Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
Hoosegow Login/Join
 
Member
Picture of Kalleh
posted
I know that hoosegow is slang, but, still, I can't understand why it means "jail" when it seems to come from the Latin word "iudicare", meaning "to judge". I thought alleged criminals were supposed to be innocent, until proven guilty. I wonder if other judicial words have etymologies with the assumption of guilt. Or, maybe it is just in the U.S. that we are innocent until proven guilty?
 
Posts: 24735 | Location: Chicago, USAReply With QuoteReport This Post
<Asa Lovejoy>
posted
While my dictionaries also give it the Latin, then Spanish origins, I can't help but suspect that there may have been a Gaelic origin. I can't prove it, though.
 
Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata  
 


Copyright © 2002-12