last meal
Condemned prisoner's request
A last meal is the final food eaten before some significant event.
Most commonly it refers to the meal given to a condemned prisoner before execution—a ritual allowing the inmate to request favorite foods as a final gesture of autonomy or comfort: He ordered fried chicken and apple pie for his last meal.
The phrase extends to any final meal before a major change: a last meal before surgery, before starting a strict diet, or before leaving a beloved city.
We had one last meal at our favorite restaurant before moving away.
- electric chairElectrocution execution device
- firing squadGroup executing by gunshot
- lethal injectionCapital punishment by needle
- dead man walkingPrisoner heading to execution
- condemned prisonerPerson sentenced to die
clemency · capital punishment · supper · dinner · gallows · comfort food · fried chicken · guillotine · stay of execution · condemned · special request · beheading · hanging · Eucharist · death row · Passover · dessert · stoning
- travel ritualspacking list, unpacking, souvenirs, postcards, travel journal
- executionexecution, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber, electric chair
- capital punishmentdeath penalty, execution, death row, death sentence, lethal injection
- executionsexecution, execution chamber, hanging, guillotine, executioner
- food & eatingpopcorn, candy, soda, hot dogs, nachos
- farewellsgoodbye, farewell, bye, adieu, bye-bye
last mealbreakfast
Day's first eating
first meal · brunch · first taste · birthday dinner · lunch