unit 8 vocabulary development

arson

the crime of deliberately setting fire to something, especially a building

assault

the crime of attacking sb physically

bigamy

the crime of marrying somebody while already being legally married

blackmail

the crime of demanding money from a person by threatening them

bribery

the giving or taking of bribes

burglary

the crime of entering a building illegally and stealing things from it

conspiracy

a secret plan by a group of people to do something harmful or illegal

drug-trafficking

the activity of buying and selling drugs illegally

embezzlement

the act of stealing money that you are responsible for or that belongs to your employer

forgery

the crime of copying money, documents, etc. in order to cheat ppl

fraud

the crime of cheating sb in order to get money or goods illegally

gambling

the activity of playing games of chance for money and of betting on horses, etc.

housebreaking

the crime of entering a house illegally by using force, in order to steal from it

joyriding

the crime of stealing a car and driving it for pleasure, usually in a fast and dangerous way

kidnapping

the crime of taking sb away illegally and keeping them as a prisoner, especially in order to get money or sth else for returning them

libel

the act of printing a statement about somebody that is not true and that gives p

manslaughter

the crime of killing sb illegally but not deliberately

mugging

the crime of attacking sb, or threatening to do so, in order to steal from them

petty theft/crime

that is not very serious

pick-pocketing

stealing money, etc. from ppl’s pockets, esp. in crowded places

poaching

the crime of illegally hunting animals on sb else’s property or without permission

racism

the unfair treatment of ppl who belong to a different race

shoplifting

the crime of stealing goods from a shop/store by deliberately leaving without paying for them

stalking

the crime of following and watching someone over a period of time in a way that is annoying or frightening

treason

the crime of doing sth that could cause danger to your country, such as helping its enemies during a war

trespass

to enter land or building that you don't have permission or the right to enter

a tip-off

secret information that sb gives, for ex. to the police, to warn them about an illegal activity that is going to happen

to arrest sb for sth

to seize (someone) by legal authority and take them into custody

to ban sb from doing sth

to forbid (someone) from doing or being part of something

to be involved in sth

someone who is involved in something takes part in it

to be suspected of sth

to be believed to have committed a particular crime, or a crime that people believe may have been committed

to be tried for sth

to be put on trial

to charge sb with sth

to make a formal statement saying that someone is accused of a crime

to be convicted of sth

to be officially decided and stated to be guilty of sth

to fine sb for sth

to make someone pay an amount of money as a punishment for not obeying a law or rule

to impose a sentence on sb

to establish or apply a sentence by authority

to reach/return a verdict

to say whether someone is guilty or not guilty of a crime in a court of law

to sentence sb to sth

to order someone to suffer confinement, death, or labor for committing a crime

to sue sb for sth

to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something

a besetting sin

a main or constant problem or fault

a near miss

a situation when a serious accident or a disaster very nearly happens

a marked man

a person who is in danger bc their enemies want to harm them

foul play

criminal or violent activity that causes sb’s death

a spot check

a check that is made suddenly and without warning on a few things or ppl chosen from a group to see that everything is as it should be

ill-gotten gains

money that was not obtained failry

a rough diamond

a person who has many good qualities even though they do not seem to be very polite, educated, etc.

a put-up job

a plan or an event that has been arranged secretly in order to trick or cheat sb

sharp practice

clever but possibly illegal or dishonest practice

funny business

suspicious and probably illegal or dishonest business

to discard

to get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable

to resort

to turn to and adopt (a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one) so as to resolve a difficult situation

recourse

using something or someone as a way of getting help, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation

resort

the fact that you have to do something because there is no other way of achieving something

to disperse

distribute or spread over a wide area

to dispose

get rid of by throwing away or giving or selling to someone else

to reprieve

to officially cancel or delay a punishment for a prisoner who is condemned to death

to liberate

to set (someone) free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression

a fugitive

a person who has escaped from captivity or is in hiding

to mount

to gradually increase, rise, or get bigger

to hover

to stand somewhere, especially near another person, eagerly or nervously waiting for their attention

to loiter

to move slowly around or stand in a public place without an obvious reason

alleged

said or thought by some people to be the stated bad or illegal thing, although you have no proof

the slippery slope

a course of action that is difficult to stop once it has begun, and can lead to serious problems or disasters

the crime wave

a situation in which there is a sudden increase in the number of crimes that are commited

to be under a cloud (of suspicion)

to not be trusted or popular because people think you have done something bad

by/from the look(s) of it/things

judging from the way things seem to be

to be up to scratch

reaching an acceptable standard

behind bars

in prison

for kicks

only for the sake of fun, excitement, or distraction

to be at large

if someone dangerous is at large, that person is free when they should not be

to be on tenterhooks

to be very anxious or excited while you are waiting to find out sth or see what will happen

from scratch

from the beginning, without using anything that already exists

to be in the clear

to be not guilty of a crime, or not involved in doing sth illegal

to go off the rails

to start behaving in a way that is not generally acceptable, especially dishonestly or illegally

to be out of the woods

to no longer be in danger or difficulty

to get round sth

to succeed in avoiding or solving a problem

to get sb off (with sth)

to escape legal punishment, or to help someone escape legal punishment

to get up to sth

to do something, often something that other people would disapprove of

to get out of sth

to avoid doing something that you do not want to do, especially by giving an excuse

to get along

If two or more people get along, they like each other and are friendly to each other

to get at sth

to reach or obtain something, especially something that is difficult to get

to get down to sth

to start to direct your efforts and attention towards something

to get away with sth

to succeed in avoiding punishment for something

a close shave

a situation in which you come very close to a dangerous situation

a shot in the dark

an attempt to guess something when you have no information or knowledge about the subject and therefore cannot possibly know what the answer is

a pack of lies

a story that has nothing true in it

a blessing in disguise

something that seems bad or unlucky at first, but results in something good happening later

to keep a low profile

to avoid attracting attention to yourself

a rough guess

a guess that is not expected to be accurate

safe and sound

not hurt or damaged

by and large

when everything about a situation is considered together

to be on the run

to be trying to avoid being caught, especially by the police

crime doesn’t pay

said to emphasize that you believe criminals are always punished for their crimes

as thick as thieves

to be very close friends and share secrets, etc.

to get away with murder

to do whatever you want without being stopped or punished

to scream blue murder

to scream loudly and for a long time, esp. in order to protest about sth

daylight robbery

a situation in which you have to pay far too much money for something

the law of the jungle

the idea that people who care only about themselves will be most likely to succeed in a society or organization

to lay down the law

to forcefully make known what you think should happen

to take the law into one's own hands

to do something illegal and often violent in order to punish someone because you know the law will not punish that person

the letter of the law

the precise wording rather than the spirit or intent

as sober as a judge

completely sober