Green’s Dictionary of Slang

closing time at a public house; this was orig. 12.30 a.m., before the WWI legislation limiting open hours, which made it, according to the time of day, 2.30 p.m. (3 p.m. in London) and 10.30 p.m. (11 p.m. in London). The afternoon closing time has since been abandoned.

1890		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘An Interim Injunction’ Sporting Times 11 Jan. 1: In vino veritas is often quoted when the gas is / Being lowered to denote the chucking time.
1898		E. Pugh ‘The Inevitable Thing’ in Keating Working Class Stories of the 1890s (1971) 111: She went into the Lion wi’ the two men, an’ there she stuck till chuckin’-out time.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 227: Willie being always in Romano’s at chucking-out time.
1915		T. Burke Nights in Town 122: Then came the blustering excitement of chucking-out at the ‘Galloping Horses’.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 403: Keep a watch on the clock. Chuckingout time.
1926		E. Wallace More Educated Evans (1932) 18: His occupation in life was the support of the ‘White Hart’, a noble hostelry [...] from 10am. to chucking out time.
1972		Galton & Simpson ‘Loathe Story’ Steptoe and Son [TV script] I wouldn’t see him again until chucking-out time.
1979		A. Payne ‘The Dessert Song’ Minder [TV script] 16: See you chucking-out time?
1982		J. Sullivan ‘The Yellow Peril’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Look all I can tell by this is that it’s nearly chucking out time in Peking.
2004		Guardian G2 5 Oct. 5: At chucking-out time [...] gangs of intimidating young men roamed the streets.
2012		R. Milward Kimberly’s Capital Punishment (2023) 89: [A]fter eleven, we get a few drunken stragglers from chucking-out time.