411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Scarborough warning
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
Fuller links the phrase to the events of 1557, when Thomas Stafford seized upon Scarborough Castle before the townsmen had the least notice of his approach.
Noun
A warning given too late to be useful.
References
en 1873 John Camden Hotten The Slang Dictionary