Beak Is British Slang for a Magistrate
A beak is a bird's bill. British slang has used the same word for a judge or schoolmaster for centuries.
A beak is the hard projecting mouthpart of a bird. British slang has used it since the 1700s for a magistrate, and later for a schoolmaster — *up before the beak* means facing a magistrate. The origin is uncertain, though it may play on the idea of a sharp nose peering down at you. A beak is not a mouth full of teeth: birds have none, and grind food in the gizzard instead. Beak shape is the classic textbook illustration of adaptation.
- A bird's bill. *A curved beak.*
- A magistrate (British slang). *Up before the beak.*
- A schoolmaster (slang). *The beak.*
- Bill — the usual word for waterfowl. *A duck's bill.*
- Old French — *bec*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | beak | A beak. |
| Plural | beaks | Beaks. |
| Adjective | beaked | Hook-beaked. |
| Related | bill | A bill. |
| French | bec | A beak. |
- The finch has a stout beak.Bird.
- He was up before the beak.Slang.
- Birds have no teeth.Fact.
Beak shapes and diets
- Short and stout — cracking seeds, as in finches
- Long and thin — probing for insects or nectar
- Hooked — tearing flesh, as in raptors
- Broad and flat — filtering, as in ducks
- Darwin's finches made the point famous in the Galápagos
Old French *bec*, from Latin *beccus*, of Gaulish origin.
Why is a magistrate called a beak?
British slang since the 1700s, of uncertain origin, possibly from the image of a sharp nose looking down from the bench.
Do birds have teeth?
No living bird does. They grind food in the gizzard, often with the help of swallowed grit.