WORD FOR THE DAY

Your word for today is: monkery, n.2

monkery, n.2
 
[‘The countryside; a district, esp. one frequented by tramps. Hence: the way of life of a tramp.’]

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈmʌŋk(ə)ri/,  U.S. /ˈməŋkəri/
 
Forms:  17– monkery,   18 monkry,   18 munkery.
 
Etymology:Origin uncertain; perhaps <  Shelta munk'ri country, which according to R. A. S. Macalister (Secret Langs. Ireland (1937) 204) may derive <  Irish tearmann church glebe, ‘but being a common cant expression may not be true Shelta’.
 
slang (orig. cant).
 
  The countryside; a district, esp. one frequented by tramps. Hence: the way of life of a tramp.
 
a1790  H. T. Potter New Dict. Cant & Flash (1795), Monkery, the country.
 
1819  J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Mem., Monkery, the country parts of England are called The Monkery.
 
1824  J. Badcock Boxiana IV. 353 Exchanging the unwholesome air of the darkey for the pure invigorating breezes of the monkery.
 
1851  H. Mayhew London Labour I. 247/1 The writer of this account was himself two whole years on the ‘monkry’, before he saw a lodging-house for tramps.
 
1865 Leaves from Diary Celebrated Burglar xxxii. 108/1 Flash Curly..from infancy had to ‘pad the hoof’ along with his parents through the ‘monkery’
 
1865 Leaves from Diary Celebrated Burglar xxxii. 108/1 Thau knoas this 'ere itchy ‘munkery’ better'n I du.
 
1891  F. W. Carew No. 747 xxxv. 413, I slung my 'ook and joined some travellin' Barks..and stalled the monkery with 'em for two or three year.
 
1939  J. B. Priestley Let People Sing x. 257 I'm off to Newcastle. That's a good monkery these days, plenty of smash up there.

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