Crime-related idioms form a fascinating part of the English language, reflecting society’s complex relationship with law and order. These expressions add color and depth to conversations while providing insights into cultural attitudes toward criminal behavior.
Common Crime-Related Idioms
Prison and Punishment
Doing time and behind bars are two of the most frequently used expressions referring to imprisonment[1]. When someone is serving a prison sentence, they might be described as “doing time in the slammer”[3].
Put behind bars specifically refers to the act of imprisoning someone, with the “bars” representing the literal prison cell doors[1]. For example:
- “After years of fraud, the CEO was finally put behind bars”
- “He’s doing time for a series of robberies”
Criminal Activities
Cook the books refers to fraudulent financial practices, particularly the manipulation of accounting records[1][2]. This idiom is commonly used in the context of white-collar crime:
- “The accountant had been cooking the books for years”
- “The investigation revealed that multiple executives were involved in cooking the books”
Cat burglar describes a thief who specializes in stealthy break-ins, particularly in high-rise buildings[1]. Meanwhile, do a runner refers to fleeing without paying for goods or services[1][4]:
- “The teenagers did a runner from the taxi without paying”
- “The cat burglar struck three apartments in one night”
Law Enforcement and Justice
Blow the whistle means to report illegal or unethical activity to authorities[1][2]. This important idiom has given rise to the term “whistleblower”:
- “The employee blew the whistle on corporate corruption”
- “Someone finally blew the whistle on the illegal operation”
The long arm of the law represents the far-reaching power of law enforcement[2]:
- “He thought he could escape to another country, but the long arm of the law caught up with him”
Reform and Rehabilitation
Go straight or fly straight refers to abandoning criminal behavior and living honestly[1][2]. This idiom often appears in contexts of rehabilitation:
- “After his release, he promised his family he would go straight”
- “She’s been flying straight for five years now”
Underworld and Criminal Organizations
Gang-Related Expressions
Made man originates from mafia terminology, referring to a fully inducted member of a crime family. The expression has expanded into general use to describe someone who has achieved a secure position:
- “Once you become a made man, there’s no going back”
- “In the corporate world, he was essentially a made man”
Mob boss and kingpin describe leaders of criminal organizations. These terms have evolved to describe powerful figures in any field:
- “The kingpin of the operation was finally arrested”
- “She’s become the mob boss of Silicon Valley startups”
Criminal Schemes and Cons
Pull a fast one means to deceive or trick someone, often through clever manipulation:
- “The salesman tried to pull a fast one by changing the contract terms”
- “Don’t let them pull a fast one on you with hidden fees”
Take someone for a ride traditionally meant to kill someone, but now commonly means to deceive or cheat:
- “The investment scheme took many elderly investors for a ride”
- “He was taken for a ride by the fraudulent charity”
Underground Economy
Under the table refers to illegal or unreported transactions, particularly regarding employment or payments:
- “The restaurant was paying its workers under the table”
- “He accepted cash under the table to avoid taxes”
Black market operations involve illegal trading of goods or services:
- “The rare artifacts were sold on the black market”
- “A thriving black market emerged during the prohibition era”
Criminal Behavior Patterns
Repeat offender has become an idiom beyond its literal meaning, describing someone who repeatedly makes the same mistakes:
- “He’s a repeat offender when it comes to missing deadlines”
- “The company was labeled a repeat offender for environmental violations”
Old habits die hard often refers to reformed criminals returning to illegal activities:
- “Despite his promises to reform, old habits died hard”
- “She found that old habits die hard when temptation arose”
Evidence and Investigation
Detection and Discovery
Catch red-handed means to discover someone in the act of committing a crime or wrongdoing:
- “The security guard caught the shoplifter red-handed”
- “They were caught red-handed manipulating market prices”
Smoking gun refers to irrefutable evidence of guilt:
- “The deleted emails proved to be the smoking gun in the fraud case”
- “Investigators searched for months but never found the smoking gun”
Cover-ups and Concealment
Sweep under the rug describes attempts to hide or conceal wrongdoing:
- “The corporation tried to sweep the accounting irregularities under the rug”
- “You can’t sweep these violations under the rug forever”
Keep it under wraps means to maintain secrecy about illegal or questionable activities:
- “They kept the insider trading under wraps for years”
- “The scandal was kept under wraps until the whistleblower came forward”
Investigation Techniques
Follow the money has become a popular idiom for investigating financial crimes:
- “The detectives followed the money trail back to the drug cartel”
- “Journalists began to follow the money in the corruption scandal”
Put the pieces together refers to solving a crime through evidence collection:
- “The detective finally put the pieces together after finding the missing link”
- “It took months to put the pieces together in the complex fraud case”
Witness and Testimony
Sing like a canary means to provide information to authorities, often in exchange for leniency:
- “Once arrested, the low-level dealer sang like a canary”
- “They worried that their partner would sing like a canary if caught”
Turn state’s evidence has become idiomatic for cooperating with prosecutors:
- “The lieutenant turned state’s evidence against the crime family”
- “Several executives turned state’s evidence in the price-fixing case”
This section explores how language reflects the investigative process and the complex dynamics between law enforcement, criminals, and witnesses.
