Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cheat the hangman

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English

Syllables: cheat the hang-man
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To die, especially by suicide, while under sentence of death, or while guilty of a capital crime; also, to kill someone else who is in such a state.

verb

To escape punishment for one's crimes; to get away with something.

Example Sentences

"I sincerely hope, for your sake, that Don Beltran may expiate his treason, on the old Spanish gibbet in the Recoveco, as soon as Caraccas is a little more quiet; unless, indeed, the earthquake has already cheated the hangman of his fee, as is most probable."
"Twelve were condemned to death by hanging, among them Göring, who cheated the hangman by swallowing a cyanide tablet in his cell."
"Rozsa's escapes from the gendarmerie were followed closely by the invisible crowd, and every time he cheated the hangman his legend grew."

Etymology

In full "cheat the hangman of his fee", since a hangman would not be paid if there was nobody to hang.

Inflected Forms

cheats the hangman (present, singular) cheating the hangman (participle, present) cheated the hangman (participle, past) cheated the hangman (past)

Questions

What does cheat the hangman mean?: To die, especially by suicide, while under sentence of death, or while guilty of a capital crime; also, to kill someone else who is in such a state.
Where does cheat the hangman come from?: In full "cheat the hangman of his fee", since a hangman would not be paid if there was nobody to hang.

How to pronounce cheat the hangman

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