Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Jericho n.

[anecdote in 2 Sam. 10:5 when David ordered his servants to stay in that city until their beards were grown]

1. (also Jericho beyond Jordan) a place of retirement, banishment or concealment, a far-distant place; thus a synon. for Hell esp. in phr. let someone go to jericho.

T. Heywood Hierarchie of Angells (1649) IV 208: Bid such yong boyes to stay in Iericho Vntill their Beards were growne, their wits more staid.
[UK]Mercurius Aulicus in Athenaeum 14 Nov. (1874) 645: Let them all goe to Jericho And n’ere be seen againe [F&H].
[Ire]J. Winstanley ‘Miss Betty’s Singing Bird’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 272: But carry’d be, from City far, / To Jerrico or Mullingar.
[UK]A. Murphy Upholsterer II i: He may go to Jericho for what I cares.
[UK]Mme D’Arblay Diary (1891) I 31: They wish the poor children at Jericho when they accept it.
[UK]R. Barham ‘The Grey Dolphin’ Ingoldsby Legends I (1866) 41: His kick was tremendous, and when he had his boots on, would [...] ‘send a man from Jericho to June’.
[UK]Bentley’s Misc. X 621: She with her apron wiped the plates, and, as she rubb'd the delf, / Said I might ‘go to Jericho, and fetch my beer myself!’.
[US]Manchester Spy (NH) 28 June n.p.: Is Dame Fortune as shy as a weasel? Tell her to go to Jericho and laugh her in the face.
[Ind]Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Jan. 9/2: ‘You shall apologize.’ ‘Sir, I’ll see you at Jericho first’.
[UK]Thackeray Virginians I 209: She may go to Tunbridge, or she may go to Bath, or she may go to Jericho, for me.
[UK]R.S. Surtees Plain or Ringlets? (1926) 140: Jock would [...] imprecate the ‘dighted’ body, [...] wishing him at ‘Jericho beyond Jordan,’ or some other ditsant place.
J. Greenwood Seven Four-footed Foresters 143: ‘What do you think of India, ma’am, would you advise me to go —?’ ‘Go to Jericho, if you like,’ interrupted she, with a yawn.
Poe Works 325: ‘I’m sure I don’t know where Miss Bodkin is to be put.’ ‘She go to Jericho!’ said Peter contemptuously.
[Scot]Dundee Courier (Scot.) 13 May 7/6: The officer didn’t care. They could go to Jericho if they liked.
[US](con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 334: You could hear her whoop to Jericho.
[US] ‘One Mornin’’ J.F. Dobie Rainbow in Morning (1965) 160: Made a good run, but I runned too slow, / He landed me over in the Jericho.
[Aus]Truth (Sydney) 17 Feb. 1/5: Jack Want was doubtlful in his mind as to whether he should [visit] Honolulu with his holiday, or go on to ’Frisco. [...] This bleeding country would have forgiven him if he’d gone to Jericho .
[UK]Mills & Scott [perf. Marie Lloyd] You needn’t wink, I know! 🎵 You ’re wishing me where? Uh? To Jericho!
[US]Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl. 25: Jericho, (to send one to.) Hell or Hoboken.

2. a privy, an outside lavatory.

[UK]Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 616/1: since ca. 1750; gen. † in C.20.

3. a synon. for SE hell.

[NZ]Tuapeka Times (Otago) 16 Sept. 4: He [...] can call a man a --- and send him to a thousand times hotter place than ‘Jericho’.
[US]C.E. Mulford Bar-20 Days 198: Why in Jericho don’t you fellers get a move on you?

In phrases

go to Jericho (v.) [fig. use of sense 1 above]

1. to become drunk.

[US]B. Franklin ‘Drinkers Dictionary’ in Pennsylvania Gazette 6 Jan. in AS XII:2 91: They come to be well understood to signify plainly that A MAN IS DRUNK. [...] Been to Jerico [sic].

2. to fail, to be lost.

[UK]Belfast News Ltr 4 Feb. 4/1: Carleton must be far more careful [...] else principal and interest will son go to Jericho.

In exclamations

go to Jericho (till your beard be grown)!

an excl. of dismissal.

[[Ind]J.W. Kaye Peregrine Pultuney I 292: ‘It is all your fault Harrison it is,’ pouted the damsel. ‘I wish you were at Jericho’].
[US]Broadway Belle (NY) 10 Sept. n.p.: You are hereby respectfully invited to pack up your baggage and go to Jericho.
[UK]J. Mair Hbk of Phrases 16: Go to Jericho. Used as an expression of contempt.
[Scot]Dundee Eve. Teleg. 24 Apr. 2/2: [He] advises profane cirtiics of the Confession to go to Jericho till their beards be grown.
[UK]Leicester Chron. 4 Sept. 9/5: Oh! go to Jericho, and let me sleep.
[Aus]Truth (Sydney) 17 June 4/7: Go to Jericho, you silly little political pot-boy.
[US]Fulton Co. News (McConnellsburg, PA) 19 Aug. 5/2: ‘I’m getting tired of your everlasting attention [...] So please go to Jericho’.
[US]Vanguard Library 31 Mar. 8: Oh, go to Jericho!
[US]R.A. Wason Happy Hawkins 10: ‘You go to Jericho, will you!’ snaps Jabez.
[[US]Day Book (Chicago) 9 Apr. 27/2: As it was shameful for men to appear without beards [...] young and light-headed men [...] were bidden to ‘go to Jericho’ or ‘wait until your beard grows’].
[UK]C. Sommers Temporary Crusaders 1 Apr. 🌐 The Australian cavalry, who have been operating in the Jordan valley, say that now they understand the full force of the old expression, ‘Go to Jericho.’.
[UK]Portsmouth Eve. News 25 Sept. 6/5: In exasperation, he gave her a cordial invitation to go to Jericho.
[UK]Nottingham Eve. Post 22 Apr. 3/2: Tell him, very politely, to go to Jericho!
[Scot]Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 5 Sept. 3/7: Most people at some time or another have been told to ‘go to Jericho’ [...] an expression which means, to put it vulgarly, ‘go and hide yourself’.