as black as Newgate's knocker
- as black as Newgate's knocker
- Meaning
Pitch black.
Origin
Refers to the heavy iron knocker on the gate of Newgate Prison, London. Several other similes are used to indicate blackness:
As black as a crow
As black as a raven's wing
As black as ink
As black as Hell
As black as Hades
As black as death
As black as the grave
As black as your hat
As black as thunder
As black as midnight
As black as pitch
As black as soot
As black as tar
... pretty much anything in fact, so long as it conjures up thoughts of darkness.
Meaning and origin of phrases.
2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
black as newgate's knocker — (UK) If things are as black as Newgate s knocker, they are very bad. Newgate was an infamous prison in England, so its door knocker meant trouble … The small dictionary of idiomes
black as Newgate's knocker — (UK) If things are as black as Newgate s knocker, they are very bad. Newgate was an infamous prison in England, so its door knocker meant trouble. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
Black as Newgate's knocker — (UK) If things are as black as Newgate s knocker, they are very bad. Newgate was an infamous prison in England, so its door knocker meant trouble … Dictionary of English idioms
black as Newgate's knocker — Phrs. Very black … English slang and colloquialisms
Marshalsea — The prison occupied two locations, the first c. 1329–1811, and the second 1811–1842. The image above is of the first Marshalsea in the 18th century … Wikipedia
