Does any one know what this quote means,"a short drop and a sudden stop"?

Question

I saw it in a movie and it sound cool.

Answer 1

Hanging.
The trapdoor shoots out, you drop, and get jerked to a stop by the rope around your neck.
Very cool quote. Go Norrington!

Answer 2

To hang from the neck until dead.

In a traditional, legal hanging the condemned would stand on a trap door in the scaffolding about 6 feet off the ground with the noose secured at their neck. the hangman throws a lever, the door opens, and they fall. after falling about 2 feet(varies based on the person to be hung) the noose yanks tight snapping the neck. If done improperly the person will choke, rather than have their neck broken.

fun fact: Whether by accident of design a proper and standard Noose has 13 coils of rope in it.

Outlaw John Wesley Harden was decapitated when hung, because the hangman failed to account for the weight he gained while awaiting execution, and the distorted center of gravity caused by the loss of one of his arms.

Answer 3

it's when they hang you,
you drop a short distance when they let go of the rope and you fall
you stop suddenly when the rope catches and it breaks your neck
i think it was in pirates of the caribbean! i love that movie! lol

Answer 4

It refers to hanging (by a noose). But it's used to talk about anything that is brief, sudden, and final.