alderman

See also: Alderman

English

From Middle English alderman, aldermon, from Old English ealdorman, ealdormann, from ealdor (“elder, parent, chief, prince, author”) + mann (“person”). See ealdorman.

alderman (plural aldermen)

A member of a municipal legislative body in a city or town.
(UK, historical, obsolete slang) A half-crown coin; its value, 30 pence.
- 1859, Snowden's magistrates assistant, page 90:
  The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) about twopence.
- 1859, J.C. Hotten, A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words:
  Half-a-crown is known as an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, and a madza caroon; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a bull, or a caroon, or a cartwheel, or a coachwheel, or a thick-un, or a tusheroon.
A long pipe for smoking.
- 1843, John William Carleton, The Sporting Review, volume 10, page 419:
  In one part of Cockaigne an amalgamation of these two last has lately taken place; and the pleasure experienced by the parishioners of Walbrook is unbounded when smoking an alderman and churchwarden.
(US, slang) A potbelly, paunch.
- 1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 13, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan,:
  He'd exercise, get the fat off, because if he let it go, he'd have too much on and maybe make his heart worse, and you looked like hell with an alderman. … And she wouldn't want a guy who stuck out in front like a balloon.