neck verse
The term 'neck verse' originates from medieval England, where reciting a specific biblical verse could spare a person from execution by allowing them to be tried in a more lenient ecclesiastical court.
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Definition
C1Historical Legal System
(historical, legal)A specific biblical verse recited by a defendant to demonstrate literacy and claim the benefit of clergy, potentially avoiding capital punishment.
Example
- In medieval England, a prisoner might recite the neck verse to avoid the gallows.
C1General Usage
(figurative)A phrase or statement that determines one's fate or outcome.
Example
- His admission of guilt was the neck verse that sealed his fate.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "neck verse":