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Above board |
If a situation or business is described as above board,
it is open, honest and legal.
"There are no secret negotiations. Our dealings have
always been above board." |
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Ambulance chaser |
This
terms refers to a lawyer who finds work by
persuading people injured in accidents to claim money
from the person who caused the accident.
"Peterson & Scott are well-known ambulance chasers -
that's how they
make money!" |
| Arm of the law |
This expression refers to the extent to which
the authority
or power of the law extends.
"He fled to South America hoping to escape the arm of
the law." |
| Beyond
any reasonable doubt |
This is
a legal expression which means that something is certain.
"The court established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the
man was innocent." |
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In black and white |
To say
that something is
in black and white means that there
is written proof of it.
"It's an obligation. It's written in black and white in your
contract." |
| Blow the
whistle |
If you
report an illegal or socially-harmful activity to the authorities,
and give information about those
responsible for it, you blow the
whistle or you are a
whistle-blower.
"He refused to blow the whistle on his boss for fear of
losing his
job." |
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Burden of proof |
The
burden of proof is the necessity imposed by law to prove
that what one says is true.
"The burden of proof lies with the claimant." |
| Case in point |
This term refers to an example which serves to
illustrate, support
or prove a point which is currently under discussion.
"The latest incident is a case in
point for the parents' association." |
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Catch somebody red-handed |
If a
person is
caught red-handed, they are caught
while they are
doing something wrong or
illegal.
"The police arrived as the burglar was leaving the
house.
He was caught red-handed." |
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Crack down on something |
If the
authorities decide to crack down on something, they
enforce the law by taking severe measures to restrict undesirable
or criminal actions.
"Following the increase in road accidents, it was decided to crack
down on speeding." |
| Cut
someone some slack |
If you relax a
rule, treat a person less severely or allow someone
to do something which is normally not permitted, you cut them
some slack.
"Our parents are very strict; I wish they'd cut us some slack now
and
then." |
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Daylight robbery |
The
term 'daylight robbery' is used when the price of something
is thought to be much too high.
"$10 for an orange juice? That's daylight robbery!" |
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False pretences |
If you
obtain something under false pretences, you deceive
others by lying about your identity, qualifications, financial or
social position, in
order to obtain what you want.
"She obtained the interview under false pretences." |
| You can't
fight the city hall |
This expression means that it is useless to try to win a
battle
against a politician, establishment or bureaucracy in general.
"Tom decided it was a waste of energy trying to obtain a tax
refund - you can't fight the city hall!" |
| Get out of hand |
If a person or a situation gets out of hand,
they cannot be
controlled any longer.
"During the student demonstration, things got out of hand and
several shop windows
were broken." |
| In
trouble with the law |
If
someone is in trouble with the law, they are being questioned
by the police in connection with something illegal or criminal.
"The suspect has often been in trouble with the law." |
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Lay down the law |
Someone
who lays down the law tells people very forcefully and
firmly what to do.
"The volunteers helped in a disorganized way. They needed
someone to lay down the law." |
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| Licence
to print money |
This expression refers to an officially authorized activity which
enables people to make a lot of money without much effort.
"The contract to supply computers to schools was a licence to
print money." |
Murphy's
law
|
Referring to Murphy's law expresses a
sentiment of bad luck and
the idea that if anything can go wrong, it will.
"We've tried to prepare for every possible incident, but remember
Murphy's law ..." |
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Not have a
leg to stand on |
To say
that someone doesn't have a leg to stand on
means
that they can't prove what they say.
"Three people testified against him. He didn't have a leg to
stand
on." |
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Null
and void |
Something which is null and void has no legal force or is
invalid.
"The contract was declared null and void." |
| Paper trail |
If a person or organisation leaves a paper trail, they leave
evidence in writing
or in document form that will serve as proof
of their actions.
"The police found a paper trail which lead to the author of the
hoax." |
| Partner in crime |
A person who helps you to plan something dishonest or
unlawful is called
your
partner in crime.
(This expression can be used jokingly as in
this example.)
"Sam was my partner in crime. He hid my son's new bicycle
until his
birthday." |
| Pervert
the course of justice |
If a
person perverts the course of justice, they tell a lie
or
prevent the police from finding out the truth about something.
"The suspect was accused of trying to pervert the course of
justice" |
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Put one's house in order |
If you put your house in order,
your organize your own affairs
or improve your methods before criticizing others.
"The government should put its own affairs in order before telling
other countries what to do." |
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Signed, sealed and delivered |
When an
agreement, contract or treaty is signed, sealed
and delivered, all the legal documents have been signed.
"It is hoped that the agreement will be signed, sealed and
delivered before the end of the week." |
Take the law into one's own
hands |
If, instead of calling the police, you act personally against
someone who has done something wrong, you take the
law into your own hands.
"Instead of calling the police, he took the law into his own hands
and confronted the youth who had stolen his son's scooter." |
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Toe the line |
If a
person toes the line, they obey the rules and accept
the
principles of a person, group or organization.
"If you want to stay in this school, you'll have to learn to toe the
line." |
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