Green’s Dictionary of Slang

quod n.

[abbr. SE quadrangle; the original was Newgate, but the term became general]

1. (also quad) prison.

[UK]B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Quod, Newgate; also any Prison, tho’ for Debt. The Dab’s in the Quod, c. the poor Rogue is in Limbo.
[UK]J. Hall Memoirs (1714) 13: Quod, a Prison.
[UK]A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 142: He was [...] sent to a Country Quod, that is, a Goal.
[UK]New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
[UK]Harlot’s Progress 37: Poor Poll, in Quod, now cries — then swears.
[UK]Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 116: A Prison A Quod.
[UK]Fielding Amelia (1926) I 23: There is no such pick-pocket in the whole quad [sic].
[UK]J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: Pikeing to Quod; going to Gaol.
[UK]Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Quod, Newgate, or any other prison. The dab’s in quod; the poor rogue is in prison.
[US] ‘Mount’s Flash Song upon Himself’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 22: And when I came into the quod, / Captain R—ds did me know.
[UK] ‘Rolling Kiddy’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 234: If the traps should hobble him, why then he is sent to quod.
[UK]‘Jeremy Swell, Gent.’ Tailors’ Revolt 20: But much I fear that they are in the right, / And we shall all be sent to quod to-night.
[UK]Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
[UK] ‘Jemmy Catnach’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 88: Six months in quod old jemmy’s got.
[UK]Egan Anecdotes of the Turf, the Chase etc. 177: The overseers [...] threatened Sporting Betsey [...] that if she ever committed any more sins in the face-making line—quod, and nothing else, should be her portion.
[UK] ‘Odds and Ends of the Year 1830’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 223: Oh, how I should laugh if they both went to quod.
[US]N.Y. Transcript 25 Sept. 2/5: Send me to quod and be cursed to you. I know the ropes, as well as the road there.
[Ire]S. Lover Handy Andy 336: Tom Durfy [...] is arrested and now in quod, and wants me to bail him.
[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 13 June 3/2: The urchins were sentenced to pay a fine of 10s. or to go to quod for 10 days.
[US]G.G. Foster N.Y. in Slices 20: He must go to quod and wait next day for the visits of the ‘shyster’ lawyers.
[Aus]Melbourne Punch 20 Nov. 3/3: ‘Proposals for a New Slang Dictionary’ [...] QUOD,—Noun. Chokey, limbo. Abbreviation of the law latin phrase with which the judges used formerly to conclude their sentences—‘Date illi quod meruit’—(give the fellow what he has earned.) .
[Ire] Dublin University Mag. Sept. 354/2: When we used to send a fellow in the regiment to the black hole, we used to call it ‘sending him to quod.’.
G. Macdonald Phantastes And there follow Del. Tre. to the fevered brain, / And five-shillings, or quod, from the Beak again.
[US]Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 7 Sept. n.p.: Now that they have got him in ‘quod’ why don’t they [...] try him for that ‘crack’.
[UK] ‘Ladies Don’t go Thieving’ in Henderson Victorian Street Ballads (1937) 47: So help my bob you’ll go to quod, / For going out a-thieving.
[UK]J. Greenwood Dick Temple I 219: ‘And the Steel – the place to which Mr. Eggshells alludes in connection with his retirement?’ ‘Coldbaths Fields,’ responded Mr. Badger, promptly, ‘quod – gaol – prison – that’s the Steel.’.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 5 June 3/2: The Port Macquarie gaol-breakers are once more ‘in quod’.
[UK]E.V. Page ‘Magistrate’ 🎵 For a plain drunk five bob or seven days you know, / But if you are disorderly then off to ‘quad’ you go.
[Ind]Kipling ‘A Smoke of Manila’ in Civil & Military Gaz. 18 July (1909) 26: ‘I knew a case once [...] when a cigar saved a man from the sin of burglary and landed him in quod for five years’.
[UK]E.W. Rogers [perf. Marie Lloyd] G’arn Away 🎵 Then ’e got a month in quod and ’e said as how ’e ’ad been ill!
[Aus]Coburg Leader (Vic.) 5 Oct. 4/3: A policeman got him by the pants / And ran him into quad.
[Aus]H. Lawson ‘Two Larrikins’ in Roderick (1972) 231: The old woman might have had the knocker to keep away from the lush while I was in quod.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Nov. 24/1: That is the remedy, but it isn’t taken; fining goes on just the same. Mo ’ll come up smiling as often as they like with fines, but one fair dose of quod would choke him right off.
[UK]Harrington & LeBrunn [perf. Marie Lloyd] The Coster’s Christening 🎵 I don’t s’pose ’e’ll come out o’ quod, ’til after baby’s ‘breeched’.
[UK]Marvel 22 Jan. 3: Back to the quod for another long sentence.
[Aus]‘Henry Handel Richardson’ Aus. Felix (1971) 12: Leave ’im go, yer blackguards! [...] None o’ yer bloody quod for ’im!
[UK]A. Brazil Madcap of the School 161: ‘I picks pockets, and then I gets copped and sent to quod, and picks oakum!’.
[UK]Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves 43: It was like hanging round trying to make conversation to a pal who’s just been sentenced to twenty years in quod.
[Aus]L. Lower Here’s Luck 115: ‘Where?’ ‘Clink,’ said Stanley succinctly. George looked at me interrogatively. ‘He means the cooler,’ I explained. ‘Quod?’ ‘Yes’ .
[UK]D.L. Sayers Nine Tailors (1984) 119: He got into trouble again for receiving stolen goods [...] and back he went into quod.
[Aus]K. Tennant Battlers 164: We’ll get Thirty-Bob and Dick out of quod and all have a big booze-up to celebrate.
[UK]G. Kersh Prelude to a Certain Midnight Bk I Ch. x: Torture babies to death and you only get six months in quod!
[Aus]Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 243: She’s in quod. Some girl she’d done got windy and spilled the beans.
[NZ]D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 150/1: quad (also quod) n. a prison.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

[UK]G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 354: Tearing up is twenty-one days and quod meals, which is mind ye reglar, is good for a cove, and freshens him up.

3. a prisoner.

[UK]J. Burrowes Life in St George’s Fields 11: Three brother quods from adjoining rooms were invited in, to enjoy a pipe and a song.

4. a police-station.

[UK]Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 89/2: Immediately another ‘skuffter’ [...] seized Jemmy by the leg and held him until another managed to enter and the ‘ruffs were put on’, and Jemmy hoisted off to Park street ‘quod’.
[UK]‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘When Duty Calls’ Sporting Times 13 May 1/3: He waltzed her off to quod in half a mo’.

In compounds

quod cull (n.) (also quad cull) [cull n.1 (4)]

a prison warder, a turnkey.

[UK]C. Hitchin Regulator 19: The Quod-Cull, alias Turnkey.
[UK]J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: A quad Cull and a dubb Cull; a Gaoler and a Turnkey.
[UK](con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in Groom (1999) xxvi: The Quod Cull The Turnkey.
[UK]Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
[UK]H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
[UK]‘Cant Lang. of Thieves’ Monthly Mag. 7 Jan. [as cit. 1753].
[UK]G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
[UK]Flash Dict.
[UK]G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
[UK]Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
[UK]Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.