Cruel and Unusual

Cruel and unusual is commonly used to describe certain controversial forms of physical punishment, for which see:

  • Cruel and unusual punishment

Read more about Cruel And Unusual:  Other Uses

Famous quotes containing the words cruel and/or unusual:

    “O Paddy dear, an’ did ye hear the news that’s goin’ round?
    The shamrock is by law forbid to grow on Irish ground!
    No more Saint Patrick’s Day we’ll keep, his colour can’t be seen,
    For there’s a cruel law agin the wearin’ o’ the Green!”
    —Unknown. The Wearing of the Green (l. 37–40)

    “... it was not very unusual at Washington for a lady to take the arm of a gentleman, who was neither her husband, her father, nor her brother. This remarkable relaxation of American decorum has been probably introduced by the foreign legations.”
    —Frances Trollope (1780–1863)