king's shilling
noun
(until 1879) a shilling given a recruit in the British army to bind his enlistment contract.
Also called,
when a queen was sovereign,
queen's shilling.
Words nearby king's shilling
British Dictionary definitions for king's shilling
king's shilling
when the sovereign was female queen's shilling
noun
(until 1879) a shilling paid to new recruits to the British army
take the king's shilling British archaic
to enlist in the army