the.com/witness stand
The one seat where saying 'I don't recall' is a full-time legal strategy.
means The enclosed platform in a courtroom where a witness sits to testify under oath, facing questions from lawyers and sometimes the judge.
from A straightforward compound — 'witness' (one who gives testimony, from Old English witnes, 'knowledge, attestation,' rooted in wit, 'to know') plus 'stand,' the raised platform or booth one stands or sits in. The phrase itself emerged alongside modern courtroom architecture, once witnesses were given a fixed, visible spot to testify from rather than simply addressing the court from wherever they stood.
- origin
- Raised platform so juries could see liars sweat
- oath purpose
- Makes lying a separate crime: perjury
- cross-examination
- Designed to make confident people sound confused
- fun fact
- Witnesses can't be forced to answer self-incriminating questions