a short drop and a sudden stop

English

Alternative forms

• a quick drop and a sudden stop

Etymology

Popular due to the internal rhyme of drop with stop.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ə shôrtʹ drŏpʹ ən(d) ə sŭdʹən stŏpʹ, IPA^(key): [ə ˌʃɔɹʔ ˈdɹɒp ən ə ˌsʌdn̩ ˈstɒp]

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Noun

a short drop and a sudden stop

1. (idiomatic) A fall to one's death by hanging.
   • 1923, Austin B Griffin, Reports of Cases Heard and Determined in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York‎^[1], volume 203, page 885:

     I see, in other words, a short drop and then a sudden stop?

   • 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl‎^[2]:

     I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves: A short drop and a sudden stop.

   • 2005 January 8, “Bookman”, alt.fan.heinlein (Google group): Clarke Survives Tsunamis:

     > But, yeah, the death penalty is a little stiff just for pretentious writing.
     > Punning now… it’d be a capital idea, there.
     Let’s not start _that_ row. Give it a quick drop and a sudden stop, rather than letting them hang…

   • 2006 Hirchak, John Hirchak. Ghosts of Old Wilmington, page 27 (The History Press; →ISBN, →ISBN):

     If you were lucky enough to survive all this lunacy, you always risked capture. There your story would end with a quick drop and a sudden stop, for piracy was punishable by hanging.