taking the Chiltern Hundreds

A form of take the Chiltern Hundreds — To vacate one's seat in the House of Commons (since resignation is not permitted), under the legal fiction of being appointed to an "office of profit under the Crown": the ancient office of Crown Steward for the Chiltern Hundreds, in modern times a mere sinecure.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of take the Chiltern Hundreds
Cite this entry
APA

taking the Chiltern Hundreds. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taking%20the%20Chiltern%20Hundreds

MLA

“taking the Chiltern Hundreds.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taking%20the%20Chiltern%20Hundreds. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taking the Chiltern Hundreds,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taking%20the%20Chiltern%20Hundreds.

Source: taking the Chiltern Hundreds on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.