Kangaroo court
A kangaroo court is "a mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted".[1] It is essentially where the defendant has already been deemed guilty, and has little if any opportunities to object or defend himself or herself.
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Etymology [edit]
There is some debate over the origin of the term kangaroo court, but some sources suggest that it may have been popularized during the California Gold Rush of 1849, as a description of the hastily carried-out proceedings used to deal with the issue of claim jumping miners.[2] Other sources claim that the term comes from the notion of justice proceeding "by leaps", like a kangaroo.[3] The phrase is considered an Americanism and is still in common use.[4]
As informal proceedings in sports [edit]
The term is sometimes used without any negative connotation. For example, many Major League Baseball teams have a kangaroo court to punish players for errors and other mistakes on the field, as well as for being late for a game or practice, not wearing proper attire to road games, or having a messy locker in the clubhouse. Fines are allotted, and at the end of the year, the money collected is given to charity. The organization may also use the money for a team party at the end of the season.[5]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "kangaroo court". Merriam-Webster: Dictionary (online). Retrieved 2011-11-11.
- ^ Adams, Cecil. "What's the origin of "kangaroo court"? Is "kangaroo" aborigine for "I don't know"?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ http://www.norwichbulletin.com/sports/x1331803980/Minor-League-Baseball-In-this-court-most-anything-goes#axzz2Nq4oSU1r
- ^ "Kangaroo Court" thefreedictionary.com
- ^ Bouton, Jim (1990). Ball Four (2nd ed. ed.). Wiley. ISBN 0-02-030665-2.
External links [edit]
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Look up kangaroo court in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
