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talljasperman's avatar

(NSFW) Is being guillotined where the phrase going to Hell in a hand basket come from?

Asked by talljasperman (21919points) August 26th, 2014

Where you die and your head lies inside a hand basket.

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3 Answers

zenvelo's avatar

That’s one speculative thought on its origin, that it derived from “head in a hand basket.” It’s also because it is alliterative.

majorrich's avatar

I thing the guillotine refers to the phrase “Heads will roll”. Looking for hand basket. Brb

Winter_Pariah's avatar

So what I’ve been able to dig up on the Interweb generally states that the origin of the phrase is still uncertain though it probably came from hell in a handcart which I believe the earliest reference to is found in a 16th century stained glass window. It and its passive aggressive sibling, “heaven in a wheelbarrow” just seemed to be ways to tell people to go to hell in the most expedient way possible with no way to redeem themselves. However, there does seem to be quite a few people nowadays who believe it deals with beheadings as the head was commonly either caught in a basket or placed in a handcart/wheel barrow.

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