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# burton

noun (Burton — a name); phrase «go for a burton» (UK slang)

«burton» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (UK slang, «go for a burton») To be lost, broken, ruined or killed: «My holiday plans have gone for a burton.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#m1)
2. (a name) Burton is an English surname and a place name, such as the town of Burton upon Trent, famous for brewing beer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#m2)

### In the lessons

The phrase «gone for a burton» was RAF slang in the Second World War for a pilot who was killed, and now means jokingly that something is ruined or gone. Mostly heard in the UK, often from older people. As a name it gets a capital letter.

### Examples

- Our picnic went for a burton when the rain came. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#x1)
- «My new phone has gone for a burton,» said Mum after dropping it in the bath. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#x2)
- Grandad says his knees have gone for a burton. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#x3)
- The pilots said a lost friend had «gone for a burton». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#x4)
- Burton upon Trent is a town in the Midlands. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#x5)
- Mr Burton is our new teacher. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/#x6)

### Note

Only the phrase «go/gone for a burton» is common English slang; «a burton» on its own is not used. Written with a capital B as a name (Burton). Nobody knows for sure where the phrase came from; the old story that it means a pint of Burton beer is not proven.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «burton» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/burton/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«burton» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/burton.html) on Mova free.