Been Sent to Coventry

To send someone to Coventry is a British idiom meaning to deliberately ostracise someone. Typically, this is done by not talking to them, avoiding someone's company and generally pretending that they no longer exist. Victims are treated as though they are completely invisible and inaudible. It is often used to punish people who, for example, refuse to join a strike. The Coventry referred to in the phrase is a cathedral city in the West Midlands, England.

The origins of this phrase are unknown, although it is quite probable that events in Coventry in the English Civil War in the 1640s play a part. One hypothesis as to its origin is based upon The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, by Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. In this work, Hyde recounts how Royalist troops that were captured in Birmingham were taken as prisoners to Coventry, which was a Parliamentarian stronghold. These troops were often not received warmly by the locals.

Not the best blip but I hope the little bit of Wikipedia research makes it slightly more interesting.