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
In Cockney rhyming slang, apples and pears is a synonym for “stairs,” and dustbin lids means kids. Plus, sniglets are clever coinages for things we don’t already have words for. Any guesses what incogsneeto means? It’s the...
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...