nightingale court
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.29 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A temporary court in England and Wales established to deal with the backlog of legal cases brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020.
British usage
Example Sentences
- "The Lowry Theatre in Manchester is to be turned into a Nightingale court as part of the Government's bid to clear a 500,000-case backlog."
- "CIRENCESTER’S former magistrates court will become a ‘Nightingale Court’ to help deal with the hearing backlog. There are more than 1,000 criminal cases are waiting to be heard in Gloucestershire – a record high and a number that has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic."
- "The Mercure Nottingham Sherwood Hotel, in Mansfield Road, has become a “Nightingale Court”, which the Ministry of Justice said will “free up the Crown Court for more jury trials.”"
- "MOST nightingale courts in England and Wales – including the one in Swansea – will be kept open for another year in a bid to cut backlogs of cases and reduce the time victims spend waiting for justice."
Etymology
Derived from the establishment of temporary hospitals to house the surplus of patients created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the first being NHS Nightingale in Canning Town, East London. Ultimately named after British nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.
Usage
- British usage