• LITTLE EASE † a prison cell too small to permit the person occupying it to assume a comfortable position ...1690
• MACGORREY'S HOTEL Chelmsford Prison, Essex ...L19 sl.
• MADHOUSE a prison having brutal discipline ...1928 Amer. prison usage
• MAGPIE convict clothing (coloured yellow and black); hence, the convict who wears it ...M19 Aust. & UK prison sl.
• MAINLINE the prison convict population, excluding those who are detained in punishment cells ...1930s US prison sl.
• MANDER a remand to prison, pending trial ...M19 UK prison & criminals' sl.
• MEDITATION solitary or segregated confinement ...1960s US prison sl.
• MILL a prison ...1851 sl.
• MOAN AND WAIL a jail ...1940s rhyming sl.
• MOBY prison ...L19 rhyming sl. for 'nick' (Moby Dick)
• MOBY DICK prison ...L19 rhyming sl. for 'nick'
• MODEL, THE Pentonville prison, Caledonian Road, north London ...M19 sl.
• MONKEY-CAGE a grated room from which a convict sees his relatives and friends ...c1870 sl.
• MONKEY HOUSE a jail, prison stockade ...1982 US military sl.
• MOOR, THE Dartmoor prison ...1869 UK sl.
• MOOSH 1. a guardroom or cell; a military prison ...1917 sl.
2. prison food, esp. porridge ...1945 Aust. sl.
• MOVIES prison ...1970s US criminal sl.
• MUCK TRUCK in prison: a food trolley ...1996 UK sl.
• MUD CHECK a forced confrontation to see how brave a new inmate may be ...2000s US prison sl.
• MUSH 1. prison food, often porridge ...L19 Aust. sl.
2. a guardroom or cell; a military prison ...1917 sl.
• NASK a prison ...1686 cant
• NASKIN a prison ...1686 cant
• NAVY-OFFICE the Fleet Prison ...1823 sl.
• NEWGATE a jail; spec., the prison for the City of London ...1592
• NEWMAN'S Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NEWMAN'S COLLEGE Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NEWMAN'S HOTEL Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NEWMAN'S TEA-GARDENS Newgate prison ...19C sl.
• NICK prison ...1882 sl.
• NIGGER-STICK (offensive) a baton carried by policemen, prison warders, etc. ...1971 US sl.
• NONCE-BASHING violent attacks against rapists, child molesters, or sexual offenders, esp. inside a prison ...20C Brit. & Aust. prison sl.
• OBS an observation wing of a prison ...1950s Aust. & US prison sl.
• OBSO an observation wing of a prison ...1950s Aust. & US prison sl.
• OLD DOSS, THE † 1. the Bridewell prison, sited on the banks of the Fleet River ...1823 criminals' sl.
2. The Toms, New York Prison ...1859 US sl.
• OLD NASK Bridewell prison, Totillfields, London ...E19
• OLD SHOP a prison ...Bk1905 Eng. dial.
• OLD START, THE Newgate prison ...L18 sl.
• OUT, THE the world outside prison ...20C US prison sl.
• OUTSIDE, THE the world out of prison ...1903 sl.
• PACKAGE a positive report on a prisoner ...1990s US prison sl.
• PAD(S) a prison cell ...1943 US criminals' sl.
• PADDY a padded cell for mentally disturbed prisoners ...1940s UK prison sl.
• PAEDIE-PUMP a prison-issue training shoe worn by sex offenders ...2002 UK sl.
• PAL SQUAD a dog squad used for searching cells ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• P AND Q solitary confinement in prison (peace and quiet) ...1982 US sl.
• PANOPTICON a prison of circular shape having cells built round and fully exposed towards a central 'well', whence the warders could at all times observes the prisoners ...1791
• PAPER proof that a prisoner is an informer ...2000s US prison sl.
• PAPERS in prison: a person's background ...2000 US sl.
• PARK a prison ...E19 sl.
• PARRY the Paremoremo maximum security prison ...1982 NZ sl.
• PATCH a cloth piece sewn on to a uniform in order to identify a prisoner as an escapee ...1958 Brit. sl.
• PEEK, THE the observation cell ...M20 prisons' sl.
• PEN prison ...1884 US sl.
• PETER a prison cell; a cell in a police station, etc. ...1890 sl., orig. Aust.
• PHONE in prison: the toilet bowl in a cell; when the bowl empties of water, it is possible to prisoners in other nearby cells using the pipes to carry the soundwaves ...1978 Aust. sl.
• PHONE CALL in prison: a remark that someone wants to talk to you ...1990 US sl.
• PHONECARD DEAL in prison: a trade that values a marijuana cigarette at one phonecard ...1996 UK sl.
• PIE WAGON a ship's prison ... Amer. World War I sl.
• PIG HOUSE a county or city jail ...1970 Amer. dial.
• POGEY a jail ...1965 Amer. dial.
• POKE a jail or prison ...1950 Amer. dial.
• POKEY a jail ...1919 Amer. sl.
• POKY a jail ...1919 Amer. sl.
• Q San Quentin prison, California ...L19 US criminals' sl.
• QUA a prison ...L18 cant
• QUAD prison ...a1700 sl.
• QUARTERN † a prison ...c975
• QUAY prison ...M18 US criminals' sl.
• QUEE prison ...M18 US criminals' sl.
• QUEEN'S ROW an area in a prison reserved for blatantly homosexual prisoners ...1967 US sl.
• QUEEN TANK a jail holding cell reserved for flamboyantly effeminate homosexual men ...1988 US sl.
• QUEER KEN a prison ...M16 UK criminals' sl.
• QUEER PLACE a prison ...1920s sl.
• QUENTIN San Quentin prison, California ...1920s US prison & criminals' sl.
• QUOD a prison ...1700 sl.
• RABBIT BLOOD a seemingly unstoppable urge to try to escape from prison ...1950 US sl.
• RABBIT FEVER the urge to try to escape from prison ...1962 US sl.
• RABBIT SEASON spring, when prisoners are inclined to try to escape ...1967 US sl.
• RACK a maximum security prison cell ...1982 US sl.
• RAGS clothing and insignia that indicate one's membership of a prison gang ...1990s US criminals' sl.
• RAILWAY STATION an 'allocation' prison from which prisoners are forwarded ...1999 UK sl.
• RALLY UP a prison riot ...1960s Aust. sl.
• RAMP a search of a prisoner or prison cell; conducted to search for contraband, though often carried out with much destruction in order to harass the prisoner ...1919 Aust. sl.
• RANGE the open area outside a row of cells ...1910s Can & US prison sl.
• RASHERHOUSE the Mountjoy women's prison ...1990s Irish sl.
• RASP-HOUSE † a prison; a house of correction ...1818 Sc.
