phrase General Slang

gone for a Burton

· phrase · military

Killed, missing, or otherwise done for.

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Definitions

1

RAF euphemism for a pilot killed or shot down. Said with the stiff-upper-lip understatement of a generation that couldn't say 'dead' out loud. The aircrew slang equivalent of stepping out for a moment and never coming back.

“Johnny didn't make it back from the raid — gone for a Burton.”
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2

Extended use: anything broken, lost, ruined, or beyond saving. Migrated from people to objects after the war.

“The gearbox has gone for a Burton — you'll need a new car.”
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gone for a Burton In A Sentence

Johnny didn't make it back from the raid — gone for a Burton.
The gearbox has gone for a Burton — you'll need a new car.

Origin & Usage

RAF, WWII. Origin contested — most popular theory ties it to Burton's beer (Burton-upon-Trent, the brewing town); a pilot who'd 'gone for a Burton' was off having a pint, a gentle euphemism for not coming back. Other theories point to Montague Burton the tailor (gone to be measured for a suit, i.e. a coffin).

Variants go for a Burtonwent for a Burton
Tags #military#raf#wwii#euphemism

People Also Ask

Who was Burton?

Nobody's certain. Best guesses are Burton's beer (Burton-upon-Trent), or Montague Burton the tailor — 'getting measured for a Burton' being grimly close to a coffin fitting.

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