Also (obsolete UK slang) transported as a convict? edit

John Camden Hotten's Slang Dictionary (1873) defines on the shelf as "transported", meaning transported to another country as punishment for crime. Equinox 15:22, 19 June 2021 (UTC)Reply

Another sense from Hotten is "pawned, or laid by in trust". Equinox 18:29, 25 December 2023 (UTC)Reply
Return to "on the shelf" page.