live at Her Majesty's pleasure

present singular third person lives at Her Majesty's pleasure · participle present living at Her Majesty's pleasure · participle past lived at Her Majesty's pleasure · past lived at Her Majesty's pleasure

1. UKcolloquialTo spend time in prison or jail.

   'I treat patients who are living at Her Majesty's pleasure. They come to the hospital from Full Sutton prison and they are treated in the same way as anyone else.'

   1999 January 3, John Arlidge, quoting Professor Alan Roberts, “Yakuza given a helping hand by 'Mr Fingers'”, in The Observer

   3 more examples

   I wrote to Charlie Bronson in prison, 'cos Charles sends me letters and amazing drawings; my mate Warwick, who is also banged up, and numerous others living at Her Majesty's pleasure

   2003, Dave Courtney, The Ride's Back On, →ISBN, page 174

   The look he gives me makes me realise I've lost him. 'Why would my uncle steal from his own brother for fifteen years? I've never found the reason, but I've heard every single excuse, courtesy of my friends living at Her Majesty's Pleasure.'

   2008, Kate Harrison, The Secret Shopper's Revenge, →ISBN

   But the quest to make our jails a less pleasant place in which to live at Her Majesty’s pleasure must never translate into a lack of care, or a slipping of basic standards.

   2014 April 25, “Star comment: Youths in prison still need care”, in Shropshire Star (UK)

   Synonyms: be banged up, be inside, do bird, do time, do porridge, serve time