burton Definition

burton (slang)
noun

1. Lost for good, missing or no longer in existence.
2. Dead, killed or drowned.
3. Broken or destroyed.

Etymology: 1940s phrase; in World War II airforce slang, an airman who was missing, presumed dead, was said euphemistically to have ‘gone for a Burton', probably referring to a type of beer made in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, and meaning that the airman had gone for a drink, ie ‘into the drink' (the sea).