Belsen
(ˈbɛlsən)
The name of a concentration camp in Germany in the war of 1939–45, applied hyperbolically to any very unpleasant place. Also attrib. and Comb.
| 1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 14 Belsen. Most army camps sooner or later acquired, with or without justification, the name of this most notorious of Nazi concentration camps. 1953 L. A. G. Strong Hill of Howth ix. 194 It was a Belsen urge, a blast from the pit. 1956 ‘M. Innes’ Appleby plays Chicken i. i. 16 My public school was a regular old Belsen. 1959 News Chron. 12 Dec. 7/1 Allegations about ‘hoodlum warders’ with ‘Belsen-type mentalities’ at Exeter prison. |