Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK rural) a talkative woman.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

(US black) drawn to the vocation of preaching.

1994

C. Major Juba to Jive 96: Church-called adj. (1920s–1950s) feeling compelled to become a preacher.

see chop-church n.

(US) a can-opener; also as v.

1951		Western Folklore X 170: Church key. A bottle opener.
1964		Stephenson ‘Misc.’ in AS XXXIX:3 235: church key, n. A bottle opener.
1966		(con. 1958) R. Farina Been Down So Long (1972) 120: Returning a six-pack of Ballantine ale and a church key with a synthetic ruby on the handle.
1970		(con. 1950s) H. Junker ‘The Fifties’ in Eisen Age of Rock 2 (1970) 99: Do you have proof (an I.D.)? Churchkey.
1977		L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 66: She hooked the church key over the top of each bottle and with a sharp rap of her hand [...] opened the bottles.
1987		(con. 1967) Bunch & Cole Reckoning for Kings (1989) 36: Shannon church-keyed a beer for Edmonds.
1993		Eble Campus Sl. Apr.
2003		Practicing Oil Analysis Mag. Jan. 🌐 Further investigation revealed that the technician was using a church key type can opener on the oil containers instead of the proper oil spout.

1. a regular attender at church.

1966

in DARE.

2. (gay) a male homosexual who frequents crowded churches in order to fondle any potential sex partners.

1941		G. Legman ‘Lang. of Homosexuality’ Appendix VII in Henry Sex Variants.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 108: In mission halls and Salvation Army flop-houses, these inexperienced lads might meet a church mouse or flinch bird who proposition young vagrants.

(UK society) the regular post-Sunday matins promenading of fashionable people.

1893		Daily Tel. 17 Mar. in Ware (1909) 77/1: Mr Dutton asked [...] whether she did not part with the money to enable ‘the countess’ on the following Sunday to accompany her to the Church parade in the Park.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

(UK society) a threepenny piece.

1900		Herts. Advertiser 28 Apr. 3/7: The sum of £153 14s. 5d. represented the total offertories, and that the number of coins represented the average value of about threepence. This coin, it would appear, is still regarded as [a] ‘church piece’ in Potter’s Bar.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

any work that proceeds slowly.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(US) everything is finished, no alternative is available.

1932		W.R. Burnett Giant Swing 192: Joe saw Moon stagger across the floor and fall. Spanish had hit him with the back of his hand. Sig groaned and said: ‘Church is out’ .
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 217: Church is out, son, that’s all. [...] The Big Boys will have to tuck their tails between their legs and git back home.
1966		Current Sl. I:1 2/1: Church is out Something is over, or a chance is gone.

of a watch, to take the works of one watch and place them in the case of another with the aim of disguising its origins.

1839		H. Brandon Dict. of the Flash or Cant Lang. 167: He sent the yack to church and got three finnips and a cooter for the sawney.
1896		A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 156: A watch is ‘sent to church’ when it is put into another case.