Scarborough warning

noun

A warning given too late to be useful.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounScarborough warning (plural Scarborough warnings)

plural Scarborough warnings

  1. A warning given too late to be useful.

Origin

Fuller links the phrase to the events of 1557, when Thomas Stafford seized upon Scarborough Castle before the townsmen had the least notice of his approach.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Scarborough warning. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scarborough%20warning

MLA

“Scarborough warning.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scarborough%20warning. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Scarborough warning,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Scarborough%20warning.

Source: Scarborough warning on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.