Meanings
nounjoy-bell (plural joy-bells)
plural joy-bells · alternative joy bell
- A church bell.
"That bloody Jock Keir with the money rattling in his pocket. Tack wallah's joy-bells."
1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 171 more example
The carriages rolled away to the ringing of a joy bell in the church tower, as was proper at a baptism.
1892, John Talbot Smith, Saranac: A Story of Lake Champlain, page 279
Cite this entry
APA
joy-bell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joy-bell
MLA
“joy-bell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joy-bell. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “joy-bell,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joy-bell.
Source: joy-bell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.