Unwritten Law
Preserved but no longer current.
Uncodified and unjudicial law which rests for its authority on the supposed right of the individual to take into his own hands the avenging of personal wrongs-^especially sexual offences against his womenkind.
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 “Unwritten Law” mean?
Uncodified and unjudicial law which rests for its authority on the supposed right of the individual to take into his own hands the avenging of personal wrongs-^especially sexual offences against his womenkind.
Is “Unwritten Law” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.