table jumper
n.— «Bishop and the other condemned men who followed him were “table jumpers,” guard parlance for inmates who didn’t resist as they were led to the death chamber and strapped into a chair or onto the gurney that’s now used.» —“Nevada executions follow precise procedures” by Brendan Riley in Carson City, Nev. Monterey Herald (California) July 17, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actually fluent? And a couple’s dispute over the word regret: Say you wish you’d been able...
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece of legislation. Plus, the language of yoga teachers: When doing a guided meditation, you may hear...