Dictionary

take the shilling en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /teɪk ðə ˈʃɪlɪŋ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

A reference to the practice during the 18th and 19th century of a recruiting officer getting a person to enlist in the British Army or Royal Navy by accepting (or being tricked into accepting) a shilling, which was then a soldier’s daily pay. The practice was officially ended in 1879.

Meanings

1. (UK, historical, intransitive) To enlist as a soldier in the British army or navy by accepting a shilling from a recruiting officer.
   • [O]ne fellow was jilted by his miſtreſs and took the ſhilling in deſpair; […] 1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Mohun Appears for the Last Time in This History”, in The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. […] , volume III, London: […] Smith, Elder, & Company, […], →OCLC, page 135:
   • I have taken the King's shilling, but perhaps if you came for me they would let me go back with you. I was a fool when I did it. I don't want to be in the army. 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Strife in Love”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC, part II, page 182:
2. (broadly, dated, intransitive) To enlist as a soldier of any military force; to join the armed forces.
3. (broadly, intransitive, qualifier:generally) To be on the payroll of an organization; to work for an organization.
   • My earlier warnings, both in RAIL and in an article I wrote for The Times, have not fallen on deaf ears. There are many people (I suspect most) in the [rail] industry who recognise that telling people not to use their trains will cause lasting damage, but they are silenced publicly because they are now taking the Government's shilling. 2020 June 17, Christian Wolmar, “The Strategy of ‘Don’t Use the Railways’ Must be Reversed …”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 44:

Forms

Relateds

King's shilling · the world · military service · Queen's shilling · impressment

Translations (5)

cy cymryd swllt y Brenin (to enlist as a soldier in the British army or navy by accepting a shilling from a recruiting officer) · fi värväytyä šillingistä (to enlist as a soldier in the British army or navy by accepting a shilling from a recruiting officer) · fi olla palkkalistoilla (to be on the payroll of an organization) · cy cymryd swllt y Frenhines (to enlist as a soldier in the British army or navy by accepting a shilling from a recruiting officer) · cy listio yn y fyddin (to enlist as a soldier in the British army or navy by accepting a shilling from a recruiting officer)

wikipedia: British Army · wikipedia: BBC · wikipedia: Royal Navy