Hung jury

Posted by Victoria S Dennis February 23, 2009 at 19:44In reply to Hung jury posted by ESC on February 23, 2009 at 14:36:

Does anyone know where the term or phrase "hung jury" came from?

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I don't think this really qualifies as a phrase. "Hang" has a lot of (largely related) meanings. Here, "hung" means unresolved, in contention etc. Not it's most common meaning, but a perfectly valid one. (GC)

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I couldn't find it in my references. Merriam Webster online, under hung, adjective, says "hung" has been used to mean unable to make a decision since 1848.

- and you can, of course, also have a "hung parliament". (VSD)