• RASPIN a prison ...E19 sl.
• REESBIN a prison ...Bk1903 tinker's sl.
• ROCK PILE prison ...1888 US sl.
• RUNAROUND an area of confinement that is outside the cells proper ...1900s US prison sl.
• SACK a sack of tobacco, used as prison 'currency' ...1910s US prison sl.
• SALT-BOXES the condemned cells in Newgate prison ...1812 sl.
• SAN Q San Quentin prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• SAN QUENTIN CROSS blackmail of one inmate by another, who desires homosexual favours ...1970s US prison sl.
• SATCHEL a prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• SCRUBS, THE Wormwood Scrubs prison, London ...20C UK police & criminals' usage
• SHAKER WIRE a motion-detector system used for perimeter security in prisons ...1996 US sl.
• SHERIFF'S BASKET a basket or tub placed outside a prison to receive charitable gifts for the prisoners ...E17
• SHERIFF'S BOARDING HOUSE a jail ...1965 Amer. sl.
• SHERIFF'S HOTEL a prison ...L18 sl.
• SHERIFF'S TUB a basket or tub placed outside a prison to receive charitable gifts for the prisoners ...E17
• SHITCAN the punishment cells ...1970s US prison sl.
• SHOP a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• SHOWDOWN in prison: private time for sex ...1972 US sl.
• SIBERIA 1. Clinton prison, Dannemora, NY ...1930s US prison sl.
2. Sing Sing Penitentiary, New York ...1930s US prison sl.
3. the solitary confinement cells ...1930s US prison sl.
4. solitary confinement ...1984 US sl.
• SIN BIN in prison, a punishment cell or the punishment block ...1996 UK sl.
• SIXER a sixth term of imprisonment ...1872 sl.
• SKID ROW in prison: cells for troublesome prisoners ...1996 UK sl.
• SKOOKUM a prison; often preceded by 'strong' ...L19 Can.
• SKOOKUM HOUSE a jail ...1885 Amer. dial.
• SLAM, THE prison ...1960 US sl.
• SLAMMER, THE prison ...1952 sl., orig. US
• SLAMMERS, THE prison ...1952 sl., orig. US
• SLOT a prison cell ...c1950 prison sl.
• SNEEZER a jail or prison ...1953 US sl.
• SNITCHBALL any game played by those inmates, among them informers, who live in protective segregation ...1990s US prison sl.
• SNITCH BOX an in-house prison post box ...1992 US prison sl.
• SNITCH KITE a note sent by a prisoner to prison authorities, informing on other prisoners ...2000 US prison sl.
• SOLITARY solitary confinement ...1854 sl.
• SOUTH-GATE DISCHARGE an inmate's death in prison ...1920s US prison sl.
• SPEEDING TICKET a rules violation notice for inappropriate behaviour in the visiting room ...2000s US prison sl.
• SPRING release or an escape from prison ...1901 sl., orig. US
• STAGE a period of imprisonment during which privileges are allowed ...1932 sl.
• STATE a state prison ...1991 US sl.
• STATE COLLEGE a state prison ...1949 US sl.
• STAY-OUT in prison: a confrontational tactic in which prisoners refuse to return to their cells ...1976 US sl.
• STEEL a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• STIFF a note surreptitiously passed in a prison ...1889 sl.
• STIR a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• STONE FRIGATE a prison on land ...Amer. World War I sl.
• STONE-JUG a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• STRIPES a prison uniform ...1887 US sl.
• STURIBEN a prison; a State prison ...Bk904 thieves' sl.
• STURRABIN a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• SWISH TANK a holding cell in a jail where homosexual suspects and prisoners are kept ...1992 US sl.
• TAB 1. any form of prison documentation, esp. reports on prisoners that are submitted to the parole board ...20C US prison sl.
2. letters passed between inmates; a letter smuggled out of prison ...1930s US prison sl.
• TAG a letter smuggled out of prison ...1930s US prison sl.
• TAG PLANT a prison number plate manufacturing shop ...2000 US sl.
• TAG SHOP the area in a prison where number plates are manufactured ...1958 US sl.
• TALK AND WALK the practice of professing psychological improvement in a prison therapeutic setting to improve your chances of parole ...1971 US sl.
• TALLY HO rubber cement found in prison shoes, used as an inhalant ...2000s US prison sl.
• TANK 1. a holding cell ...1910s Can. & US prison sl.
2. a prison, a prison wing ...1950s Can. & US prison sl.
• THIEVES'-HOLE a jail, prison, esp. a particularly bad dungeon reserved for thieves ...1631 Sc.
• TOLBOOTH a town prison, a jail ...c1470 chiefly Sc.
• TOLL SHOP a prison ...Bk1891 sl.
• TOPPING SHED in prison: a place of execution ...1950 UK sl.
• TRONK a jail ...Bk1892 S. Afr. sl.
• TROTLINE in a town where there was no jailhouse, a drill cable was strung between big timbers planted in the earth, and the prisoners changed to the cable, called a 'trotline' ...1941 Amer. dial.
• TUG the act of breaking someone out of prison ...1940s Irish sl.
• UGJAY a jail ...1930 US Pig Latin for 'jug'
• UNDERGROUND KITE an illicit letter passed in prison ...c1910 US prison sl.
• UNDERGROUND TUNNEL, THE the system by which contraband articles, such as whisky, drugs, etc. are brought into a prison ...1904 US prison sl.
• UNIVERSITY, THE † any large London prison ...1770 UK criminals' sl.
• UPSTATE prison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• VACATION 1. the period a criminal spends out of prison ...L19 sl.
2. time spent in prison ...1920s US sl.
• VACATION PLACE a jail or prison ...1970 Amer. dial.
• VILLE, THE Pentonville prison, London ...1920 sl.
• VIRTUE REWARDED prison ...L19 sl.
• WALDORF-ASTORIA an especially spartan solitary confinement cell ...1976 US sl.
• WALK 1. a release from jail ...1965 US sl.
2. the regular patrol route of a prison warder ...1990s US prison sl.
• WALKING PAPERS an office notice to inform a prisoner that they have finished their sentence ...1960s US prison sl.
• WALL CITY San Quentin prison, California ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• WALLED-OFF ASTORIA a jail ...1966 Amer. dial.
• WALLED-OFF HOTEL n. a jail ...1966 Amer. dial.
• WARD * 1. care or charge of a prisoner; the condition of being a prisoner; custody, imprisonment ...c1290
† 2. a prison ...1338
• WARDHOUSE † a guard-house for prisoners ...1590 Sc.
• WARDING imprisonment ...1497 Sc.
• WARDING-PLACE † a place of confinement for prisoners ...1573 Sc.
• WOODPILE the area in a prison yard where White prisoners exercise ...1989 US sl.
