(a theatrical word). Benefit. “A big ben,” a good or bumping
benefit.
Big Ben of Westminster.
A name given to the large bell, which weighs 13 tons 10 cwt., and
is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the Chief Commissioner of Works when
the bell was cast. (1856.)
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
