Gone for a Burton

{{Short description|British colloquial expression}}

Gone for a Burton is a British English expression meaning to be missing or to die. The term was popularised by the RAF around the time of World War II.{{cite web|title=The meaning and origin of the expression: Gone for a burton|url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gone-for-a-burton.html|website=The Phrase Finder|accessdate=30 October 2015}} It migrated to the USA quickly and in June 1943 a story titled "Husky Goes Down for a Burton" appeared in Boys' Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of America.{{cite journal|last1=Cox|first1=JR|title=Husky Goes Down for a Burton|journal=Boys' Life|date=July 1943|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gm_oksLHwVEC&dq=Husky+Goes+Down+for+a+Burton&pg=PA6|accessdate=30 October 2015}} The etymology is disputed.{{cite web|title=burton|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/go-burton|accessdate=30 October 2015}}