live at Her Majesty's pleasure

English

Etymology

From the legal phrase at Her Majesty's pleasure.

Verb

live at Her Majesty's pleasure (third-person singular simple present lives at Her Majesty's pleasure, present participle living at Her Majesty's pleasure, simple past and past participle lived at Her Majesty's pleasure)

1. (UK, colloquial) To spend time in prison or jail.
   • 1999 January 3, John Arlidge, quoting Professor Alan Roberts, “Yakuza given a helping hand by 'Mr Fingers'”, in The Observer‎:

     'I treat patients who are living at Her Majesty's pleasure. They come to the hospital from Full Sutton prison and they are treated in the same way as anyone else.'

   • 2003, Dave Courtney, The Ride's Back On, →ISBN, page 174:

     I wrote to Charlie Bronson in prison, 'cos Charles sends me letters and amazing drawings; my mate Warwick, who is also banged up, and numerous others living at Her Majesty's pleasure

   • 2008, Kate Harrison, The Secret Shopper's Revenge, →ISBN:

     The look he gives me makes me realise I've lost him. 'Why would my uncle steal from his own brother for fifteen years? I've never found the reason, but I've heard every single excuse, courtesy of my friends living at Her Majesty's Pleasure.'

   • 2014 April 25, “Star comment: Youths in prison still need care”, in Shropshire Star (UK)‎:

     But the quest to make our jails a less pleasant place in which to live at Her Majesty’s pleasure must never translate into a lack of care, or a slipping of basic standards.

Synonyms

• be banged up
• be inside
• do bird
• do time
• do porridge
• serve time

Related terms

• guest of Her Majesty