■ noun (in phr. send someone to ~ ) chiefly Brit. refuse to associate with or speak to someone.
Word History
The origins of the phrase send someone to ~ , recorded since the 18th century, are uncertain. It is sometimes said to derive from the treatment suffered in the past by soldiers stationed in the west Midlands city of ~, who were unpopular with the townspeople. Alternatively, it may have arisen because Royalist prisoners were sent there during the English Civil War (1642–9): the city was held by Parliamentary forces and was thus unlikely to give the prisoners a warm welcome.