billingsgate

UK: /ˈbɪlɪŋzˌɡeɪt/

US: (bil′ingz gāt′ or, esp. Brit., -git)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bil•lings•gate  (bil′ingz gāt′ or, esp. Brit., -git), n. 

1. coarsely or vulgarly abusive language.

• origin, originally the kind of speech often heard at Billingsgate, a London fish market at the gate of the same name 1645–55

Synonyms

vituperation, vilification, invective, scurrility, vulgarity.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

billingsgate / ˈbɪlɪŋzˌɡeɪt/ noun

1. obscene or abusive language

Etymology: 17th Century: after Billingsgate, which was notorious for such language

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Billingsgate / ˈbɪlɪŋɡzˌɡeɪt/ noun

1. the largest fish market in London, on the N bank of the River Thames; moved to new site at Canary Wharf in 1982 and the former building converted into offices