What does that mean? They say this a few times in the movie, like when James meets Barney after escaping, and Barney says, "so you hung it on a limb!"
I did a Google search for it but I didn't find anything. Is this a 1930s expression that nobody knows about today?
I think it's similar to "going out on a limb", which is risking everything. It's dangerous to go out on a limb, it could break. Kinda like "sticking your neck out".
That's how I interpreted it, anyway.
in the days of the chain gangs when you went to relieve yourself you went into the bushes and you were required to hang your hat on a bush limb and shake it while you were doing your do so that they knew that you were still there.... "hang it on a limb" refers to hanging the hat on the limb and taking off.... it's a euphemism for "escape"....
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