Hangman sacked, admits 'I'm happy'

[greenleaf]

HERALD SUN 'SUNDAY'

Hangman sacked, admits 'I'm happy'
By CLARE MASTERS in Singapore
27nov05

SINGAPORE has sacked its long-serving hangman on the eve of the execution of Australian drug courier Tuong Van Nguyen.

/snip/

It is believed the new hangman will be flown in from another Asian country, possibly Malaysia, with which Singapore has a close relationship.

Nguyen, 25, will become the first prisoner in Singapore in 46 years not to be sent to his death by Darshan Singh.

The 74-year-old grandfather was dumped after his identity and picture was revealed by The Australian newspaper.
Mr Singh said he was in big trouble and was out of a job.

/snip/

"In a way I am happy," he said.

/snip/

more at:

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17375362%255E662,00.html

Would seem the Singapore government is in the market for a nameless assassin.

[formercia]

1. In France, generations of a family were executioners

admittedly, the kids did have problems with other students at school.

[ashling]

2. Anyone know the origins of the term "sacked" ?

Does anyone know the origins of this euphimism. Does it have snything to do with the hangman placing a burlap or other type of sack over the head prior to hanging. Sort of like "getting the axe"

Just thought this was interesting

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

3. You've got me interested...

A cursory search of google and wikipedia/wiktionary doesn't reveal an answer. Good question, though.

[expatriot]

5. I've always associated it with pirate-types throwing a big burlap sack

over you, tying a rope around you and throwing you overboard. but i am silly.

[ashling]

8. Sounds as plausible as mine

Maybe throwin you in the East River?

[Canuckistanian]

6. It comes from chauffeurs in England

They were expected to use their own tools to repair their cars. And they were usually kept in a bag.

So, when they were fired, they were handed their "sack" and told to go.

That's one version I've heard, anyways.

[Igel]

9. Here's the OED's input:

s.v. 'sack, n.'
"slang. to give (a person) the sack: to dismiss from employment or office; transf. to discard, turn off (a lover). So to get the sack: to receive one's dismissal.
The phrase has been current in Fr. from the 17th c.: cf. ‘On luy a donné son sac, hee hath his pasport giuen him (said of a seruant whom his master hath put away)’ (Cotgr.). Cf. Du. iemand den zak geven, to give one the sack (already in MDu.), den zak krijgen, to get the sack."
1825 C. M. WESTMACOTT Eng. Spy I. 178 You munna split on me, or I shall get the zack for telling on ye. 1837 DICKENS Pickw. xx, I wonder what old Fogg 'ud say, if he knew it. I should get the sack, I s'poseeh? 1840 THACKERAY Shabby-genteel Story v, The short way would have been..to have requested him immediately to quit the house; or, as Mr. Gann said, ‘to give him the sack at once’. 1902 BESANT Five Yrs.' Tryst 12 Frivolity and even lightness of conversation were sure to be followed by the sack. 1913 J. STEPHENS Here are Ladies 102 Getting the ‘sack’ is an experience which wearies after the first time. 1935 D. GARNETT Beany-Eye I. 34 If I just give him the sack he won't get another job and will get into a brawl and be sent to prison again. 1937 ‘G. ORWELL’ Road to Wigan Pier I. i. 11 If they failed to secure a minimum of twenty orders a day, they got the sack. 1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 May 274/1 Always late, crumpled and scruffy, perpetually in debt, hourly expecting the sack, Greave takes refuge from the horrid realities of life in Mittyesque fantasies, pretending he is a high-powered American salesman.

'sack' as a verb with the same meaning was attested in 1845.

http://abu.cnam.fr/DICO/excent/s.html:
Donner le sac: Mettre à la porte. -- Mot à mot: Forcer quelqu'un à faire sa malle, son sac.
My trans.: "To give the sack: To show to the door. Literally: To force someone to pack his suitcase, his bag."
I can't find 'donner le sac' in my Harrap's, so it may not be current.

Cf. English 'to send packing.'

[ashling]

11. Could you be a little more thourough?

:evilgrin:
Thanks. Very interesting and, considering the source, highly reliable AND thourough.

I remember when the Oxford English Dictionary could be found in the library in 12 volumes. My brother got one as a present one time in a two volume boxed set. Each volume was at leat as large as my hp pavilion laptop (only much thicker, and there was a little drawer at the top of the box with a magnifying glass so you could read it.

[0007]

14. Duh!

[newyawker99]

12. From Merriam-Webster...

sack
12 entries found for sack. The first 10 are listed below.
To select an entry, click on it. For more results, click here.
sack<1,noun>sack<2,transitive verb>sack<3,noun>sack<4,transitive verb>sack<5,noun>croker sackhit<1,verb>sack coatsack outsack race

Main Entry: 2sack
Function: transitive verb
1 : to put in or as if in a sack
2 : to dismiss especially summarily
3 : to tackle (the quarterback) behind the line of scrimmage in football
- sack·er noun


http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

[DemoTex]

4. I wonder if hangman Darshan Singh also did the caning at Changi ..

Can a hangman multi-task? But then again, hanging is one thing; caning is so Cheney-esque.

[greenleaf]

7. 50 cents a stroke

This Singapore Democratic Party page
gives a brief biography of Singh.

http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/articleexecutioner.html

/snip/

When his colleague asked him why he had stayed so long in such a gruesome job, he replied: "It's all I know. It has become my bread and butter."

/snip/

[DemoTex]

15. Excerpt from a short fiction work I did on Michael Fay's caning:

Gurung talked quietly as the Mercedes passed the Raffles Hotel in heavy Friday evening traffic. “In my favorite American movie, Cool Hand Luke,” said Garung, “the prison warden, says to Luke, ‘What we have here is a failure to communicate.’ I love that scene. Luke took the punishment. Luke had – how do you say? – balls. Yes, balls!”

Chamberlain fought nausea. Sweat soaked his shirt. The tropical heat suffocated him. His wrists ached in the plastic handcuffs.

“Your countryman Michael Fay was flogged yesterday afternoon, as you probably know by now,” continued Gurung. “There were ten prisoners flogged. Of them, Fay had the balls. Let me tell you how it went. Fay was stripped and lashed to a frame, bent over, with his buttocks exposed. You look ill Mr. Chamberlain. Are you not well?”

Chamberlain whimpered over and over, to himself, “I’ll be on a jet for London in four hours. I’ll be on a jet for London in four hours,” as Gurung continued.

“Okay. The caner put his full body weight behind each stroke. The four strokes of the one-and-a-half meter rattan rod came in less than three minutes. It was actually very humane. Singapore law allows for up to twenty-four strokes for certain offenses. When it was over, do you know what your mister Fay had the balls to do? Do you know?” pressed Gurung. “Mister Fay walked over and shook the hand of the caner! What balls!”

[Dances with Cats]

10. Even the dimwits

Even the bloodthirsty dimwits in Texas came up with the electric chair. Come on Singapore, join the 20th century, haha.

[0007]

13. Huh?

[sniffa]

16. i've been thinking of a career change

hmmm

[Jackpine Radical]

17. Does that mean you won't

be hanging around here anymore?

[nemo137]

18. two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff...

buh-dum chhhh!