Meanings
alternative upon the game
- UKarchaiceuphemisticidiomaticslangWorking as a thief.First known use 1739
He put her on the game (had her taught thieving).
1928, M.C. Sharpe, Chicago May, page 33 - UKeuphemisticidiomaticslangWorking as a prostitute.First known use 1898
I remember him. He was on the game, wasn't he? A bum boy.
1999 September 12, Anthony Horowitz et al., “Dead Man's Eleven”, in Midsomer Murders2 more examples
Oh please go on the game. It's a steady job and you'd be working from home.
1986 January 9, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Bells (Blackadder II), episode 1, spoken by Kate's Father (Edward Jewesbury)What's he want it for anyway? Don't tell me he's going on the game.
1990 November 18, Andrew Davies, Michael Dobbs, House of Cards, season 1, episode 1Synonyms: in the racket, on the bash, on the beat, on the turf
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseWorking as a prostitute.
Origin
From game (“fun, a fun activity, the fun of the chase, hunters' prey”), used in reference to sex since Old English and in particular reference to prostitution originally as lady or girl of the game in Early Modern English. In modern contexts, compare with the similar euphemistic use of sport.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 卖淫
- 卖淫 (màiyín)working as a prostitute (euphemism)
Finnish alalla
- alallaworking as a prostitute (euphemism)
Portuguese da vida
- da vidaworking as a prostitute (euphemism)
Russian на пане́ли
- на пане́ли (na panɛ́li)working as a prostitute (euphemism)
Cite this entry
on the game. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20game
“on the game.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20game. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the game,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20game.
Source: on the game on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.