noun
General Slang
peter
· noun · prison
A prison cell. Also: a safe.
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Definitions
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Old-school British prison and underworld slang for a cell. Cockney lags have been calling the cell a peter for over a century — 'back in the peter' means back on the bunk, door shut behind you.
“Bang-up at eight and you're in the peter till morning.”
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In wider villain lingo, a peter is a safe — and a peterman is the geezer who cracks them. Same word, parallel use, both rooted in the same criminal slang ecosystem.
“He'd been blowing peters since the fifties — fingers like a piano tuner.”
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peter In A Sentence
Bang-up at eight and you're in the peter till morning.
He'd been blowing peters since the fifties — fingers like a piano tuner.
Origin & Usage
Disputed. Most likely from Greek 'petra' (rock) via the biblical St Peter, since both a cell and a safe are meant to be rock-solid. Some sources point to Cockney rhyming slang 'Peter Pan' = can.
Variants
pete
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