Criminal punishment was at one time really what you would call cruel and unusual. For example in Britain there were public floggings and even hangings for more serious crimes. For lesser crimes there was the practice of Nailing. In this punishment the criminal’s ear lobes were literally nailed to the hangman’s gallows or gibbet. There the criminal was forced to stay all day until nightfall as his punishment. Women were not immune to this practice either. Some were nailed through the tongue to teach them not to gossip.
Today we use the term Got Nailed to mean a very painful experience or to describe someone who was caught in a dishonest or criminal act.
myITforum Daily Newsletter Daily Newsletter March 5, 2007 The myITforum.com newsletter is delivered Monday-Friday.