English Reference

Idiom

hanging offence

Meaning

A crime so serious that it is punishable by means of death by hanging.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples

“In the past, stealing a horse was considered a hanging offence.”

“The judge reminded the jury that treason was once a hanging offence in this country.”

“During the era of harsh penal codes, even minor acts of theft were treated as a hanging offence, leaving the populace in constant fear of the gallows.”

Examples

simple

“In the past, stealing a horse was considered a hanging offence.”

contextual

“The judge reminded the jury that treason was once a hanging offence in this country.”

complex

“During the era of harsh penal codes, even minor acts of theft were treated as a hanging offence, leaving the populace in constant fear of the gallows.”

Key words

This entry

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English Reference