What it means
The moment the pub actually turfs everyone out, a bit after last orders, when the lights come up and the staff want their beds. Chucking-out time is when the street fills with stragglers, kebab queues and someone always looking for their other shoe.
Usage examples
"By chucking-out time the whole high street smells of chips and everyone's suddenly best mates with strangers at the taxi rank."
"We lost track of the hour and only left at chucking-out-time, blinking in the cold."
"By chucking-out-time the whole street was full of people hunting for a taxi."
"We hung about till chucking-out time, then got swept onto the pavement with the rest of the lager zombies."
"By chucking-out time the kebab shop was heaving and Dave was still insisting he'd only had the one."
Where it comes from
It’s a straight British pub phrase built from the verb chuck out, meaning to throw people out or make them leave. So chucking-out time became the everyday name for that scruffy little stretch after last orders when staff clear the place and everyone spills onto the street.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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