Meanings
go for a burton1
present singular third person goes for a burton · participle present going for a burton · past went for a burton · participle past gone for a burton · alternative go for a Burton
- UKTo be killed.
[G]one for a Burton […] has, in the R.A.F., ousted gone West[.] "He is dead" may appear somewhat remote from "He has gone for a glass of Burton": but, then, all euphemisms do, at first, appear remote.
1945, Eric H Partridge, “Words Get Their Wings”, in College English, volume 7, number 1, page 27 - UKTo be lost, spoiled or destroyed.
go for a Burton2
present singular third person goes for a Burton · participle present going for a Burton · past went for a Burton · participle past gone for a Burton
- Alternative letter-case form of go for a burton.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Originated in the RAF in World War II. Unknown beyond that, but may have some association with beer. One version is that it was from a series of ads for Burton's beer which showed a group of people with one missing and the tag line "He's gone for a Burton".
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
go for a burton. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20for%20a%20burton
“go for a burton.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20for%20a%20burton. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “go for a burton,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/go%20for%20a%20burton.
Source: go for a burton on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.