Ketch, Jack

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | 390 words | Copyright

Ketch, Jack (1663–86), public executioner. His name became notorious on account of his barbarity at a number of executions, and from that (and perhaps partly also from association with the verb catch) it was given to the hangman in the puppet-play of Punchinello, which was introduced from Italy shortly after his death; finally, Jack Ketch became a generic term for an executioner.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ketch, Jack." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ketch, Jack." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-KetchJack.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ketch, Jack." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-KetchJack.html

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