kangaroo court

[Prof. Roly Sussex]

This is probably an Americanism, and is certainly not common in
Australia. Brewer refers to "to kangaroo" meaning "to convict
on false evidence", and wonders where the kangaroo's jumps
have something to do with summary and capricious justice.

Nigel Rees ("Phrases and sayings") wonders curiously whether
the phrase has something to do with the "vicious streak" that
kangaroos are supposed to display.

Robert Hendrickson ("QPB Encyclopedia") refers to the dumb
stares of kangaroos out of spear range being like the dumb
stares of jurors. Personally, I don't think that's fair on
either kangaroos or jurors. One might as well refer to the
terrified stare of the convicted criminal resembling the
terror of kangaroos blinded at night by headlights.
Australian farmers have "roo bars" on the front of their
cars for such eventualities.

None of the sources is very confident, and my guess is that
the kangaroo's jumping prowess (they actually travel more
efficiently at speed, in terms of energy use, than slowly)
suggested speed hops from accusation to trial to conviction.
Gold was discovered in Australia in 1851, and many gold-seekers
came here from the US, later to return. Perhaps they took
stories of the kangaroos with them. All speculative, alas.

By the way, Hendrickson mentions the story that when Capt
James Cook the explorer asked an Aboriginal for the name of
the kangaroo, the Aboriginal is supposed to have said
"kangaroo" meaning "I don't know". OED is uncertain, but
thinks the story lacks foundation. The "Australian National
Dictionary" favours gangurru, the word for a large black
or grey kangaroo, Macropus robustus, from the language
Guugu Yimidhirr.


Roly Sussex
The University of Queensland