' give-irons,' fetters, usually for the leg.
' give-irons,' fetters, usually for the leg.
Joseph Wright, English Dialect Dictionary (1898–1905)
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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Browse all slang words starting with G.
(Australia, colloquial) Galvanized iron.
A heavy iron ball attached to a prisoner's leg by a chain as a means of restraint.
Gal-iron is an Australian colloquial shortening of 'galvanized iron' — the corrugated zinc-coated steel sheeting that was for decades the go-to roofing and fencing material across rural and suburban Australia. If you picture a classic Aussie shed, farmhouse, or backyard fence, there's a good chance gal-iron is involved. The term is a perfect example of Australian vernacular efficiency, chopping a technical product name down to something punchy and practical.
(obsolete, Scotland) An iron crowbar.