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Glite Dictionary
hempen jig

hempen jig

9.9
A joking phrase for being hanged as punishment
  • noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : la danza del cáñamo
  • The villain was warned he would soon dance the hempen jig for his crimes.

Examples

  • Pirates lived in fear of being sentenced to the hempen jig.

  • During the trial, the defendant feared the hempen jig awaited him.

  • With a grin, he jested that he might perform the hempen jig if his plan failed.

  • The old man spoke of the hempen jig with a grim smile.

  • Pirates often joked about meeting the hempen jig if they were captured.

  • The townsfolk whispered that the thief would soon find himself facing the hempen jig.

  • In a darkly humorous tone, he suggested that the corrupt official might deserve the hempen jig for his actions.

Surface Forms

hempen jig singular
hempen jigs plural

Morphology

hempen + jig

The adjective 'hempen' evokes hemp/rope and 'jig' is known as a dance, so a learner could plausibly infer a metaphorical 'rope dance' connection to hanging. However the euphemistic, archaic mapping from 'rope/dance' to 'execution by hanging' is not fully predictable from the parts alone and would likely require cultural or historical exposure, making it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Hempen jig comes from a grim image: hempen means made of hemp rope and jig is a dance, so it pictures a person swinging like a dancer on a hemp rope. That's why it became a joking way to say 'execution by hanging'.