Chummage
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 The lodging of several people in a single apartment. UK, obsolete, slang, uncountable, usually
- 2 A fee paid by a prisoner to be able to lodge in shared rooms within a prison. UK, obsolete, slang, uncountable, usually
"What will you take to be paid out?’ said the butcher. ‘The regular chummage is two–and–six. Will you take three bob?’ ‘And a bender,’ suggested the clerical gentleman. ‘Well, I don’t mind that; it’s only twopence a piece more,’ said Mr. Martin. ‘What do you say, now? We’ll pay you out for three–and–sixpence a week. Come!’"
Example
More examples"What will you take to be paid out?’ said the butcher. ‘The regular chummage is two–and–six. Will you take three bob?’ ‘And a bender,’ suggested the clerical gentleman. ‘Well, I don’t mind that; it’s only twopence a piece more,’ said Mr. Martin. ‘What do you say, now? We’ll pay you out for three–and–sixpence a week. Come!’"
Etymology
From chum + -age.
More for "chummage"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.