• WORKS, THE a convict establishment ...c1870 prison sl.
• WRITE-UP a disciplinary report ...1920s US prison sl.
• WRITING a means of smuggling drugs into prison; a letter is soaked in some form of narcotized solution and the text of the letter makes it clear, with simple codes, that this has been done ...1930s US drugs & prison sl.
• X-ROW the area in a prison housing inmates condemned to death ...1992 US sl.
• YARD 1. the recreation area of a prison ...1930s US prison sl.
2. in prison, your cell ...1950 W. Indies and UK Black sl.
• ZOO a prison ...1920s sl.
• ZUUZUUS AND WHAMWHAMS confectionery sold to the prisoners ...1960s US prison sl.
PRISON, PRISONER - nouns, person (also see CONVICT)
• ACADEMICIAN a prisoner ...E19 sl.
• ACCIDENTAL a prison inmate convicted for a social crime ...1930s US prison sl.
• ACE-DEUCE a fellow prisoner upon whom you can rely without question ...1989 US sl.
• ACES HIGH a prison inmate popular among his peers ...1930s sl., orig. US prison
• ALL-NIGHTER a person who stays in jail all night after being arrested ...1992 US sl.
• ASS OUT an inmate who has neither advantages nor respect ...2000s US prison sl.
• ATLAS 1. a very strong prisoner ...1980s US prison sl.
2. a prisoner who attempts to carry out everything unaided ...1980s US prison sl.
• BUTTERFLY a new, young, and attractive prisoner, characterized as being potentially appealing to prison homosexuals ...1990s US criminals' sl.
• CAITIFF † a captive, a prisoner ...1330
• CAMEL a prisoner who neglects personal hygiene ...1990s Aust. prison sl.
• CANARY 1. a prisoner; a very old cant term for habitual offenders; 'a person used to be kept in a cage' ...Bk1891 sl.
2. a prisoner who has been caught in an escape attempt ...L19 UK prison sl.
• CANARY-BIRD a prisoner; a very old cant term for habitual offenders; 'a person used to be kept in a cage' ...1673 sl.
• CAPSULE CON a prisoner convicted on drug charges ...1970 US sl.
• CARP a Black prisoner ...1989 US sl.
• CARVIE 1. a fellow prisoner who shares in a supply of tobacco, perhaps by subscription to a common supply ...1950 UK sl.
2. a prisoner who deals in contraband tobacco; a tobacco baron ...1996 UK sl.
• CELL GANGSTER one who poses as tough while in their cell but follows orders elsewhere ...2000s US prison sl.
• CELLIE a cellmate ...1966 Amer. prison sl.
• CELL WARRIOR one who poses as tough while in their cell but follows orders elsewhere ...2000s US prison sl.
• CENTERMAN a prisoner who toadies to the guards ...20C Can. & US prison sl.
• CHUM a companion, bedfellow; a fellow prisoner ...Bk1890 sl.
• CHUMP a deliberate insult, implying the subject's weakness and/or homosexuality; the spur to a fight ...1990s US prison sl.
• CON a prisoner; a convict ...1888 sl.
• COPPER a prisoner, esp. a convict, that informs on his fellow prisoners ...1885 sl.
• CRACKERS prisoners that are insane or epileptic or suicidal or injured in head and spine ...20C sl.
• CRANK a prison bully ...1958 US sl.
• CREEP a prisoner who is neither respected nor liked ...1951 US sl.
• DAD a homosexual prisoner's 'owner' (protector and lover) ...1992 US prison sl.
• DADDY 1. a leader (through intimidation and other influence) of the inmates in a borstal or prison ...1940s UK prison sl.
2. the active, or 'masculine' partner of a prison homosexual couple ...1960s US prison sl.
• DEADLOCKER one who is in solitary confinement or deprived of privileges ...1940s US prison sl.
• DEBUTANTE a woman serving her first jail sentence ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• EARLY RISER an inmate who is granted an early parole ...1960s US prison sl.
• EASY-DOER one who copes well with prison life ...1940s US prison sl.
• FANTAIL a highly promiscuous prison homosexual ...1960s US prison sl.
• FIDO a trusty ...1930s US prison sl.
• FISH a new prisoner; a recent arrival ...1982 Amer. dial.
• FRESH MEAT a new, young inmate, a potential victim of predatory prison homosexuals ...1960s US criminals' sl.
• GAFFER a dominant prisoner ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• GALLOWS-ROGUE a jailbird, a rascal; a good-for-nothing ...1894 Eng. dial.
• GALLOWS-TAG a jailbird, a rascal; a good-for-nothing ...Bk1900 Eng. dial.
• GALLOWS-TANG a jailbird, a rascal; a good-for-nothing ...1887 Eng. dial.
• GAOL-BIRD someone who has been in prison a long time or is often sent to prison ...1618 sl.
• GIRLFRIEND the male lover of another prisoner ...1950s S. Afr. prison sl.
• GUNSLINGER an inmate who habitually exposes himself to female guards ...1990s Amer. prison sl.
• HARD CANDY a person who has been identified for revenge by a prison gang ...1997 US sl.
• HIGH POWER a convict who, on the grounds of good behaviour and trustworthiness, is allotted a privileged position in prison ...1970s Aust., UK, & US prison sl.
• IDLE POOR unemployed convicts ...1933 US prison sl.
• JAIL-BIRD someone who has been in prison a long time or is often sent to prison ...1603 sl.
• KNICK-KNACK a man who is raped frequently in prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• LAG a prisoner ...1812 sl.
• LIFER a convict serving a life sentence ...1830 Amer. prison sl.
• LONG-FINGERED LOUSE an inmate who steals from other inmates ...1936 Amer. prison sl.
• LOSER someone who has been to prison ...1912 US sl.
• MAGPIE convict clothing (coloured yellow and black); hence, the convict who wears it ...M19 Aust. & UK prison sl.
• MAINLINER a convict who is part of the main prison population, rather than those held in punishment cells ...1940s US prison sl.
• MAMA an inmate who poses as a woman ...1970s US prison sl.
• MICKEY a fellow inmate ...1940s US prison sl.
• MICKIE a fellow inmate ...1940s US prison sl.
• MICKY a fellow inmate ...1940s US prison sl.
• MILCH-COW a prisoner who is generous in bribing warders; one who is easily tricked out of money or property ...L17 UK prison sl.
• MPATA a new inmate, a fool; one who has not yet learned how to cope with prison conditions ...1980s S. Afr. criminal sl.
• MUGGER a prisoner who preyed on fellow prisoners ...US Civil War usage
• MUPPET a retarded, incapacitated or grotesque person; generally applied to hospital inmates, mentally deranged prisoners, or to unattractive teenagers by their peers ...Brit. sl.
