Dated British slang for something thoroughly unpleasant or disagreeable — a situation or experience as unsatisfying and miserable as cold, congealed porridge.
Dated British slang for something thoroughly unpleasant or disagreeable — a situation or experience as unsatisfying and miserable as cold, congealed porridge. The phrase uses the poverty-associated image of gruel (thin, cheap porridge) at its worst (cold) as a metaphor for something utterly grim.
Being assigned to the night shift over Christmas was cold gruel for everyone on the team.
Add your own interpretation of "cold gruel".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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Browse all slang words starting with C.
(UK, slang, dated) ; an unpleasant experience.