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25 English Idioms About Crime

English Idioms & Phrases

I’ll talk about 25 English idioms about crime along with their meaning and example sentences.

When it comes to crime, there are all sorts of colorful idioms and expressions used to describe different illegal activities.

Here are 25 common crime idioms.

1. Break the law

Meaning: To do something illegal or against the rules/laws.
Example: He broke the law by stealing from the store.

2. Armed to the teeth

Meaning: Carrying or possessing a lot of weapons or firearms.
Example: The robbers were armed to the teeth when they held up the bank.

3. Jump bail

Meaning: Failing to appear in court after being released on bail.
Example: The suspect jumped bail and is now a wanted fugitive.

4. Turn state’s evidence

Meaning: Providing testimony against others involved in a crime to get a reduced sentence.
Example: The getaway driver turned state’s evidence against the bank robbers.

5. Take a fall

Meaning: To take punishment or accept blame for something, often a crime.
Example: Jimmy took a fall for his cousin and did 3 years for the robbery.

6. Get a wiggle on

Meaning: To hurry up or get moving, often used by police telling someone to move faster.
Example: The cop told the suspect to get a wiggle on into the squad car.

7. Fly straight

Meaning: To stop doing illegal or shady activities and obey the law.
Example: After his latest arrest, Bobby promised to fly straight and get a real job.

8. The long arm of the law

Meaning: The extensive power and authority of law enforcement agencies.
Example: No matter how far he ran, the fugitive couldn’t escape the long arm of the law.

9. In the slammer

Meaning: In jail or prison.
Example: If he’s convicted, that burglar is going to be in the slammer for a long time.

10. Let off the hook

Meaning: To pardon or not punish someone for an offense or crime.
Example: Despite the evidence, the crooked politician was let off the hook again.

11. Bent copper

Meaning: A corrupt or dishonest police officer.
Example: The bent coppers were taking bribes to look the other way on certain crimes.

12. Pull a job

Meaning: To commit a crime, usually a robbery or burglary.
Example: Those crooks pulled one too many jobs and finally got caught.

13. The fifth

Meaning: Refusing to answer questions by invoking the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Example: The mobster took the fifth when asked about his illegal activities.

14. Fall guy

Meaning: A person who is made to take the blame for something, especially a crime.
Example: The corrupt CEO made a low-level employee the fall guy for the accounting fraud.

15. Heist

Meaning: A robbery or major theft, especially one that is carefully planned.
Example: The team of thieves executed a multi-million-dollar heist of the art museum.

16. Clean getaway

Meaning: Managing to escape or get away successfully after a crime without being caught.
Example: The bank robbers made a clean getaway and haven’t been seen since.

17. Shady

Meaning: Dishonest, corrupt, illegal or questionable activities.
Example: The new club owner has a shady past and suspected ties to organized crime.

18. Caper

Meaning: A criminal act or prank, usually minor or harmless.
Example: Those college kids got in trouble for pulling a late-night caper at the dean’s house.

19. Fence

Meaning: Someone who buys and sells stolen goods illegally.
Example: The investigators were trying to find the fence who helped move the stolen diamonds.

20. On the lam

Meaning: Being a wanted fugitive who is evading the police and hiding out.
Example: The escaped convict has been on the lam for over 6 months now.

21. Blow the whistle

Meaning: To report wrongdoing or illegal activities to authorities.
Example: The accountant blew the whistle on his company’s shady financial practices.

22. Bunco

Meaning: A swindle, fraud or deception illegally obtaining money.
Example: The con artists ran a complex bunco scheme targeting elderly victims.

23. Lay low

Meaning: To escape notice or hide out, often used by criminals.
Example: After the big robbery, the thieves planned to lay low for a while in Mexico.

24. Pigeon drop

Meaning: A specific con game or scam tricking the victim into handing over cash.
Example: Those grifters are running the classic pigeon drop swindle in the park.

25. Button man

Meaning: A professional killer or hit man for organized crime gangs.
Example: The mob sent their best button man to take care of the problem permanently.

So, these are the 25 common idioms and slang terms related to crimes and criminal activities.

From burglaries to scams to murder-for-hire, the underworld has all sorts of colorful lingo!

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Hi, I’m Manoj! I’m an English teacher and soft skills trainer with over 10 years of experience. I love sharing simple lessons on vocabulary, grammar, and spoken English to make learning easy and enjoyable.

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