burton

IPA/ˈbɜːtn/
KK[bˈɚtən]IPA/ˈbɜːrtn/

burton — noun

1. a state in which something is broken, ruined, or no longer usable — the word its

1.名詞C2
釋義

a state in which something is broken, ruined, or no longer usable — the word itself is never used alone and appears only in the fixed phrase 'gone for a burton'; in older British military slang, it could also refer to a person who had been killed or was missing.

例句

Michael tried to fix his grandmother's old radio, but it had gone for a burton.

idiom for something irreparably broken

After the flood, Camila's entire collection of rare books had gone for a burton.

同義詞
  • done for

    the closest informal synonym; 'done for' is broader and more common

  • kaput

    informal, from German; suggests something has stopped working permanently

  • wrecked

    more general and widely used than 'gone for a burton'

反義詞
  • working

    in good condition; the opposite of broken or ruined

  • in one piece

    British informal phrase meaning intact and undamaged

文法句型

part of the idiom: go for a burton

用法筆記

The phrase 'gone for a burton' is dated and seldom heard today outside historical novels, war memoirs, or older British comedy shows. Younger British speakers will recognise it but rarely use it. The word 'burton' has no independent meaning — it never appears outside this fixed expression.

常見錯誤

❌My phone is burton.
✅My phone has gone for a burton.
💡'burton' is never used alone; it must always be part of the full phrase 'gone for a burton'.
❌The computer went for a burton yesterday, so it is fixed now.
✅The computer has gone for a burton
💡it cannot be repaired.' — the idiom means something is destroyed beyond recovery, not temporarily broken.