English · Slang Attested

sudden death

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A meal of a chicken freshly slaughtered and spatchcocked.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bữa ăn từ gà vừa được làm thịt

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

An old sinner, in shape of a khansamah, is the genius of the place, and has rarely aught else to tempt the tired traveller with than a “sudden death”—a fowl caught running in the yard, and dished up forthwith; […]

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

In tossing, to be decided by the first call is to "GO SUDDEN DEATH," as distinguished from the longer forms of "best two out of three," and "first three." At the Universities a crumpet, or Sally Lunn, is so called.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Được quyết định bởi lần gọi đầu tiên

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Life & death Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “sudden death” mean?

A meal of a chicken freshly slaughtered and spatchcocked.

Is “sudden death” formal or informal?

sudden death is generally slang.