hempen cravat

English

Noun

hempen cravat (plural hempen cravats)

1. (archaic, euphemistic) The hangman's noose.

   Synonyms: hempen collar; see also Thesaurus:hangman's noose

   • 1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 22:

     I am no prophet, yet am not unwilling to say that if he has not yet graced a hempen cravat, he either will at some future time, or his deserts will not be meted out to him.

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary