British slang for a prison or jail; originally from a word meaning stuffy or suffocating.
From 'choke' + '-y' suffix, originally describing the suffocating, stifling atmosphere of a prison or cell.
British slang is full of prison terms—'chokey,' 'jug,' 'nick,' 'quod'—each with different origins, but they all reflect a linguistic tradition of humor about incarceration that may be why British prisoners have historically lower violent-crime rates.
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