What is "chain gang"

Chain \Chain\ (ch[=a]n), n. [F. cha[^i]ne, fr. L. catena. Cf. Catenate.]

1. A series of links or rings, usually of metal, connected, or fitted into one another, used for various purposes, as of support, of restraint, of ornament, of the exertion and transmission of mechanical power, etc.

   [They] put a chain of gold about his neck.
   --Dan. v. 29.

2. That which confines, fetters, or secures, as a chain; a bond; as, the chains of habit.

   Driven down To chains of darkness and the undying worm.
   --Milton.

3. A series of things linked together; or a series of things connected and following each other in succession; as, a chain of mountains; a chain of events or ideas.

4. (Surv.) An instrument which consists of links and is used in measuring land.

   Note: One commonly in use is Gunter's chain, which consists of one hundred links, each link being seven inches and ninety-two one hundredths in length; making up the total length of rods, or sixty-six, feet; hence, a measure of that length; hence, also, a unit for land measure equal to four rods square, or one tenth of an acre.

5. pl. (Naut.) Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels.

6. (Weaving) The warp threads of a web. --Knight. Chain belt (Mach.), a belt made of a chain; -- used for transmitting power. Chain boat, a boat fitted up for recovering lost cables, anchors, etc. Chain bolt

   1. (Naut.) The bolt at the lower end of the chain plate, which fastens it to the vessel's side.

   2. A bolt with a chain attached for drawing it out of position. Chain bond. See Chain timber. Chain bridge, a bridge supported by chain cables; a suspension bridge. Chain cable, a cable made of iron links. Chain coral (Zo["o]l.), a fossil coral of the genus Halysites, common in the middle and upper Silurian rocks. The tubular corallites are united side by side in groups, looking in an end view like links of a chain. When perfect, the calicles show twelve septa. Chain coupling.

      1. A shackle for uniting lengths of chain, or connecting a chain with an object.

      2. (Railroad) Supplementary coupling together of cars with a chain.

         Chain gang, a gang of convicts chained together.

         Chain hook (Naut.), a hook, used for dragging cables about the deck.

         Chain mail, flexible, defensive armor of hammered metal links wrought into the form of a garment.

         Chain molding (Arch.), a form of molding in imitation of a chain, used in the Normal style.

         Chain pier, a pier suspended by chain.

         Chain pipe (Naut.), an opening in the deck, lined with iron, through which the cable is passed into the lockers or tiers.

         Chain plate (Shipbuilding), one of the iron plates or bands, on a vessel's side, to which the standing rigging is fastened.

         Chain pulley, a pulley with depressions in the periphery of its wheel, or projections from it, made to fit the links of a chain.

         Chain pumps. See in the Vocabulary.

         Chain rule (Arith.), a theorem for solving numerical problems by composition of ratios, or compound proportion, by which, when several ratios of equality are given, the consequent of each being the same as the antecedent of the next, the relation between the first antecedent and the last consequent is discovered.

         Chain shot (Mil.), two cannon balls united by a shot chain, formerly used in naval warfare on account of their destructive effect on a ship's rigging.

         Chain stitch. See in the Vocabulary.

         Chain timber. (Arch.) See Bond timber, under Bond.

         Chain wales. (Naut.) Same as Channels.

         Chain wheel. See in the Vocabulary.

         Closed chain, Open chain (Chem.), terms applied to the chemical structure of compounds whose rational formul[ae] are written respectively in the form of a closed ring (see Benzene nucleus, under Benzene), or in an open extended form.

         Endless chain, a chain whose ends have been united by a link.

n. (context US English) a group of convicts chained together to work outside the confines of a prison.

n. a gang of convicts chained together

"Chain Gang" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the third episode of series 6, and was first broadcast on 22 January 1989. In the episode, Del puts together a consortium to buy a set of 18 carat gold chains from a retired jeweller.

Chain Gang is a 1950 American drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Howard J. Green and starring Douglas Kennedy as a newspaper reporter who goes undercover to expose political corruption and the exploitation of chain gang labour.

Chain Gang was an American Punk Rock Band known foremost for the 1977 single "Son of Sam" (Gee, Luanda) which had limited success on the British charts and was subsequently covered by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The group consisted of Larry Gee on guitar, Phil Von Rome on drums. Ted Twist on bass and the late Ricky Luanda (Rick McGregor) on Vocals. in 1987 the group did the soundtrack for the film "Mondo Manhattan". In 1991Chain Gang recorded the single "Kill for You" and in 1993 the LP "Perfume" on Matador Records.

A chain gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land. This system existed primarily in the Southern United States, and by 1955 had been phased out nationwide, with Georgia the last state to abandon the practice. Chain gangs were reintroduced by a few states during the " get tough on crime" 1990s, with Alabama being the first state to revive them in 1995. The experiment ended after about one year in all states except Arizona, where in Maricopa County inmates can still volunteer for a chain gang to earn credit toward a high school diploma or avoid disciplinary lockdowns for rule infractions. The introduction of chain gangs into the United States began shortly after the American Civil War. The southern states needed finances and public works to be performed. Prisoners were a free way for these works to be achieved.

