what is “the quick -lime in the ditch”?
Hi, all! I have just read the speech ——The Four Freedomms, by President Roosevelt in 1941, and I did't understand this sentence :"without the concentration camp or the quick-lime in the ditch". What is the quick-lime in the ditch? Does it refer to a historical event?

Question

what is “the quick -lime in the ditch”?
Hi, all! I have just read the speech ——The Four Freedomms, by President Roosevelt in 1941, and I did't understand this sentence :"without the concentration camp or the quick-lime in the ditch". What  is the quick-lime in the ditch? Does it refer to a historical event?

Answer

you would have to give context for a complete  answer, but I believe this is referring to mass executions and methods of disposing of bodies.
Concentration camp - bodies burnt
Quick lime - This is a chemical powder scattered over burials that hastens decomposition.