Belisha beacon
(bɪˈliːʃə ˈbiːkən)
[f. surname of Leslie Hore-Belisha, Minister of Transport 1931–7 + beacon n.]
A post about seven feet high surmounted by a flashing amber-coloured globe and erected on the pavement at officially recognized pedestrian crossings of the highway. Also Belisha. Hence Belisha crossing.
| 1934 Punch 21 Nov. 583/1 One of the clever people who have been going about stealing and even shooting the Belisha Beacon globes—(1) ‘as a protest against their futility’; (2) ‘because they slow down the traffic’. Ibid. 5 Dec. 617 (caption) Why not be in the movement, Sir, and 'ave a Belisha? 1936 N. & Q. CLXXI. 355/1 With a view to learning what people in general called these crossings, I asked two intelligent young working-women. One said ‘Belisha crossing’, the other ‘pedestrian crossing’. 1942 Motor Driving Made Easy (Autocar) (ed. 7) ix. 121 Once he [sc. the pedestrian] has left the pavement at a Belisha beacon, motor and other traffic must yield to him. 1958 L. Blight Love & Idleness iii. 29 The yellow belishas going on and off at the zebra crossings. |