• MUSTARD-POT a catamite in a prison ...M20 US sl.
• NATURAL PUNK in prison: a man who had been homosexual outside prison ...1972 US sl.
• NEWGATE-BIRD a thief, a sharper, a jailbird ...1607 sl.
• NEWGATE-NIGHTINGALE a thief, a sharper, a jailbird ...c1531 sl.
• NEW MEAT a new inmate ...1930s US prison sl.
• NICK-NACK a man who is raped frequently in prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• NIC-NAC a man who is raped frequently in prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• NIGHT CRAWLER a prisoner who steals from other inmates ...1950s US criminals' sl.
• NOBLE an influential, respected prisoner ...1976 US sl.
• OLD BIRD an old hand in prison ...1877 UK sl.
• OLD DOG an experienced convict ...c1820 Aust. prison sl.
• OLD HEAD 1. a veteran prisoner ...1927 US sl.
2. an older prisoner ...2002 US sl.
• OLD TIMER a prisoner that has served more than five years ...20C US prison sl.
• OLD WOMEN, THE the prisoners, who, being unfit for physically hard work, are employed in knitting stockings ...c1865 UK prison sl.
• PAD MATE in prison: the inmate with whom a cell is shared ...1996 UK sl.
• PAD SHARK a prisoner who steals from others' cells ...1996 UK sl.
• PASSMAN a prisoner allowed to leave his cell in order to enjoy certain privileges ...1965 sl.
• PIGGY one who has been jailed for bestiality ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• PUNK a young prisoner ...Bk1974 Amer. sl.
• QUASIMODO the prisoner who is responsible for cleaning the prison chapel ...1923 sl.
• QUEER FELLOW a prisoner condemned to hang ...1980s sl.
• QUIM a heterosexual inmate, subjected to homosexual rape ...1970s US prison & homosexual sl.
• QUOD a prisoner ...E19 sl.
• RABBIT a prisoner who is known for attempting to escape prison ...1972 US sl.
• RADIO a prisoner who talks loudly and without paying attention to who might be listening ...1976 US sl.
• RAH-RAH a female inmate who fraternizes with the authorities ...1990s US prison sl.
• RAMPER one who initiates a new prisoner by robbing them of their possessions ...E19 UK prison sl.
• RAT a thieving prisoner ...1900s US criminals' sl.
• RED BAND a privileged prisoner, allowed to carry out special duties ...1950 sl.
• SCAB an inmate who curries favour with the authorities ...1970s NZ prison sl.
• SILVERTAIL 1. a better-class prisoner ...c1930 Aust. prison sl.
2. a prisoner who enjoys privileges ...1950 Aust. sl.
3. a prisoner who colludes with the authorities ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• SOLID a trustworthy fellow criminal or prison inmate ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• SOLID CON a trustworthy fellow criminal or prison inmate ...20C US criminals' sl.
• STAR a convict serving a first prison sentence ...1903 Brit. sl.
• TAILER a stool pigeon in a jail ...1930 US prison sl.
• TAKE-OFF ARTIST an escaped prisoner ...1996 UK sl.
• TOBACCO BARON a prisoner who controls the supply of cigarettes to other prisoners, and so dominates them ...1964 sl.
• TRAC an intractable prisoner ...1967 Aust. sl.
• UP AND UP GEE an inmate who has not properly learned prison survival ...20C US criminals' sl.
• UPPER TEN PUSH a grouping of upper-class prisoners ...L19 Aust. prison sl.
• VIKING an inmate who has a very dirty or untidy cell ...2000s US prison sl.
• WALKALONE a prisoner who has to exercise alone ...2000s US prison sl.
• WALK-BUDDY in prison: a close friend and steady companion ...1976 US sl.
• WALKIE-TALKIE a prisoner who is over-friendly towards the authorities ...1990s Aust. & US prison sl.
• WALLFLOWER a prisoner obsessed with the possibility of escape ...1980s UK prison sl.
• WARDER †* a person in ward, a prisoner ...1584 Sc.
• WOMBLE in prison: an inmate detailed as a litter collector ...2003 UK sl.
• WRINKLE an old prisoner ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• WRINKLY an old prisoner ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• WRIT BUG a prison inmate who becomes a self-taught lawyer, either to pursue their own case, to combat prison corruption, or to help fellow inmates ...1940s US prison sl.
• WRIT WRITER a prison inmate who becomes a self-taught lawyer, either to pursue their own case, to combat prison corruption, or to help fellow inmates ...1940s US prison sl.
• WRONG 'UN in prison: a sex offender or convicted paedophile; an informer ...1996 UK sl.
• X-CAT an inmate who is in need of mental health care ...2000s US prison sl.
• YARDBIRD a prisoner, a convict ...1956 US sl.
• YARDBIRD LAWYER a prison inmate who has become a self-taught lawyer, either to pursue his own case, to combat prison corruption, or to help fellow inmates ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• YARD BUDDY a close friend in prison ...1974 US sl.
• YARD QUEEN a prison homosexual ...2000s US prison sl.
• YARD RAT a prisoner who frequents the prison yard, socializing with friends ...1990s US prison sl.
PRISON, PRISON OFFICERS, ETC. - nouns, person, other
• ABBEY-CROAKER the chaplain of Newgate ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• ABBOT a prison warden ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• ADAM a prison warder ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• BABYLON the police; a prison warder ...1940s sl., orig. W. Indies, then UK & US Black
• BABYSITTER a prison officer ...20C Can. sl.
• CABALLO a person who smuggles drugs into a prison ...1992 US sl.
• CAGE AND KEY MAN a prison guard responsible for a particular row of cells ...20C US prison sl.
• CARCERIST one who advocates or has to do with prisons ...1821 nonce word
• COP a warder, a guard ...1970s US prison sl.
• COPPER JOHN a prison warden ...1910s US criminals' sl.
• CRANK a prison guard who takes pleasure in making life difficult for prisoners ...1981 US sl.
• CROAKER a prison doctor ...1859 sl., now mainly US
• DEACON a prison warden ...1949 US sl.
• DEAN OF MEN a prison warden ...1949 US sl.
• DICK-SMACKER a prison guard ...1984 US sl.
• FATHER TIME the warden ...1940s US prison sl.
• GABRIEL the chapel organist ...1930s US prison sl.
• GAGGER † a prison warder or keeper ...1782 UK sl.
• GUN-BULL an armed prison guard ...1928 US sl.
• HACK a guard, esp. one in a jail or prison ...1914 US sl.
• HACKER a prison guard ...1990s US prison sl.
• HAEMORRHOID a prison officer ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• HAM AND BEEF the chief warder of a prison ...1941 rhyming sl. for 'chief'
• HAWK a guard in a federal prison ...1936 Amer. dial.
