DictionaryRoot: Billingesgate
Old English
Billingesgate
Billing’s gate
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noun
billingsgate
BIL-ingz-gayt/ˈbɪlɪŋzˌɡeɪt/
Coarsely abusive language.
Etymology
The place name, meaning “Billing’s gate,” became associated with the coarse, abusive speech of women at its Thames-side market. The market’s name then became a general term for insulting language.