faint hope clause
n.— «Olson owned up to his culpability in 1982 when B.C. authorities agreed to give Olson’s wife $10,000 for each child he killed in exchange for telling them where their bodies and personal effects were. In 1997, Olson applied for early release under what is known as Canada’s faint hope clause. At the hearing, Olson displayed a pornographic picture of a child and grinned at the families of the victims. As a result of that hearing, the faint hope clause was amended making those who commit multiple homicide ineligible for applying for early release.» —“Reconsidering the Death Penalty” by Aaron Goldstein American Daily (Phoeniz, Arizona) Oct. 22, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by explaining the history of words and phrases. And: have you ever been in a situation where a group makes...
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A new book argues that this rigorous curriculum actually nurtured the creativity that later flourished...