

Sep 29, 2020 This week’s theme

Words originating in rivers



This week’s words

Pactolian

Jedburgh justice



Jedburgh Court Photo: Stuart Smith Words originating in rivers A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg



Jedburgh justice PRONUNCIATION: (JED-buh-ruh juhs-tis)

MEANING: noun: Punishment before trial.

ETYMOLOGY: After Jedburgh, a town in Scotland, where in the 17th century people were summarily executed. The town lies on the Jed Water river. Earliest documented use: 1698.

NOTES: Jedburgh justice, also known as Jedwood justice or Jeddart justice, is, in essence: Hang now, ask questions later. The term is coined after Jedburgh, a town near Edinburgh, where under the orders of King James VI and I, people were executed without trial. See also: lynch

USAGE: “A Black defendant is presumed guilty and he or she has a legal duty to prove his or her innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt. There are still no guarantees, however. This is Jedburgh justice.”

Alton H Maddox, Jr.; FDR’s “Raw Deal and Blacks”; New York Amsterdam News; Jun 14, 2007.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: No fathers or mothers think their own children ugly; and this self-deceit is yet stronger with respect to the offspring of the mind. -Miguel de Cervantes, novelist (29 Sep 1547-1616)





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