Queen's English

From Queen +‎ -’s +‎ English, possibly modelled after King’s English which is attested slightly earlier.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kwiːnz‿ˈɪŋ(ɡ)lɪʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /kwinz‿ˈɪŋ(ɡ)lɪʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡlɪʃ
• Hyphenation: Queen's Engl‧ish

Queen's English (uncountable)

1. (chiefly England) Often preceded by the: spoken or written English regarded as used and safeguarded by the Queen 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: King's English

   • 1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts”, in New Arabian Nights:

     But I am not so timid, and can speak the Queen's English plainly.

   • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 33:

     Picking up the different points of land was often the source of a joke, for our master was not blessed with the most perfect command of the Queen's English, and I overheard one morning the following nautical dialogue: "Look out, ahoy!" - speaking to the man in the foretop.

   • 1913, E. Phillips Oppenheim, chapter 22, in The Double Life Of Mr. Alfred Burton:

     He murdered the Queen's English every time he spoke.

   • 2006 April 7, Jeanette Catsoulis, “Movie Review: On a Clear Day (2005)”, in New York Times, retrieved 15 Aug. 2010:

     In the movies, bankable Brits fall into one of two categories: those who live in stately homes and possess a firm grasp of the Queen's English, and those who live in cottages or tenements and possess accents thick enough to caulk boats.

   • 2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 52:

     They've obviously never met before, but are getting on like a house on fire. Both are well-spoken and versed in the Queen's English. [this was possibly written before Queen Elizabeth II died]

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

• queen's English

• Received Pronunciation on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “Queen’s English, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2024.
• “Queen’s English, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.