Covent Garden ague
English
Etymology
A reference to the brothels and prostitutes that were once common in and around Covent Garden in London.
Noun
Covent Garden ague (plural Covent Garden agues)
- (archaic, British slang) A venereal disease; a sexually transmitted disease.
Synonyms
- Barnwell ague, Kentish ague, ladies' fever
Related terms
- Covent Garden abbess, Covent Garden nun
References
- Albert Barrère and Charles G[odfrey] Leland, compilers and editors (1889–1890), “Covent Garden ague”, in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant […], volume I (A–K), Edinburgh: […] The Ballantyne Press, OCLC 882571771, pages 275–276.
- Farmer, John Stephen (1891) Slang and Its Analogues, volume 2, page 193