• HEMO a prison officer ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• JAILERESS a female jailer ...1748
• JAILORESS a female jailer ...1748
• JAVELER † a jailer ...c1450 Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
• JIGGER a doorkeeper; a jailor or turnkey ...1749 sl.
• JIGGER-DUBBER a doorkeeper; a jailor or turnkey ...1781 sl.
• KANGA a prison warder ...1920s rhyming sl. for 'screw' (kangaroo)
• KANGAROO a prison warder ...1920s rhyming sl. for 'screw'
• KEY a prison officer ...1934 US sl.
• KEYS a prison officer ...1934 US sl.
• LADY GREEN a prison chaplain ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• LAW a prison warder ...1940s US prison sl.
• LAW, THE a warder ...1920s US prison sl.
• MAN, THE any man or group in charge of an institution, a commanding officer, esp. a prison warden, a policeman ...1910s sl., orig. US
• MR. WRIGHT a warder 'going between' a prisoner and his friends ...19C sl.
• MULLIGAN a prison guard; used derisively by prisoners ...1939 US sl.
• NEW LIGHT one who attends the prisons to assist villains in evading justice ...1823 sl.
• NIGHT BULL a guard who works the night shift ...1960s US prison sl.
• NIGHT COCKY in prison: a night patrolman ...2000 Brit. sl.
• OFFICER † a jailer; an executioner ...a1600
• PACK HORSE a person, usually a guard, who brings contraband into prison ...1984 US sl.
• PARTICULARS any member of the authorities who has an immediate effect on a prisoner's life, a warder, the sentencing judge, the parole board, etc. ...1970s US prison sl.
• POH-POH a prison officer ...1980s US prison sl.
• PO-PO a prison officer ...1980s US prison sl.
• PUDDING AND BEEF a chief prison officer ...Brit. rhyming sl.
• QUAD CULL a prison warder, a turnkey ...M18 sl.
• QUAECALL a turnkey; a jailer ...L18 US criminals' sl.
• QUA-KEEPER a 'gaoler' ...L18 cant
• QUEER COVE a turnkey ...M19 sl.
• QUOD COVE the governor of a prison ...E19 UK criminals' sl.
• QUOD CULL a prison warder, a turnkey ...M18 sl.
• RAMBO an intolerant prison officer who would rather punish inmates ...2002 UK sl.
• SAFE SCREW a corrupt prison officer ...1996 UK prison sl.
• SAINT an incorruptible prison officer or police officer ...1996 UK sl.
• SCREW a prison warder ...1812 sl.
• SPLIT FINGER a clerk; a prison clerk ...1930s US prison & criminals' sl.
• STREET-WALKER a jailer; a turnkey ...Bk1904 sl.
• TRACK a warder who carries contraband for prisoners ...1950 Aust. sl.
• TWIRL a prison warder ...1891 sl.
• UNDER DUBBER a turnkey; an assistant jailer ...1850s sl.
• UNDER DUBSMAN a turnkey; an assistant jailer ...1850s sl.
• UNIFORM a prison officer ...1970s
• VET a prison doctor ...1974 S. Afr. sl.
• WARDERESS a female warder in a prison ...1878
• WARDRESS a female warder in a prison ...1878
• WARDSMAN a watchman who is responsible for prisoners ...1683
• WHITE COAT a hospital attendant in prison ...1932 cant
• WHITESHIRT a senior prison officer ...1996 UK sl.
• YARD BULL a prison guard ...1930s sl.
• YARD HACK a prison guard ...20C US sl.
• YARD PATROL a prison guard ...20C US prison sl.
• ZOMBIE a prison officer who looks permanently miserable and humourless ...1980s UK prison sl.
PRISON, PRISON SENTENCE - nouns
• ACE a 1-year jail sentence ...1927 US criminals' sl.
• ACRE a prison sentence, cited variously as 1 month, 12 months or 'plenty' ...1930s Aust. & US sl.
• ACRE OF CORN a prison sentence, cited variously as 1 month, 12 months or 'plenty' ...1930s Aust. & US sl.
• ALL DAY a life sentence ...1970s US criminals' sl.
• ALL DAY AND A NIGHT a life sentence without the opportunity of parole ...2000s US prison sl.
• ALL DAY FROM A QUARTER a sentence of 25 years to life ...1970s US criminals' sl.
• ALL THE YEAR ROUND a 12-month prison sentence ...1920s Aust. sl.
• ANCHOR a brake applied to a death sentence, a stay of execution ...Brit. sl.
• BABY LIFE 1. the maximum sentence that prisoners must serve (6 years, 4 months) before a parole board is bound to consider their case for the first time ...1950s US prison sl.
2. a prison sentence of at least ten years ...2002 US sl.
• BEGGAR'S LAGGING a prison sentence of 90 days ...1950 UK sl.
• BEN NEVIS a long prison sentence ...2002 UK sl.
• BID a prison sentence ...1965 US prison sl.
• BIG BIT a long prison sentence ...1940s US criminals' sl.
• BIG BITCH a conviction under any crime that carries a mandatory life sentence, or a sentence so long that it is an equivalent ...1960s US prison sl.
• BIRD a prison sentence ...1924 Brit. sl.
• BIRD-LIME imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1857 Brit. rhyming slang for 'time'
• BIT imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1866 sl.
• BITCH a conviction under any crime that carries a mandatory life sentence, or a sentence so long that it is an equivalent ...1960s US prison sl.
• BOTH HANDS a ten-year prison sentence ...1930s Amer. sl.
• BOUNCE a jail or prison sentence ...1957 US sl.
• CALENDAR a prison sentence of one year ...1926 US sl.
• CARPET 1. a three month period of imprisonment ...1903 UK sl.
2. a three year sentence of imprisonment ...1956 UK sl.
• CARPET BAG, A three months' imprisonment ...1903 Brit. sl.
• CLOCK, THE twelve months imprisonment ...1950 Aust. sl.
• C-NOTE a prison sentence of 100 years ...1990 US sl.
• CREDIT a reduction of a jail sentence due to good behaviour ...1949 US sl.
• DIME a ten year prison sentence ...1967 US sl.
• DIPSEY a sentence to a workhouse, country jail, minor prison ...c1910 tramps’ sl.
• DIPSY a sentence to a workhouse, country jail, minor prison ...c1910 tramps’ sl.
• DOOR the end of one's prison sentence ...2000s US prison sl.
• DOUBLE NICKEL a ten-year prison sentence ...1998 US sl.
• DOUBLE SAW twenty years imprisonment ...1930 US sl.
• DOUBLE SAWBUCK twenty years imprisonment ...1930 US sl.
• DUCK a prison sentence of two years ...1990 US sl.
