Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also quad) prison.

c.1698		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.
1708		J. Hall Memoirs (1714) 13: Quod, a Prison.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 142: He was [...] sent to a Country Quod, that is, a Goal.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1732		Harlot’s Progress 37: Poor Poll, in Quod, now cries — then swears.
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 116: A Prison A Quod.
1751		Fielding Amelia (1926) I 23: There is no such pick-pocket in the whole quad [sic].
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: Pikeing to Quod; going to Gaol.
1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785		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.
1791		‘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.
c.1800		‘Rolling Kiddy’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 234: If the traps should hobble him, why then he is sent to quod.
1805		‘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.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
c.1818		‘Jemmy Catnach’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 88: Six months in quod old jemmy’s got.
1827		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.
1830		‘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.
1835		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.
1842		S. Lover Handy Andy 336: Tom Durfy [...] is arrested and now in quod, and wants me to bail him.
1846		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.
1849		G.G. Foster N.Y. in Slices 20: He must go to quod and wait next day for the visits of the ‘shyster’ lawyers.
1856		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.) .
1859		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.’.
1859		G. Macdonald Phantastes And there follow Del. Tre. to the fevered brain, / And five-shillings, or quod, from the Beak again.
1867		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’.
1867		‘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.
1877		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.’.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 June 3/2: The Port Macquarie gaol-breakers are once more ‘in quod’.
1887		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.
1889		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’.
1892		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!
1895		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 5 Oct. 4/3: A policeman got him by the pants / And ran him into quad.
1895–6		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.
1900		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.
c.1900		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’.
1910		Marvel 22 Jan. 3: Back to the quod for another long sentence.
1917		‘Henry Handel Richardson’ Aus. Felix (1971) 12: Leave ’im go, yer blackguards! [...] None o’ yer bloody quod for ’im!
1917		A. Brazil Madcap of the School 161: ‘I picks pockets, and then I gets copped and sent to quod, and picks oakum!’.
1925		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.
1930		L. Lower Here’s Luck 115: ‘Where?’ ‘Clink,’ said Stanley succinctly. George looked at me interrogatively. ‘He means the cooler,’ I explained. ‘Quod?’ ‘Yes’ .
1934		D.L. Sayers Nine Tailors (1984) 119: He got into trouble again for receiving stolen goods [...] and back he went into quod.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 164: We’ll get Thirty-Bob and Dick out of quod and all have a big booze-up to celebrate.
1947		G. Kersh Prelude to a Certain Midnight Bk I Ch. x: Torture babies to death and you only get six months in quod!
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 243: She’s in quod. Some girl she’d done got windy and spilled the beans.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 150/1: quad (also quod) n. a prison.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1859

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.

1821

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.

1865		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’.
1905		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘When Duty Calls’ Sporting Times 13 May 1/3: He waltzed her off to quod in half a mo’.