Gone for a Burton is a British English expression meaning to be missing or to die. The term was popularised by the RAF around the time of World War II.[1] It migrated to the USA quickly and in June 1943 a story titled "Husky Goes Down for a Burton" appeared in Boys' Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America.[2] The etymology is disputed.[3]
References
edit- ^ "The meaning and origin of the expression: Gone for a burton". The Phrase Finder. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ Cox, JR (July 1943). "Husky Goes Down for a Burton". Boys' Life. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ "burton". Retrieved 30 October 2015.