• EARTH SIS NOMS a 3-month prison term ...M19 back-slang
• EARTH SITH-NOMS a 3-month prison sentence ...M19 back-slang
• EVLENET SITH-NOMS 12 months, usually as a prison sentence ...M19 back-slang
• FALL imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1933 US sl.
• FLUMMUT a 1 month prison sentence ...M19 sl.
• GAG an indefinite prison sentence ...1958 US sl.
• HAIRCUT a short term of imprisonment, in a local prison from a few weeks up to 2-3 months, or in a convict prison for 3-5 years ...1940s UK prison sl.
• HALF A DOLLAR a prison sentence of 50 years ...1990 US sl.
• HALF A STRETCH 6 months imprisonment; also used by criminals for any period of 6 months ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• HALF STRETCH 6 months imprisonment; also used by criminals for any period of 6 months ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• HANDFUL, A five years imprisonment ...1930 sl.
• HITCH a term of imprisonment ...1923 Amer. sl.
• HUMP the middle section of a prison sentence ...1962 US sl.
• ICEBOX a life sentence ...1930s US prison sl.
• JACKET a jail sentence ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• JACK KETCH a jail sentence ...L19 sl.
• JADE a long term of imprisonment ...Bk1896 Amer. thieves' sl.
• JOLT a prison sentence, usually with the number of years specified, as a 'six-year jolt' ...1910s US criminals' sl.
• KATH a prison sentence of indeterminate time ...1910s Aust. sl.
• KATHLEEN MAROON a 3-year prison sentence ...1910s Aust. sl.
• KATHLEEN MAVOURNEEN a prison sentence of indeterminate length ...1910 Aust. & NZ sl.
• L a life sentence ...L19 US prison sl.
• LAG 1. any length of sentence ...1910s prison sl.
2. a 3-month sentence ...1930s Aust. prison sl.
• LAGGING 1. a penal term of more than three years ...c1850 cant
2. any prison sentence ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• LEG a term of imprisonment or transportation ...1821 sl.
• LIFE life imprisonment ...1833 Aust.
• LIFE ON THE INSTALLMENT PLAN a series of prison sentences with brief periods of freedom between, which have the cumulative effect of a life sentence ...1949 US sl.
• LITTLE BITCH an exceptionally long prison sentence ...1970s US prison sl.
• MAG a six month jail sentence ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• MAGAZINE six months to a year in jail ...1926 Amer. prison sl.
• MOON a month's imprisonment ...1830 sl.
• NAG-DRAG a three-month period of imprisonment ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• NATURAL 1. a life sentence ...1930 Amer. prison sl.
2. a seven-year sentence ...1930 Amer. prison sl.
• NEWSPAPER thirty days imprisonment ...1926 sl.
• NICE BIT a long prison sentence, i.e. 10 years or more ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• NO-TRUMP a life prison sentence without chance of parole ...1976 US sl.
• ONE HUNDRED SMACKERS a prison sentence of 100 years ...1990s US prison sl.
• PACKAGE 1. a sentence of imprisonment ...1912 US criminals' sl.
2. a (long) prison term ...1950s US criminals' sl.
• PACKET a long sentence ...1990s US prison sl.
• PADDY DOYLE imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1919 Brit. services' sl.
• PAPER TIME the additional years added to a prison sentence because of publicity surrounding the crime, criminal, and/or trial ...1962 US sl.
• PONTOON, A twenty-one months imprisonment ...1950 Brit. sl.
• PORRIDGE imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1954 Brit. sl.
• QUART a one year prison sentence ...1950s W. Indies sl.
• QUARTER 1. a 3-month prison sentence ...L19 UK criminals' sl.
2. a prison sentence of 25 years ...1964 US sl.
• QUARTER BIT a jail sentence of three months ...1977 UK sl.
• QUARTER STRETCH a jail sentence of three months ...1977 UK sl.
• RAP 1. imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1927 sl., chiefly US
2. a 1-year sentence ...1930s US prison sl.
• READ OF TRIPE transportation for life ...M19 rhyming sl.
• ROFE a four-year prison sentence ...1940s US prison back slang
• ROFEFIL a life sentence ...M19 back slang
• ROUF, A four years imprisonment ...1950 Brit. sl.
• SANE a 10-year prison sentence ...1930s Aust. sl.
• SAWBUCK ten years' imprisonment ...1925 US sl.
• SEIN a 10-year prison sentence ...1930s Aust. sl.
• SIXER six months' imprisonment or hard labour ...1849 sl.
• SKIN BEEF a prison sentence for an unspecified sexual crime ...1976 US sl.
• SLEEP, A a comparatively short prison sentence ...1911 sl., orig. US
• SPELL a sentence of 3 months imprisonment ...L19 sl.
• SPLIT BIT an indeterminate sentence, subject to the decisions of the parole board ...1950s US criminals' sl.
• SPOT imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1901 US sl.
• STATE TIME a prison sentence served in a state prison ...1995 US sl.
• STRETCH imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1821 sl.
• TAIL-PIECE a term of three months imprisonment ...1859 UK criminals' sl.
• TAXI, A between five and fifteen years imprisonment ...1930 US sl.
• TENNER a ten-year prison sentence ...1866 Amer. prison sl.
• TEN-SPOT a ten-year prison sentence ...1928 Amer. prison sl.
• TIME imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1837 sl.
• TRAMP'S LAGGING a prison sentence of 90 days ...1950 UK sl.
• TRAY, A three years' imprisonment ...1887 sl.
• TREY, A three years' imprisonment ...1887 sl.
• TRICK imprisonment; a prison sentence ...1933 US sl.
• UNDERTAKER a life sentence; any other very long sentence ...1935 US prison sl.
• V a 5 year prison sentence ...1930s US prison sl.
• VALENTINE a short prison sentence, maximum 1 year ...1920s US prison sl.
• WAKE-UP n. a short time remaining on a jail sentence or term of military service, esp. the last morning ...1950 US sl.
• WALKING TICKET an official notice to inform a prisoner that they have finished their sentence ...1950s Aust. & US prison sl.
• WOLF a prison sentence of 15 years ...1990s US sl.
• WOODENER a sentence of imprisonment for 30 days
...1950 UK rhyming sl., 'wooden spoon' for 'moon'
• WOODEN SPOON a month's imprisonment ...1998 UK rhyming sl. for 'moon'
• YARD 1. a year; thus a sentence of 1 year ...1930s US prison sl.
2. a prison sentence of 100 years ...1969 US sl.
PRISON, PRISON VEHICLE - nouns
• KWELA-KWELA a police or prison wagon ...1950s S. Afr. Black sl.
• MEAT WAGON a prison-service or police vehicle used for confining and transporting prisoners ...1954 UK sl.
• SABLE MARIA a police or prison van ...L19 sl.
