King's shilling

[2][3] To "take the King's shilling" was to agree to serve as a sailor or soldier in the Royal Navy or the British Army.

[4] The practice officially stopped in 1879, although the term is still used informally and there are some cases of it being used still in the early 20th century, albeit largely symbolically.

[5][6] A recruit was still entitled to return the shilling until becoming subject to military law upon formal attestation before a Justice of the Peace.

The monetary amount of this bounty, which might be equivalent to half a year's wages for the average unskilled worker,[9] was enough to persuade most potential recruits to join.

[14] There are recurring tales of sailors being pressed after a shilling was slipped into their drink,[5] leading to glass-bottomed tankards.

[2] The phrase has been used[18][unreliable source] to refer to other modern practices, for instance to a member of the British House of Commons accepting an office of profit under the Crown, such as the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, in order to vacate their seats, as resigning is not permitted.

[26] The term is used in the BBC television series Peaky Blinders (Episode 3.6) by the character Thomas Shelby.