‘the wrong arm of the law’: meaning and origin
any mistaken or illegitimate legal action—Australia, 1881—a punning variant of the phrase ‘the long arm of the law’ (also ‘the strong arm of the law’)
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‘to leave one’s fingerprints all over something’: meaning and origin
Australia, 1914—to leave indisputable evidence of one’s involvement in an affair, endeavour, etc.—‘fingerprint’: an impression made on a surface by the tip of a person’s finger, as used in criminal investigations
Read More‘fluffy dice’: meaning and origin
California, 1956—a pair of large imitation dice made from fluffy, fur-like material, designed to be hung inside a vehicle’s windscreen from the rear-view mirror
Read More‘perp walk’: meaning and origin
U.S. slang, 1986—a march into or out of a police car, courthouse, etc., that a person in police custody is made to perform for the benefit of the news media—‘perp’: shortening of ‘perpetrator’
Read More‘black-bag job’: meaning and origin
USA, 1950—a covert intelligence operation involving illegal entry into premises—alludes to the black bag in which the equipment required for this type of operations was typically carried
Read More‘bingo cage’: meaning and origin
USA, 1937—a device with a revolving cage or drum, used in a game of bingo to mix up the numbered balls or slips, or for drawing numbers or prize tickets in a lottery, tombola, etc.
Read More‘gunpowder tea’: meaning and origin
a fine kind of green tea, each leaf of which is rolled up into a pellet—UK, 1767—refers to the resemblance of the pellets to granules of gunpowder
Read More‘silent policeman’: meaning and origin
USA, 1913—a small structure placed at the centre of a road junction which allows vehicles travelling in different directions to cross the junction safely at the same time by driving around the device in the same direction
Read More‘hollow legs’: meaning and origin
USA, 1866—the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects
Read More‘cop shop’: meaning and origin
a police station—USA, 1882—here, the noun ‘cop’ designates a police officer and the noun ‘shop’ designates the place where one works
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