Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US gay) the penis.

1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular.
1988		H. Max Gay (S)language.

(orig. US ) a hospital.

1890		(con. 1860s) W. Goss Recollections of a Private 228: They were going to put me on a stretcher, but I told them to take up the reb and I’d walk, with a little help, up to the doctor’s butcher shop.
1929		E.S. McCartney ‘Sl. and Idioms of World War’ Papers Michigan Academy of Arts & Sciences 10 283: butcher shop, the operating room; the surgical department.
1941		M. Hargrove See Here, Private Hargrove 83: Butchershop—a dispensary or hospital.
1958		Murtagh & Harris Cast the First Stone 91: Ma said, ‘[...] bring him to th’ Harlem Hospital.’ I said, ‘Ma, I cain’t do it. I cain’t take him there. It’s a butcher shop.’.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1962		D. Dempsey ‘Lang. of Traffic Policemen’ in AS XXXVII:4 267: butcher shop, n. A first-aid station or a hospital emergency ward.
1992		P. Earley Hot House 37: The buildings in the prison yard include the ‘butcher shop’ (the prison hospital), [and] the ‘Hole’ (the disciplinary housing unit).

see beef chain under beef n.¹

(chunks of) meat.

1864		London Dly News 2 Dec. 2/2: Overlooked by Mr [John Camden] Hotten [...] ‘butcher’s plums’ (a sea phrase for the bones of meat).
1871		Ashton Wkly Reporter 4 Nov. 5/4: A quantity of butcher’s plums were made into a large pie.
1894		Bristol Mercury 15 Mar. 7/3: There was a full attendance of farmers and dealers; and a brisk trade in most kinds of cattle [...] for butchers plums of choice quality there was a ready sale.
1905		Wright EDD I 463/2: e.Dur.1 ‘Who lives next door?’ ‘The butcher. That’s where we get our butcher's plums.’ Only heard once.

1. the vagina [the image of ‘raw meat’].

1890–1904

Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.

2. (Aus.) a wedding [sense 1].

1900–10

Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 35: BUTCHER’S SHOP vulgar slang a wedding. The phrase is ‘new butcher’s shop opened’ to denote a wedding happening.

3. the execution shed within a prison.

1935

E. Raymond We the Accused in DSUE (1984).

(Aus.) a blowfly.

1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 41: butcher’s canary Blowfly, which butcher shops attract. ANZ c1925.

see butcher wagon

a married man.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Butchers Dog. To be like a Butchers Dog [to] lye by the Beef without touching it. a simile applicable to most married men.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.: butcher’s dog. To be like a butcher’s dog, i.e. lie by the beef without touching it; a simile often applicable to married men.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

a poor rider.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: That must have been a Butcher’s Horse, by his carrying a Calf so well. Vulgar Joke of an Awkward Rider.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn).
1801		‘Modern Dict.’ in Sporting Mag. May XVIII 98/2: That must have been a butcher’s horse by his carrying a calf so well; a vulgar joke on an awkward rider.

meat bought on credit.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Butchers Meat to Eat Butchers Meat to Eat Meat not paid for. A Journey man Hatter asking his Master for his Weeks Wages, by way of urging the Payment said he must otherwise have Butchers Meat for his Sunday Dinner, which he did not like. The Master, supposing he meant to have Poultry reproved him for his Extravagance and Daintynessto which he answered that the Meat was the Butchers.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn).

see under mourning n.

(Aus.) a noisy party or other occasion that lacks decorum.

1901		W.S. Walker In the Blood 240: Billy [...] rushing in mad for glory, loot, murder, anything. He got it! ‘“The Nugget,” by Gawd!’ exclaimed he, aghast. ‘My Gawd, I’ll cave. Wot a butcher’s shop.’.
1965		K. Smith OGF 140: Behave yourself, Gadley, and shut your trap — this isn’t a butchers’ picnic [AND].
1972		J. Goode Aus. Cars and Motoring 38: In Australia, sedan or saloon car racing was always popular. The ‘butchers’ picnic’ of two dozen sedans of every shape, size and colour setting-off in two rows at Fisherman’s Bend [...] was something which brought everyone to the rails [AND].
1984		S. Macintyre Militant 137: Terms used to be bandied around like curses at a butchers’ picnic.

an ambulance.

1882		G.W. Peck Peck’s Sunshine 18: The smallpox flag was hung in front of his house and he was riding in a butcher wagon to the pest house.
1884		Coventry Herald 14 Mar. 4/7: The man [...] dreamed that a flag was hung in front of his house, and that he was riding in a butcher’s wagon to the pest house.
1944		J. Cary Horse’s Mouth (1948) 263: So I sent for the ambulance [...] And we pushed her into the butcher’s cart.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 104: Butcher Wagon An ambulance.

of a woman, very attractive; of a man, highly fit.

2007		G. Carins Diary of a Legionnaire 7: [He] had served with the US Marines [...] Loud, outspoken, fit as a butcher’s dog .
2015		I. Welsh Decent Ride 375: She’s sittin thaire, lookin as fit as a butcher’s dug.

(N.Z.) to attack violently.

2003

McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.

see talk to the engineer, not the oily rag under talk to v.