Covent Garden:

District in the city of London that teemed with brothels in the 18 ^th century. Also spelled, more rarely: Convent-Garden .

Quote: Captain Francis Grose. Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811): ' Covent, or Convent-Garden , vulgarly called Common-Garden . Anciently, the garden belonging to a dissolved monastery; now famous for being the chief market in London for fruit , flowers, and herbs. The theatres are situated near it . In its environs are many brothels, and not long ago, the lodgings of the second order of ladies of easy-virtue were either there, or in the purlieus of Drury Lane .' The produce market, established in 1671, was moved to a site on the Thames River in 1974.

See Also: bear-garden language, burdock, Common Garden, Convent Garden, Covent Garden, Covent Garden ague, Covent Garden lady, Covent Garden nun, dibble, have a dash of lavender, market dame

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