A chain gang is a system of labor (usually forced) that involves groups of prisoners, chained together, doing menial labor.

Chain gang may also refer to:

• Chain gang (cycling), a group of cyclists in a close-knit formation, normally for the purposes of training
• The chain crew, the officials on the sidelines of an American football game who carry the first-down indicators connected by chains
• Chain Gang, fanclub name for WWE wrestler John Cena
• Chain ganging, a jargon term in the field of international relations describing the elevated probability for inter-state conflict
• A collective noun for a group of mayors, council chairmen and other civic dignitaries wearing their chains of office

• Chain Gang, an experimental punk rock band from New York City, best known for their '77 "Son of Sam" single and their '86 album/film soundtrack "Mondo Manhattan"
• Chain Gang (song), a 1960 song by R&B singer Sam Cooke
• "Chain Gang", a song by Bobby Scott in the 1950s
• "Chain Gang", a B-side song to The Blue Hearts single " Kiss Shite Hoshii"
• " Back on the Chain Gang", a song by The Pretenders
• "Livin' on a Chain Gang", a song by the heavy metal band Skid Row
• "Chain Gang is the Click", a song by John Cena and tha Trademarc from their 2005 album You Can't See Me

• I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, a classic American movie that was based on a true story of a man who escaped twice from a prison chain gang in Georgia, USA
• The Chain Gang, a 1930 film by Walt Disney starring Mickey Mouse
• The Chain Gang (radio series), a British radio series
• Chain Gang (Only Fools and Horses), an episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses
• Chain Gang, a 1950 film directed by Lew Landers and starring Douglas Kennedy.

• Chain Gang (DC Comics)
• "Chain Gang", a poem by Patti Smith from her 1978 book Babel

In the sport of cycling, a chain gang is a group of cyclists in a close knit formation usually of two parallel lines drafting behind the leader.

The formation comes from the fact that it is harder to cycle at the front of a group than in the shelter of another rider. The rider behind enjoys the slipstream of the rider in front. If one rider were to stay at the front all the time, he would tire and the whole group would slow down. If the lead is rotated, the effort is distributed across the group and the speed can be higher or the individual effort less.

This effect is very significant - up to a 40% reduction in effort for the slip-streaming riders while the lead rider also benefits from reduced drag (somewhat under 10%) due to the air not closing up after him.

The name chain gang is an allusion to the formation that riders adopt. The rider in the front of the group will take their share of the lead, then swing to the side and let the rest of the line come through, led by a new leader. The first rider then eases up and drops in behind the last rider in the line, staying in their slipstream until once again their turn comes to ride at the front.

When there are enough riders, turns at the front can be so brief that there is a continuous flow up and down, in two lines, so that cyclists take on the role of links in a chain. For that reason: chain gang.

The technique is hard to perfect because it demands riders cycle close to the rider in front at speed, sometimes just centimetres from their tyre. It also demands trust in others in the group because, that close, no rider would be able to avoid hitting the one in front if the pace suddenly slowed. For that reason, the leading rider takes responsibility for taking the line through the smoothest path he can and at a constant speed. He should also indicate with hand gestures the upcoming bumps or obstacles on the road by pointing their finger in the corresponding direction the hazard is coming, in a manner that can be seen by the following rider, who is likely staring at their rear wheel. (Pointing their finger down on the left if he is about to closely pass by a pothole on this side, etc.) The following rider can then relay the information to the next and so on, creating a "chain of information" so the whole group is safe.

The technique is often used in training for races but it can be seen in races themselves, usually when a small group of riders gets ahead of the main field, or in team time-trials, where the chain-gang technique is paramount.

Chain gangs can also be referred to in the US as pace lines and in the UK as bit-and-bit.

"Chain Gang" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released on July 26, 1960. The song became one of Cooke's most successful singles, peaking at number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B Sides chart; it also charted at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.

This was Cooke's second-biggest American hit, his first single for RCA Victor after leaving Keen Records earlier in 1959, and was also his first top 10 hit since " You Send Me" from 1957, and his second-biggest Pop single. The song was inspired after a chance meeting with an actual chain-gang of prisoners on a highway, seen while Sam was on tour. According to legend, Cooke and his brother Charles felt sorry for the men and gave them several cartons of cigarettes. Cooke was reportedly unsatisfied with the initial recording sessions of this song at RCA Studios in New York in January 1960, and came back three months later to redo some of the vocals to get the effect he wanted.

Five months later, Ty Hunter & The Voice Masters tried an Answer Song, "Free", but it missed making the Top 100. The songwriting credits are sometimes erroneously attributed to Sol Quasha & Herb Yakus, who wrote a different song with the same title that was recorded by Bobby Scott and made the Top 20 in 1956.