gregory
n. countablen. a person's neck. This is a very specific type of British slang where a name is used to mean something else because it rhymes.
n. a person's neck. Derived from Cockney rhyming slang 'Gregory Peck', it is used almost exclusively in informal British English.
He wrapped a warm scarf around his Gregory.
The old man complained about a stiff Gregory after sleeping in an uncomfortable chair all afternoon.
While standard English would suffice, the speaker chose to use 'Gregory' to signal his cultural roots and familiarity with traditional London street slang.
Via Latin Grēgorius, from post-classical Ancient Greek Γρηγόριος (Grēgórios, “watchful, vigilant”), from Ancient Greek ἐγείρω (egeírō, “awaken, arouse”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Typically used with a possessive adjective like 'my' or 'his'.
Last updated May 2, 2026