drumhead court-martial

drumhead court-martial

noun
a court-martial held, usually on a battlefield, for the summary trial of charges of offenses committed during military operations.
Origin:
1825–35; so called from the use of a drumhead as a table during the court-martial

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
drumhead court-martial
 
—n
a military court convened to hear urgent charges of offences committed in action
 
[C19: from the use of a drumhead as a table around which the court-martial was held]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Drumhead court-martial is always a great word to know.
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a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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