greys

Etymology

verb

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of grey

noun

1. plural of grey

noun

1. (UK, prison slang) Grey trousers and/or jackets worn by prisoners on relatively formal occasions.
   There was a clatter at the back of the gallery, a sharp word from a warder, and the men marched in in their prison greys, jackets too large, trousers too small. 1955, The Bedside "Guardian", page 40
   'No one told me that I had to be dressed in Greys not Blues! When I appeared before the BOV I was told that I could not go in and see them because I was improperly dressed.' Quoted in 1982, Geoff Coggan, Martin J. Walker, Frightened for My Life: An Account of Deaths in British Prisons (page 110)
   “Drop your trousers!” I loosened the clasp on my prison greys and my trouser dropped to my ankles. 2013, Constantine Buller, Operation Dolby, page 266