Modern Crime Idioms and Contemporary Usage
Cybercrime Expressions
Digital fingerprint has evolved from traditional forensics to describe online traces:
- “The hackers left their digital fingerprints all over the network”
- “Investigators tracked the cybercriminals through their digital fingerprints”
Phishing expedition describes attempts to fraudulently obtain sensitive information:
- “The email turned out to be a phishing expedition”
- “Criminals launched a sophisticated phishing expedition targeting bank customers”
White-Collar Crime Terminology
Golden handcuffs refers to financial incentives that keep employees from leaving, sometimes involving illegal practices:
- “The executives were bound by golden handcuffs to maintain their silence”
- “The golden handcuffs came with strings attached to questionable practices”
Creative accounting euphemistically describes fraudulent financial practices:
- “The firm’s creative accounting caught the attention of regulators”
- “The CFO’s creative accounting finally caught up with the company”
Identity Theft Related
Identity hijacking has become a common idiom in the digital age:
- “The scammers specialized in identity hijacking through social media”
- “Victims of identity hijacking often spend years recovering”
Digital robbery describes various forms of online theft:
- “The cryptocurrency exchange suffered a massive digital robbery”
- “Digital robbery has become more sophisticated than traditional bank heists”
Financial Crime Expressions
Money laundering has spawned related idioms like wash cycle and clean money:
- “The business was just a front for their money laundering operation”
- “They used art sales to run their wash cycle”
Shell game now refers to any deceptive financial scheme:
- “The investment fund turned out to be an elaborate shell game”
- “Regulators uncovered a complex shell game involving offshore accounts”
These modern idioms reflect how crime-related language evolves with technology and new forms of criminal activity.
Legal System and Justice Idioms
Courtroom Expressions
Throw the book at means to impose the maximum possible punishment:
- “The judge threw the book at the repeat offender”
- “Prosecutors promised to throw the book at corrupt officials”
Get off scot-free describes avoiding punishment despite guilt:
- “Despite overwhelming evidence, the defendant got off scot-free”
- “The CEO got off scot-free while lower-level employees faced charges”
Law Enforcement Tactics
Sting operation has become idiomatic for any planned trap:
- “The sting operation caught dozens of online predators”
- “Police conducted a sting operation to catch corrupt officials”
Set up a dragnet describes wide-ranging law enforcement efforts:
- “Authorities set up a dragnet to catch the escaped convicts”
- “The FBI cast a wide dragnet in their search for accomplices”
Legal Consequences
Face the music often refers to accepting legal consequences:
- “After years on the run, he finally had to face the music”
- “The embezzler knew it was time to face the music”
Pay the piper similarly describes facing consequences:
- “After years of tax evasion, it was time to pay the piper”
- “The fraudulent company eventually had to pay the piper”
Justice System Outcomes
Beat the rap means to avoid conviction or punishment:
- “His expensive lawyer helped him beat the rap”
- “Despite multiple arrests, he always managed to beat the rap”
Plea bargain has become idiomatic beyond its legal meaning:
- “The minor players took plea bargains to testify against the kingpin”
- “She tried to plea bargain her way out of the situation”
Key Takeaways and Example Sentences
30 Example Sentences with Bold Components
- The accountant was caught cooking the books for the failing company.
- After the heist, they tried to lay low in a small town.
- The smoking gun turned out to be a deleted email chain.
- She decided to blow the whistle on corporate corruption.
- The CEO was finally put behind bars for securities fraud.
- The gang leader sang like a canary when faced with life imprisonment.
- They tried to sweep the scandal under the rug but failed.
- The long arm of the law finally caught up with the fugitive.
- After prison, he promised to go straight and start fresh.
- The detective managed to put the pieces together after months of investigation.
- The hackers left their digital fingerprints all over the system.
- She was caught red-handed stealing company data.
- The shell game involved multiple offshore accounts.
- They kept the illegal operations under wraps for years.
- The judge decided to throw the book at the repeat offender.
- The con artist tried to pull a fast one on elderly victims.
- Investigators decided to follow the money trail.
- The corrupt politician managed to beat the rap through technicalities.
- Several employees were paid under the table to avoid taxes.
- The kingpin of the operation remained elusive.
- They conducted a sting operation to catch drug dealers.
- The scandal was kept under wraps until the media exposed it.
- He became a made man in the criminal organization.
- The thieves did a runner after robbing the store.
- The cat burglar struck three houses in one night.
- They used art galleries to launder money from illegal operations.
- The phishing expedition targeted thousands of email accounts.
- She had to face the music after years of embezzlement.
- The company’s creative accounting caught the attention of auditors.
- The identity hijacking scheme affected hundreds of victims.
Citations:
[1] https://preply.com/en/blog/10-english-idioms-about-crime/
[2] https://loveyouenglish.com/english-idioms-about-crime/
[3] https://www.englishlessonviaskype.com/16-idioms-and-expressions-about-crime/
[4] https://www.crownacademyenglish.com/english-idioms-expressions-related-crime/
[5] https://ieltsliz.com/crime-and-punishment-vocabulary/
[6] https://www.wordscoach.com/blog/30-crime-idioms-idioms-about-crime/
[7] https://www.onestopenglish.com/your-english/your-english-idioms-crime-and-the-law/157627.article
[8] https://englishpluspodcast.com/vocabulary-crime-and-punishment-idioms/