Dated British slang for something thoroughly unpleasant or disagreeable — a situation or experience as unsatisfying and miserable as cold, congealed porridge. The phrase uses the poverty-associated image of gruel (thin, cheap porridge) at its worst (cold) as a metaphor for something utterly grim.
Being assigned to the night shift over Christmas was cold gruel for everyone on the team.
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(UK, slang, dated) ; an unpleasant experience.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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