• SARDINE-BOX. a prison-van ...1909 sl.
PRISON - verbs
• BABYSIT to act as a mentor or protector for newly arrived prisoners ...1984 US sl.
• BACKDOOR of one prisoner, just released: to cuckold one who remains imprisoned ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• BAG to catch (a wrongdoer); hence, to arrest, to put in jail ...1824 Amer. sl.
• BAIL † to liberate from imprisonment ...1581
• BANG UP 1. to send to prison ...1950 Brit. sl.
2. to lock up a prisoner in his or her cell, esp. for the night ...prison sl.
• BASTILLE to confine in a bastille; to imprison ...1742
• BEAT to escape from prison ...1902 Amer. sl.
• BEAT THE RAP to escape punishment, esp. a prison sentence ...1927 US sl.
• BECK to imprison ...1861 cant
• BECLOSE † to shut up or in; to enclose, to imprison ...c1000
• BESHUT † to shut in, to enclose, to surround; to shut up, to confine, to imprison ...a1300
• BOARD OUT to spend time in jail ...1935 Amer. dial.
• BOTTLE in prison, to conceal articles such as drugs or money in the rectum ...1996 UK sl.
• BOX to imprison ...1979 Amer. sl.
• BREAK STONE to serve a sentence of penal servitude ...1929 sl.
• CABOOSE to imprison ...L19 US sl.
• CAGE to imprison ...Bk1974 Amer. sl.
• CAGE IN to imprison
• CALABOOSE to imprison ...1840 Amer. & nautical sl.
• CAN to imprison; to lock up ...1929 US police sl.
• CARCEIR † to imprison ...1630-56 Sc.
• CARCERATE to imprison, to incarcerate, to confine ...1839
• CARRY A CASE to be out of prison on bail 1996 UK sl.
• CARRY IT TO THE DOOR to serve all of a prison sentence ...2002 US sl.
• CLAP UNDER HATCHES to incarcerate ...1945 Amer. dial.
• CLINK to put in prison ...c1850 sl.
• COB to imprison ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• COME SHORT HOME to be put in prison ...17C colloq.
• COP to imprison ...M19 UK criminals' sl.
• COP A HEEL to attack from behind ...20C US prison sl.
• COP AND HEEL to attack from behind ...20C US prison sl.
• CRACK to break jail; to escape from prison ...1791 Amer. prison sl.
• CRACK THE QUA to break out of jail ...1807 Amer. sl.
• CRUSH to escape from prison ...Bk1974 Amer. sl.
• CRUSH OUT to escape from prison ...Bk1974 Amer. criminals' sl.
• DINE IN in prison, to eat in your cell rather than communally ...1950 UK sl.
• DIS(S) to release, to discharge, as from prison ...1990 US sl.
• DITCH to be sent to prison ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• DO ONE'S BIRD to serve a prison sentence ...1924 Brit. sl.
• DO ONE'S OWN TIME to serve a prison sentence without becoming involved in any of the prison gangs, illicit business, etc. ...20C US criminals' & prison sl.
• DO TIME to serve a prison sentence ...1837 sl.
• DUB UP to lock someone up in a prison cell ...1753 sl.
• EMPTY to be transferred suddenly to another prison ...1980s Aust. prison sl.
• FALL to be arrested or convicted; to be imprisoned ...1873 Amer. criminals' sl.
• FETCH THE FARM to have oneself admitted to the prison infirmary; to be ordered prison infirmary diet and treatment ...Bk1901 sl.
• GAFFLE to lock up in solitary confinement ...1960s US prison sl.
• GET A FALL to be arrested, to be imprisoned ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• GET THE DARK to be confined in a punishment cell ...c1880 criminals' sl.
• GO DOWN to send or be sent to prison ...1906 sl.
• GO OVER THE ROAD to be committed to the penitentiary ...Bk1913-17 Amer. dial.
• GO OVER THE WALL 1. to go to prison ...Amer. World War I sl.
2. to escape from prison ...1935 sl.
• GO TO STIR to go to prison ...Amer. World War I sl.
• GO TO THE BASKET to go to prison ...1632
• HAVE IT AWAY to escape from prison or impending arrest ...1950s sl.
• HAVE IT AWAY ON ONE'S TOES to escape from prison or impending arrest ...1950s sl.
• HIT THE BRICKS to be set free from prison ...1931 US sl.
• ICE 1. to sentence someone to imprisonment ...1925 US criminals' sl.
2. to place in solitary confinement ...1933 US sl.
• ICE DOWN to imprison ...1930s US criminals' sl.
• IMMURE to shut up or enclose within walls; to imprison; to confine as in a prison or fortress ...1588
• INWARD † to imprison, to put in ward ...1802 Sc.
• JACK to serve a prison sentence ...1960s US prison sl.
• JUG to arrest or imprison ...1841 US sl.
• KITE to smuggle a letter or message into or out of prison ...1925 sl.
• KNOCK DOWN to serve a prison sentence ...1990s US prison sl.
• LAG 1. to send someone to prison or transport them ...1812 sl.
2. to imprison on trumped up charges and faked evidence ...1910s US criminals' sl.
3. to be serving a prison sentence ...1927 UK sl.
• LAM THE JOINT to escape from prison ...1932 US sl.
• LAY † to put in or commit to prison ...c1250
• LAY UNDER HATCHES to incarcerate ...1945 Amer. dial.
• LAY UP † to place in confinement, to imprison ...1565
• LIFE OFF to sentence someone to life imprisonment ...2000 UK sl.
• MAKE A LAM to escape from prison ...1928 US sl.
• MAX to complete a maximum prison sentence ...1972 US sl.
• MAX OUT to complete a maximum prison sentence
...1972 US sl.
• MILN UP to lock into a cell ...1940s UK prison sl.
• NEWGATE to imprison ...1740 sl.
• PACK to carry contraband in and out of a prison; to carry a concealed weapon ...1960s US prison sl.
• PACK A BIT AWAY to serve a term of imprisonment ...c1918 US prison sl.
• PACK IN to serve or complete a prison sentence ...1935 US criminals' sl.
• PANNAM BOUND to stop the issue of rations to a prisoner ...M19 UK prison sl.
• PARTAKE OF HER MAJESTY'S HOSPITALITY to spend time in prison ...L19 sl.
• PARTAKE OF HIS MAJESTY'S HOSPITALITY to spend time in prison ...L19 sl.
• PENETENTIAR to send to prison ...1924 Amer. dial.
• PENETENTIR to send to prison ...1927 Amer. dial.
• PENITENTIARY to send to prison ...1974 Amer. dial.
• PENITENTURE to send to prison ...1963 Amer. dial.
• PLAY THE FAG ROLE to pretend sexual interest in another inmate; the aim being to annoy a third party ...2000s US prison sl.
