take the shilling

== English == === Etymology === A reference to the practice during the 18th and 19th century of a recruiting officer getting a person to enlist in the British Army or Royal Navy by accepting (or being tricked into accepting) a shilling, which was then a soldier’s daily pay. The practice was officially ended in 1879. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /teɪk ðə ˈʃɪlɪŋ/ Rhymes: -ɪlɪŋ Hyphenation: take the shil‧ling === Verb === take the shilling (third-person singular simple present takes the shilling, present participle taking the shilling, simple past took the shilling, past participle taken the shilling) (intransitive) (British, military, historical) To enlist as a soldier in the British army or navy by accepting a shilling from a recruiting officer. (by extension) (military, dated) To enlist as a soldier of any military force; to join the armed forces. (generally) To be on the payroll of an organization; to work for an organization. ==== Usage notes ==== In the context of the United Kingdom, sense 1 is also used in the form to take the King’s shilling or to take the Queen’s shilling depending on whether the monarch is a king or queen. ==== Related terms ==== King's shilling, Queen's shilling ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === === Further reading === King’s shilling on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “to take the shilling, to take the King’s (or Queen’s) shilling” under “shilling, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2023. “take the King’s shilling, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.