E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Lombard Street to a China Orange.
Long odds. Lombard Street, London, is the centre of great banking and mercantile transactions. To stake the Bank of England against a common orange is to stake what is of untold value against a mere trifle.
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“‘It is Lombard Street to a China orange,’ quoth Uncle Jack.”—Bulwer Lytton: The Caxtons.
