Floriano Lobo quotes his brother as describing the phrase 'Hanged, drawn and quartered':
"I had expected that you would know" he said. "It means, as the body is plunged and comes to the end of the rope, there is the executioner waiting with a knife who slits the chest open in one motion even as the body is in spasm, plucks out the beating heart with his bare hands, places it on the chopping block and cuts it into 4 quarters in a swift 'dak ..dak' motion". ----------------- Actually it was not the heart that was quartered but rather the entire body. These body parts would be put on public display as a deterrent to others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered There is no mention anywhere of a beating heart being plucked out, and definitely no 'dak...dak' motion. Cheers! Cecil ==============
