house lamb

house lamb (countable and uncountable, plural house lambs)

1. (countable) A lamb raised for slaughter wholly inside a building.
2. (uncountable) The meat of such a lamb.
   • 1860, Charles Dickens, Captain Murderer:

     On his marriage morning, he always caused both sides of the way to church to be planted with curious flowers; and when his bride said, 'Dear Captain Murderer, I ever saw flowers like these before: what are they called?' he answered, 'They are called Garnish for house-lamb,' and laughed at his ferocious practical joke in a horrid manner, disquieting the minds of the noble bridal company, with a very sharp show of teeth, then displayed for the first time.