cry carrots and turnips
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.62 in modern English
30
Scrabble Score
20
Letters
5
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To be taken through the streets on a cart while being whipped, as a punishment for certain crimes.
Obsolete; Slang
Example Sentences
- "I had a mighty queer adventure in communion with that foul toad, Titus Oates, whom I afterwards rejoiced to see crying carrots and turnips, with all London looking on."
Etymology
Probably referring to the vegetables which spectators would pelt at the person drawn on the cart. Green's Dictionary of Slang suggests that the term is of onomatopoeic origin.