The Results of the British Elections by Jonathan Goldberg

A HUNG PARLIAMENT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjbPasmFTIo

A linguistic note on to hang, being hanged and being hung:

The verb “to hang” has two past participle forms: hung and hanged. “Hung” is used for any object, (e.g. a picture that is hung on a wall) or for a jury or parliament that is hung (divided), whereas “hanged” is used in relation to a person who is executed by hanging.

                                                                               A picture being hung

                                                                                  A man being hanged

hung vb

(Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) the past tense and past participle of hang (except in the sense of to execute or in the idiom I'll be hanged.)

adj

1. (Government, Politics  & Diplomacy)
a. (of a legislative assembly) not having a party with a working majority a hung parliament
b. unable to reach a decision a hung jury
c. (of a situation) unable to be resolved

hung over Informal suffering from the effects of a hangover

hung up Slang

a. impeded by some difficulty or delay
b. in a state of confusion; emotionally disturbed

hung up on Slang obsessively or exclusively interested in he's hung up on modern art these days

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

to hang out

1. Protrude downward, as in The dog's tongue was hanging out, or The branches hung out over the driveway. [c. 1400]
2. Display a flag or sign of some kind, as in They hung out the flag on every holiday. [Mid-1500s]
3. Reside, live, as in I've found a place downtown, and I'll be hanging out there beginning next week. [c. 1800]
4. Spend one's free time in; also, loiter, pass time idly. For example, They hung out around the pool parlor, or They spent the evening just hanging out. [Slang; mid-1900s]
5. To hang out with. Keep company with, appear in public with, as in She's hanging out with her ex-boyfriend again. [Slang; second half of 1900s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with hang out; let it all hang out.

Phrasal Verbs:

hang back
To be averse; hold back.
hang in Informal
To persevere: decided to hang in despite his illness.
hang off
To hold back; be averse.
hang on
1. To cling tightly to something.
2. To continue persistently; persevere.
3. To keep a telephone connection open.
4. To wait for a short period of time.
hang together
1. To stand united; stick together: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately" (Benjamin Franklin).
2. To constitute a coherent totality: diverse plot lines that did not hang together.
hang up
1. To suspend on a hook or hanger.
2.
a. To replace (a telephone receiver) on its base or cradle.
b. To end a telephone conversation.
3.
a. To become halted or snagged: The fishing line hung up on a rock.
b. Informal To have or cause to have emotional difficulties or inhibitions.

Idioms:

give/care a hang
To be concerned or anxious: I don't give a hang what you do.
hang fire
1. To delay: "They are people who hung fire even through the bloody days of the Hungarian Revolution" (Mark Muro).
2. To be slow in firing, as a gun.
hang in there Informal
To persevere despite difficulties; persist: She hung in there despite pressure to resign.
hang it up Informal
To give up; quit.
hang loose Slang
To stay calm or relaxed.
hang (one's) hat
To settle oneself; take up residence: hung my hat in Chicago.
hang on to
To hold firmly; keep fast: Hang on to your money.
hang tough Informal
To remain firmly resolved: "We are going to hang tough on this" (Donald T. Regan).
let it all hang out Slang
1. To be completely relaxed.
2. To be completely candid.

hanged v. Past tense and past participle of hang.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie, novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation, or with a sudden shock revelation. This type of ending is used to ensure that, if a next installment is made, audiences will return to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved. The phrase comes from the classical end-of-episode situation in silent film days, with the protagonist left hanging from the edge of a cliff. Some serials end with the caveat "To be continued", or "The End. In television series, the following episode usually begins with a recap (AKA a "previously"). Hanged, drawn and quartered.

Source: Wikipedia

Proverbs with “hang”:

He that is born to be hanged shall never be drowned.
Romanian Proverb

Save a thief from the gallows and he will help to hang you.
Romanian Proverb

Never mention rope in the house of a man who has been hanged.
Romanian Proverb

He that killeth a man when he is drunk must be hanged when he is sober.
Romanian Proverb

If you would not live to be old, you must be hanged when you are young.
Romanian Proverb

What good is a golden gallows if they are going to hang you.
Swiss Proverb

The man dying to hang himself can always find a noose.
Afghan Proverb