• POLISH THE KING'S IRON WITH ONE'S EYEBROW to look out of grated or prison windows ...1785 sl.
• PROGRAMME in prison: to follow the rules and avoid trouble in hope of an early release ...1981 US sl.
• PULL to serve time in prison or in the armed forces ...1961 US sl.
• PULL TIME to be sentenced to imprisonment ...1950 US sl.
• PUT AWAY to send to prison ...1872 sl.
• PUT ONE'S PEN TO THE WIND of a prisoner: to tell an officer to file disciplinary report; of an officer: to tell a prisoner to file a grievance ...2000s US prison sl.
• QUEER THE QUOD to break out of jail ...L18 US criminals' sl.
• QUOD 1. to put in prison ...1812 sl.
2. to serve a prison sentence ...L19 sl.
• RACK THE BARS to open or close a prison cell door ...1992 US sl.
• RACK UP in prison: to return prisoners to their cells ...1990 US sl.
• RAILROAD to send a person directly to prison without proof of guilt, due process of law, or a fair trial; to send to jail by false evidence or by cheating, tricking, deceiving, or framing ...L19 Amer. sl.
• RAISE to escape, to get out of, to be released from prison ...1960s US sl.
• RAISE UP to be given leave or parole to leave a prison ...1970s US prison sl.
• RAMP to search a prisoner or a prison cell ...1919 Aust. sl.
• SALT to initiate a new prisoner ...1940s UK prison sl.
• SCAB of an inmate: to curry favour with the authorities ...1970s NZ prison sl.
• SEND DOWN to send to prison ...1840 sl., orig. US
• SEND UP to send someone to prison ...1852 sl., now US
• SETTLE to send to prison ...1899 US sl.
• SKATE to be in a forbidden area of the prison ...2000s US prison sl.
• SLOUGH to send or be sent to prison ...1848 sl.
• SMELL OF THE ROAST to get into prison ...1696 sl.
• SPRING 1. to leave prison ...1900 sl., orig. US
2. to bail someone out of jail; to obtain the release of a person from prison ...1920s US sl.
• TAG to imprison ...1950s sl.
• TAKE A DROP to be arrested, to be imprisoned ...1920s US criminals' sl.
• TAKE A FALL to be arrested or convicted; to be imprisoned ...1928 sl.
• TAKE A FLIER to escape from prison ...20C US prison sl.
• TAKE A FLYER to escape from prison ...20C US prison sl.
• TAKE AN IMMEDIATE DUCK to escape from prison ...1934 US prison sl.
• TAKE A RAP to take a punishment, often a prison sentence, that is actually due to someone else ...c1886 US criminals' sl.
• TAKE A TRIP TO THE COUNTRY to go to prison ...1945 Aust. criminals' sl.
• TAKE A WALK UP BACK to be moved from one's cell to the execution chamber ...1920s US prison sl.
• TAKE FRENCH LEAVE to escape while on trust outside the prison walls ...1935 US prison sl.
• TAKE IT ON ONE'S TOES to escape from prison or impending arrest ...1950s sl.
• TAKE IT ON THE ARTHUR DUFFY to run away; to escape from prison ...c1915 US prison sl.
• TAKE IT ON THE HEEL AND TOE to depart, esp. swiftly and quietly to evade justice; to escape from prison ...c1915 US prison sl.
• TAKE IT OUT to serve a prison term rather than pay a fine ...L19 Aust. sl.
• TAKE ONE'S DEGREES to be imprisoned, to serve a sentence ...E19 sl.
• TAKE ONE'S WALK UP BACK to move into the condemned-to-death cell ...1929 US criminals' sl.
• TAKE STRIPES to be sent to prison ...L19 US sl.
• TAKE THE RAP to serve a prison sentence, esp. for protection of another guilty person ...c1886 US sl.
• UNHOOK to release from being arrested or from prison ...1950s sl.
• VIKING to live a good life, with plenty of material comforts, despite being incarcerated ...2000s US prison sl.
• WALK to be released from prison or arrest ...1950s US prison & criminals' sl.
• WALK THE BLACK DOG ON to inflict a punishment on a new fellow-prisoner who refuses to pay the automatic fine that is levied on him as a new inmate ...L18 UK prison sl.
• WALK THE YARD to methodically walk in a prison open space ...1981 US sl.
• WARD † to keep in close custody or confinement; to imprison ...1390 chiefly Sc.
• WAREHOUSE to put in prison ...1881 sl.
• WIND UP WITH ONE'S JOINT IN ONE'S HAND to be put in jail with no sexual outlet but masturbation ...E20 US criminals' sl.
• WRAP UP to complete the final days of a prison sentence ...1976 US sl.
• WRITE UP to report a convict for misconduct ...1920s US prison sl.
• YANK SOMEONE'S COAT to confront a fellow inmate with a secret they do not wish revealed ...2000s US prison sl.
• YARD OUT to exercise in a prison yard ...1984 US sl.
PRISON - interjections
• OH, MY LEG! a teasing remark, aimed at anyone recently freed from prison ...c1810 sl.
• ON TOP! used as a warning that a prison officer is close ...1996 UK sl.
• RADIO THAT SHIT! used in prison as a demand for quiet ...1981 US sl.
• RADIO THAT! used in prison as a demand for quiet ...1981 US sl.
PRISON - phrases
• ANGEL CAKE AND WINE bread and water as a punishment diet ...1942 Amer. prison sl.
• ANGEL FOOD CAKE AND WINE bread and water as a punishment diet ...1942 Amer. prison sl.
• BEEN TO SEE CAPTAIN BATES? a greeting to a person one knows or suspects has been in prison ...L19 sl.
• FRESH AND SWEET very recently released from jail ...1982 US sl.
• MAN WALKING a signal that a prison officer is approaching ...2000s US prison sl.
• ON THE GRASS out of prison ...1885 Aust. sl.
• OVER THE WALL escaped from prison ...1935 sl.
• PLAYING TOO CLOSE becoming over-familiar and invading the privacy of a fellow inmate ...1960s US prison sl.
• QUODDING DUES ARE CONCERNED it is a matter that will involve imprisonment ...E19 UK criminals' sl.
PRISONER OF WAR - adjectives
• IN THE BAG in the military: taken as a prisoner of war ...1919 Amer. sl.
PRISONER OF WAR - nouns
• CRAMPER a small cage in which a prisoner of war is confined ...1986 US sl.
• ENTRAMELLS bondage, the chains of slavery; prisoners of war ...Bk1900 Sc.
PRISONER OF WAR - nouns, person
• GOON a German guard during World War II ...1945 Brit. & US prisoners-of-war usage
• KRIEGIE an Allied prisoner-of-war in German during World War II ...1944 sl.