Send someone to Coventry ➡️👤🚷

Meaning

To intentionally ignore and refuse to speak to someone as a form of punishment or disapproval.

Origin

The most vivid tale traces this phrase back to England's fiery Civil War in the 17th century. The city of Coventry, a Royalist stronghold, was captured by Parliamentarian forces. Legend has it that prisoners of war sent to Coventry were subjected to a particularly harsh form of ostracism: they were left utterly alone, completely ignored by the local population, as if they were invisible. This silent, social exile, a chilling form of punishment, cemented the phrase in the English language as a way to describe being deliberately shunned.

🔒 secrets 🗣️ communication 😠⚔️ anger

Send someone to Coventry represented with emoji➡️👤🚷

This playful sequence functions as a visual riddle, inviting us to consider the curious social practice of ostracism. It challenges the viewer to decode the narrative whispered by these symbols, where a simple arrow points towards a solitary figure, ultimately leading to a sign of prohibition. Note how the seemingly straightforward icons evoke a sense of deliberate exclusion, underscoring the potent silence of being deliberately ignored.

Examples

  • After their argument, she decided to send him to Coventry for a week.
  • The class was so annoyed with his constant disruptions that they collectively sent him to Coventry.
  • The mischievous goblins decided to send the grumpy troll to Coventry until he learned to share his mushrooms.
  • When the knight refused to polish her armor, the fairy queen threatened to send him to Coventry with the silent unicorns.

Frequently asked questions

Is 'send someone to Coventry' a modern slang term or an older idiom?

'Send someone to Coventry' is an old idiom with roots stretching back to the 17th century. Its origin during the English Civil War gives it a historical weight rather than being a recent slang invention.

What's the opposite of 'send someone to Coventry'?

The opposite of 'send someone to Coventry' would be to welcome, embrace, or include someone. It signifies the act of actively engaging with and accepting a person, contrary to the deliberate ostracism of the idiom.

Can you 'send someone to Coventry' as a joke?

While the phrase implies serious social punishment, it can sometimes be used humorously in modern times to jokingly signify ignoring someone. However, the underlying meaning of exclusion remains, so caution is advised.

Does 'send someone to Coventry' mean they are physically sent away?

No, 'send someone to Coventry' does not mean physical banishment, but rather social exclusion and the act of being deliberately ignored. The punishment is psychological and social, not geographical.

Similar to "send someone to Coventry"

Give someone the cold shoulder
Both involve a deliberate snub, but 'cold shoulder' feels less like a concerted punishment and more like a personal, frosty rejection
Ostracize someone
Both mean to exclude someone, but 'ostracize' carries a weightier, often formal or societal, banishment, whereas 'Coventry' is more a social freeze-out
Put someone in the doghouse
Both are forms of social disapproval, but 'doghouse' implies a more domestic, often temporary, state of disfavor, usually for a specific transgression

Opposite of "send someone to Coventry"

Welcome someone with open arms
This argues for enthusiastic acceptance and warmth, a direct counterpoint to the deliberate exclusion and silence at the heart of 'sending someone to Coventry'
Extend an olive branch
This phrase advocates for reconciliation and peace, the polar opposite of the punitive, isolating nature of ignoring someone as a form of disapproval
Embrace someone
This is all about full, loving acceptance and inclusion, fundamentally at odds with the deliberate social rejection inherent in the act of sending someone to Coventry

Related to "send someone to Coventry"

Shun
Both 'shun' and 'send someone to Coventry' describe deliberate avoidance and withdrawal of social connection, with 'shun' often implying a more profound or religious basis for the rejection
Boycott
'Boycott' shares the element of collective refusal, similar to how a group might enforce the 'sending someone to Coventry' ban; it's a public act of withdrawal
Excommunicate
This echoes the extreme social and spiritual isolation of 'sending someone to Coventry', but usually comes from an established religious or organizational authority
Freeze out
This captures the chilling social exclusion of 'send someone to Coventry', emphasizing the deliberate and often public nature of the snub