Key Takeaways
You ’ve credibly heard of someone being " on the lam . " Maybe a bank robber is on the lam after their latest heist , or maybe there ’s been a jailbreak and the escapee are on the getaway . This American English idiom means " attempt to avoid being caught by police force , " according toMerriam - Webster .
But look – what is a " getaway " ? And why is anyone on it ? Does it have anything to do with riding baby sheep aside from a crime scene ? All great interrogative , and there ’s not a utterly clear answer . Though , sad to say , it does not have to do with using lamb as escape vehicles .
We do know that it was first used in the tardy 19th century . Allan Pinkerton , founder of thePinkerton Detective Agency , wrote in 1900 that the tidings " lam " was first used by pickpockets to alert each other to danger :
So while the coppers may not have been on their derriere yet , cutpurse were using the word " lam " as a sign to run by from possible trouble .
We also know that it was used in the set phrase " do a getaway " in 1897 , meaning an escape or a getaway , according to " A Dictionary of the Underworld . " From there , it acquire by 1904 to mean being a " lamster " or fugitive , and by 1932 it meantescapingfrom prison . It evenmade appearancesin Appleton ’s Popular Science Monthly in 1897 and Damon Runyon ’s " Guys and Dolls " in 1931 .
We can see where " lam " started and where it went , but where did it come from ? It seems to have originated with theOld Englishword " lam , " which meant " a thrashing . " It ’s related to the beginning of the word " lambaste , " which itself combine two words meaning " to beat or thrash , " " lam " + " tacking . " This word means business .
There ’s another theory thatthe Word of God comes from"lammas , " which was also write " nammou " and was related to " decamp , " which is another slang word for " get the heck outta here . " Given how slippy pronunciation may be , it ’s possible that these words are all connected .
But think about it : " lam " means " dead , " and American slang also uses " beat it ! " to signify " black market away ! " So it might make more sense for that Old English " lam " to be used in the same sentiency : to " beat a retreat , " as we also sometimes say .
