the forks
Preserved but no longer current.
The gallows (Lat. furca). The word also meant a kind of yoke, with two arms stretching over the shoulders, to which the criminal's hands were tied. The punishment was of three degrees of severity: (1) The furca ignomimosa; (2) the furca panalis> and (3) the furca capitalis. The first was for slight offences, and consisted in carrying the furca on the shoulders, more or less weighted.
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.
Common questions
What does “the forks” mean?
The gallows (Lat. furca). The word also meant a kind of yoke, with two arms stretching over the shoulders, to which the criminal's hands were tied. The punishment was of three degrees of severity: (1) The furca ignomimosa; (2) the furca panalis> and (3) the furca capitalis. The first was for slight offences, and consisted in carrying the furca on the shoulders, more or less weighted.
Is “the forks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.