English · Idiom Historical

dead man's handle

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A handle pn the con- troller of an electric vehicle so designed that it cuts off the current and applies the brakes if the driver releases his pressure from illness or some other cause.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Life & death Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “dead man's handle” mean?

A handle pn the con- troller of an electric vehicle so designed that it cuts off the current and applies the brakes if the driver releases his pressure from illness or some other cause.

Is “dead man's handle” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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