a short drop and a sudden stop

== English == === Alternative forms === a quick drop and a sudden stop === Etymology === Popular due to the internal rhyme of drop with stop. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ə shôrtʹ drŏpʹ ən(d) ə sŭdʹən stŏpʹ, IPA(key): [ə ˌʃɔɹʔ ˈdɹɒp ən ə ˌsʌdn̩ ˈstɒp] === Noun === a short drop and a sudden stop (idiomatic) A fall to one's death by hanging. 2005 January 8, “Bookman”, alt.fan.heinlein (Google group): Clarke Survives Tsunamis: > But, yeah, the death penalty is a little stiff just for pretentious writing.> Punning now… it’d be a capital idea, there.Let’s not start _that_ row. Give it a quick drop and a sudden stop, rather than letting them hang… 2006 Hirchak, John Hirchak. Ghosts of Old Wilmington, page 27 (The History Press; →ISBN, →ISBN): If you were lucky enough to survive all this lunacy, you always risked capture. There your story would end with a quick drop and a sudden stop, for piracy was punishable by hanging.