Etymology From the London, England fishmarket Billingsgate: "Billingsgate is the market where the fishwomen assemble to purchase fish; and where, in their dealings and disputes they are somewhat apt to leave decency and good manners a little on the left hand." (Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811).
1
Profane, abusive language; coarse words.
You wouldn't have believed the billingsgate which poured forth from that boy's mouth.
These "flytings" consisted of alternate torrents of sheer Billingsgate poured upon each other by the combatants.1898, George Saintsbury, A Short History of English Literature:
billingsgate
verb
Etymology From the London, England fishmarket Billingsgate: "Billingsgate is the market where the fishwomen assemble to purchase fish; and where, in their dealings and disputes they are somewhat apt to leave decency and good manners a little on the left hand." (Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811).
1
To use profane, abusive language towards.
On the other hand, the Englishman has the satisfaction of Billingsgating to his heart's content the highest officials: they accept objurgation with spaniel fawning.1905, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume 177, page 99: