with a hook at the end
Preserved but no longer current.
"My assent is given with a hook at the end" means that it is given with a mental reservation. In some parts it is still the custom for a witness when he swears falsely to crook his finger into a sort of hook, and this is supposed sufficient to annul the perjury. It is a crooked oath, an oath "with a hook at the end." Cp. OVER THE LEFT, under LEFT.
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 “with a hook at the end” mean?
"My assent is given with a hook at the end" means that it is given with a mental reservation. In some parts it is still the custom for a witness when he swears falsely to crook his finger into a sort of hook, and this is supposed sufficient to annul the perjury. It is a crooked oath, an oath "with a hook at the end." Cp. OVER THE LEFT, under LEFT.
Is “with a hook at the end” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.