Wednesday, April 11, 2012
K - All Keyed up about Kicking the bucket in a Kangaroo court
Today's idioms are brought to you by the letter 'K' - the most difficult letter I've done so far, since most of them were literal, but I haven't failed to find interesting origins for you yet, and am not about to start now.
1. My old '77 Mustang finally kicked the bucket. (My second car - born the same year as me.)
Meaning: to die or stop working.
Origin: Used as early as 1600s in England, this term originated from the practice of hanging a criminal by having him stand on a bucket, then kicking the bucket out from under him. Prisoners who committed suicide would often kick a bucket out from under their own legs. Today, it can be applied to any manner of death.
2. The criminal cried "Kangaroo Court" when he was given the death penalty.
Meaning: An unfair, biased, or hasty judicial proceeding that ends in a harsh punishment; an unauthorized trial conducted by individuals who have taken the law into their own hands, such as those put on by vigilantes or prison inmates; a proceeding and its leaders who are considered sham, corrupt, and without regard for the law.
Origin: The concept of kangaroo court dates to the early nineteenth century, and is thought to have been made popular during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Scholars trace its origin to the historical practice of itinerant judges on the U.S. frontier. These roving judges were paid on the basis of how many trials they conducted, and in some instances their salary depended on the fines from the defendants they convicted. The term kangaroo court comes from the image of these judges hopping from place to place, guided less by concern for justice than by the desire to wrap up as many trials as the day allowed. The first recorded use is from 1853 in a Texas context. The phrase is considered an Americanism, despite the fact that we have no kangaroos here.
3. I was all keyed up after my meeting.
Meaning: stressed, tense, anxious, excited.
Origin: This phrase refers to the string of a piano key or a guitar string, which when tightened, put a lot of stress on the string and cause it to vibrate quicker. So when a person is keyed up, it refers to their inability to stop moving.