drum-head court

English

Noun

drum-head court (plural drum-head courts)

  1. Alternative form of drumhead court-martial
    • 1924, Herman Melville, chapter 23, in Billy Budd‎, London: Constable & Co.:
      Now each proceeding that follows a mortal sentence pronounced at sea by a drum-head court is characterised by promptitude not perceptibly merging into hurry, tho' bordering that.
    • 1961, Günter Grass, translated by Ralph Manheim, The Tin Drum, New York: Vintage, published 1990, page 48:
      We speak of drumfire, drumhead courts; we drum up, drum out, drum into.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.