chain gang

chain gang
noun
a gang of convicts chained together
• Hypernyms: ↑gang, ↑crew, ↑work party

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noun
1. : a gang of convicts chained together especially as an outside working party
2. slang : one of two or more railroad train crews taking turns in the operation of extra trains in addition to regular trains

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a group of convicts chained together, esp. when working outside.
[1825-35]

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chain gang noun
A gang of convicts wearing leg-irons, esp chained together on an outside working party
• • •
Main Entry: ↑chain

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chain gang UK US noun [countable] [singular chain gang plural chain gangs]
a group of prisoners who are chained together while they work outside
Thesaurus: prisonershyponym

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chain gang,
U.S. a gang of convicts, or the like, chained together while at work outdoors or on their way to work: »

traditional and less familiar songs based on chain gang, jailhouse, church, backyard, and cemetery (Saturday Review).

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n. a group of convicts chained together while working outside the prison

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noun, pl ⋯ gangs [count]
: a group of prisoners who are chained together while they do work outside the prison

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ˈchain gang [chain gang chain gangs] noun
a group of prisoners chained together and forced to work
 
Culture:
This practice was considered cruel and was stopped in the 1960s, but it began again in 1996 in ↑Alabama and then in ↑Arizona and ↑Florida.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chain gang — Chain Chain (ch[=a]n), n. [F. cha[^i]ne, fr. L. catena. Cf. {Catenate}.] 1. A series of links or rings, usually of metal, connected, or fitted into one another, used for various purposes, as of support, of restraint, of ornament, of the exertion… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chain gang — n: a group of convicts chained together esp. to work outside a prison Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • chain gang — chain gangs N COUNT In the United States, a chain gang is a group of prisoners who are chained together to do work outside their prison. Chain gangs existed especially in former times …   English dictionary

  • chain gang — n. a gang of prisoners chained together, as when working outdoors …   English World dictionary

  • chain gang — n a group of prisoners chained together to work outside their prison …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • chain gang — chain ,gang noun count a group of prisoners who are chained together while they work outside …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • chain gang — chain′ gang n. a group of convicts chained together • Etymology: 1825–35 …   From formal English to slang

  • chain gang — ► NOUN ▪ a group of convicts chained together while working outside the prison …   English terms dictionary

  • Chain gang — For other uses, see Chain gang (disambiguation). 1894 illustration of chain gang performing manual labor …   Wikipedia

  • chain gang — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms chain gang : singular chain gang plural chain gangs a group of prisoners who are chained together while they work outside …   English dictionary

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