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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? | ||
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<Asa Lovejoy> |
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. | ||