jail delivery
- noun
- /dʒeɪl dɪˈlɪvəri/
- NSFW
- The recent jail delivery shocked the entire community.
Examples
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The gang planned a jail delivery to free their leader from incarceration.
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Authorities are investigating a jail delivery that occurred last night.
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After the jail delivery, the authorities launched a massive manhunt for the fugitives.
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The judge described the jail delivery as a serious threat to the rule of law.
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The outlaws staged a jail delivery in the middle of the night, helping their leader escape.
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Authorities were alerted about the potential jail delivery and increased security around the prison.
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During the strike, a jail delivery occurred, and several inmates escaped through the back entrance.
Synonyms
A planned or forced escape from prison
An escape from prison done by force or secret planning
An act of leaving prison illegally or helping others leave prison
Antonyms
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Morphology
jail + delivery
The sense 'forcible release of inmates' is not a straightforward composition of 'jail' (prison) and 'delivery' (commonly 'the act of bringing or handing over'); 'delivery' does not typically mean 'release'. This is a rare/legal collocation with an unexpected, idiomatic sense, so an average B1 learner who knows the parts would probably not infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Jail delivery may come from the older use of deliver or delivery meaning 'to set free'. Imagine people breaking into a jail and carrying prisoners out through the gate; that strong picture explains why the phrase means using force to free inmates today.