Variants embrace to marry over the broomstick, to jump the besom, and to jump the broom. This expression, which dates from the late 18th century, refers back to the casual wedding ceremony by which both events jumped over a besom, or broomstick, into the land of holy matrimony. Although neither the ceremony nor the phrase is common right now, they have been well-recognized to Southern Negro slaves, who were not considered necessary enough to merit church weddings, and so were married by jumping over the broomstick. a form of marriage in which every lady in a group is married to every man and each man is married to every girl.