break rigor

present singular third person breaks rigor · participle present breaking rigor · past broke rigor · participle past broken rigor

1. mortuary technologyTo manipulate a corpse in which rigor mortis has set in, (by massage, flexing joints, or brute force) in order to change the position of the body.

   They must have pushed pretty hard to break rigor in the shoulder.

   1992, Catherine Lewis, Judith Guerin, Not in Single Spies, page 85

   3 more examples

   There are postmortem bruises on the legs and arms that show where pressure was applied to break rigor.

   1997, William Heffernan, Winter's Gold, page 90

   I've heard the loud crack of this myself, although I've never been strong enough actually to break rigor, and I've never had reason to.

   2017, Carla Valentine, Past Mortems: Life and death behind mortuary doors

   I needed him to lie flat for the post-mortem and so I had to break rigor.

   2018, Dr Richard Shepherd, Unnatural Causes

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see break, rigor.

   Compassionate mercy breaks rigor; but mercy is so good that sometimes it takes away initiative, and doesn't allow anyone to do anything.

   1977, Parabola - Volume 2, page 90