King's English

From King +‎ -’s +‎ English, possibly modelled after king’s coin (“(obsolete) image of a king on a coin; (archaic or historical) coin officially issued during a king’s reign”): see the 1553 quotation.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /kɪŋz‿ˈɪŋ(ɡ)lɪʃ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡlɪʃ
• Hyphenation: King's Engl‧ish

King's English (uncountable)

1. (chiefly England) Often preceded by the: spoken or written English regarded as used and safeguarded by the King of England; standard English characterized by correct grammar and what is thought of as proper usage of words and expressions, and (when spoken) formal British pronunciation.

   Coordinate term: Queen's English

   • 1553 January, Thomas Wilson, “The Third Boke. Foure Partes Belongyng to Elocution.”, in The Arte of Rhetorique, for the Vse of All Suche as are Studious of Eloquence, , : Richardus Graftonus, , →OCLC, folio 86, recto:

     Some ſeke ſo farre for outlãdiſhe Engliſhe, that thei forget altogether their mothers lãguage . And I dare ſwere this, if ſome of their mothers were aliue, thei were not able to tell, what thei ſay, & yet theſe fine Engliſhe clerkes, wil ſaie thei ſpeake in their mother tongue, if a mã ſhould charge thẽ for coũterfeityng the kynges Engliſh.

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 42, column 1:

     What, Iohn Rugby, I pray thee goe to the Caſement, and ſee if you can ſee my Maſter, Maſter Docter Caius comming: if he doe (I'faith) and finde any body in the houſe; here vvill be an old abuſing of Gods patience, and the Kings Engliſh.

   • 1823, , chapter XIII, in The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna;  In Two Volumes.">…], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Charles Wiley;  , →OCLC, page 184:

     "Spake it out, man," exclaimed the landlady; "spake it out in king's English; what for should ye be talking Indian in a room full of christian folks ?

   • 1919 (date written), Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Efficiency Expert”, in Argosy All-Story Weekly, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Company, published October 1921, →OCLC; republished as “In Again—Out Again”, in The Efficiency Expert, New York, N.Y.: Charter Books, Charter Communications, 1966, →OCLC, part 2, page 102:

     I venture to say that in a fifteen-minute conversation he would commit more horrible crimes against the king's English than even that new stable-boy of yours.

   • 2006 November 5, James Gleick, “Cyber-neologoliferation”, in The New York Times Magazine‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-12-03:

     The O.E.D. is unlike any other dictionary, in any language. It wants every word, all the lingo: idioms and euphemisms, sacred or profane, dead or alive, the King's English or the street's.

• The term King’s English is used when the reigning monarch is male. When the monarch is female, Queen’s English is commonly used instead.

• king's English

• Received Pronunciation on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• King’s English (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia