promissory

From Middle English promissorye, from Medieval Latin prōmissōrius.

(law, of a contractual provision) Stipulating the future actions required of the parties to an insurance policy or other business agreement.


solicitor-client privilege

attorney-client privilege
attorney-client privilege#English

(law) Synonym of attorney-client privilege


attorney-client privilege

en-noun

attorney-client privilege (countable and uncountable, plural attorney-client privileges)

(law) A legal doctrine that protects certain confidential communications between a lawyer and his or her clients.

律師—客戶特權

law: legal doctrine that protects certain confidential communications between a lawyer and his or her clients


prior knowledge

The defendant was convicted because the prosecutor proved the defendant's prior knowledge of the victim's particular vulnerability.

(criminal law) Knowledge of a set of circumstances sufficient to make actions based on those circumstances wrongful.

Coordinate term: pre-existing condition

All our policies require a declaration of no prior knowledge as a matter of routine.

(insurance law) Prior to the inception of an insurance policy, knowledge of specific extant circumstances that could reasonably give rise to a claim under that policy.


pluralism

pluralism (countable and uncountable, plural pluralisms)

(law) The existence of differing legal systems in a population or area.


recompensation

recompensation (countable and uncountable, plural recompensations)

From recompense + -ation. Equivalent to re- + compensation.

(Scotland law, obsolete) A plea in cases of debt collection whereby a plaintiff counters a defendant's claim of compensation as a reason for absolving the alleged debt.


overrule

en-verb

overrule (third-person singular simple present overrules, present participle overruling, simple past and past participle overruled)

overrules (present singular third-person)
overruling (participle present)
overruled (participle past)
overruled (past)

/ˌəʊ.və.ˈɹuːl/

(transitive, law) To dismiss or throw out (a protest or objection) at a court.

отхвърлям

to dismiss or throw out a protest at a court


frustrated

en-adj

frustrated (comparative more frustrated, superlative most frustrated)

more frustrated (comparative)
most frustrated (superlative)

A frustrated robbery may financially cripple the company or lead it to recover; a frustrated homicide or murder leaves the victim injured or wounded, not killed.

(Philippines, law) (of a felony or serious criminal offense) Imperfect form of execution of a crime in that, despite performing all the acts that should produce it, the crime fails to be consummated.


solitary confinement

en-noun

solitary confinement (usually uncountable, plural solitary confinements)

Forced isolation in a small space and the denial of contact with other persons, usually as a form of punishment for a prison inmate.


profiteer

/ˌpɹɒfɪˈtɪə(ɹ)/

(derogatory) One who makes an unreasonable profit not justified by cost or risk, a rent-seeker.

إسْتِغْلَالِيّ

one who makes an unreasonable profit not justified by their corresponding assumption of risk


tortious

en-adj

tortious (comparative more tortious, superlative most tortious)

more tortious (comparative)
most tortious (superlative)

(law) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of torts.


laches

From Anglo-Norman laches, from Old French lachesse (“laxness”), from laschier, from Vulgar Latin laxico, frequentative of Latin laxo (“relax, moderate, weaken”).

It ill became him to take advantage of such a laches with the eagerness of a shrewd attorney.

1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 15, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

(law) An unreasonable delay in bringing a claim alleging a wrong, which means the person who waited shall not be permitted to seek an equitable remedy because the delay prejudiced the moving party.


third-party claim

en-noun

third-party claim (plural third-party claims)

(law) A derivative lawsuit brought by a defendant in an original lawsuit, claiming that another new party being brought in is responsible for or should share in the plaintiff's damages against the defendant.


unilateral contract

unilateral contract (plural unilateral contracts)

(law) An agreement in which an offeror's offer can be accepted only by the performance of an act by the offeree; a "promise for a performance".


after the fact

/ˌɑːftə ðə ˈfækt/

/ˌæftɚ ðə ˈfækt/


letters patent

From letters patents (archaic), from Late Middle English lettres patentes, lettres patent (“document or documents granting a privilege, power, or right, making an appointment or decree, etc.”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman lettres patentes (the plural of lettre patente), from Latin litterae patentēs, the plural of littera patēns (so called because they were written on open sheets of parchment), from littera (“letter”) + patēns (“accessible, open”) (the present active participle of pateō (“to be accessible or open; to be clear or evident”), from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”)). The English term is analysable as letters + patent (“open, unconcealed; (archaic) open to public perusal”).

nb...

letres patentes, letters patentes, lettirs patentes, lettre patent, lettres patents, patent lettre, patente lettres

compound

(law) A type of legal document in the form of an open letter issued by an authority to direct that some action be taken; to grant a monopoly, right, status, or title to a person or organization; or to record a contract.

patentbrief

英皇制诰 (Yīnghuáng zhìgào, literally “decree of the United Kingdom monarch”)


gross income

en-noun

gross income (countable and uncountable, plural gross incomes)

In United States tax law, income that is subject to taxation under the Internal Revenue Code (see Internal Revenue Code 61).


lodestar

From Middle English lode (“journey, course”) + star, where lode is an archaic noun from the verb lithe (“to go, journey”), related to lead. Other Middle English spellings include: 14th century loode sterre, lood-sterre, lade-sterne; and 15th century lode sterre. Cognate with Old Norse leiðarstjarna, Dutch leidster, German Leitstern, Danish ledestjerne, Swedish ledstjärna.

Many, though not all, of the objections to lodestars seem to us to be overstated.

1992, Richard L. Marcus, Complex litigation: cases and materials on advanced civil procedure:

(law) A calculated amount to award as attorney's fees derived by multiplying the reasonable number of hours spent working on a case by the reasonable hourly billing rate.


net income

net income (countable and uncountable, plural net incomes)


immovable

en-adj

immovable (comparative more immovable, superlative most immovable)

more immovable (comparative)
most immovable (superlative)

From Middle English immevable, immoveable. Equivalent to im- + movable.

an immovable estate

(law) not liable to be removed; permanent in place or tenure; fixed


wrecker

(Soviet Union, crime, historical) Someone accused of the formal charge of wrecking; that is, of undermining the state in intangible ways.

Soviet Union; crime; Soviet Union; crime


drunk driving

(law, automotive, US) The act of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Specifically, the criminal offence of driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) level higher than the local legal limit.


thought police

Originally used in the first half of the twentieth century as an epithet for the Tokkō, although it is arguable that its popularity in modern usage stems primarily from George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four. An organization responsible for monitoring all citizens and making sure they are not guilty of political dissent, or thoughtcrime.

These journalists are on their way to becoming thought police.

My mother would make a good thought police. (singular usage)

A group that aims to control what other people think.

بوليس الفكر

a group that aims to control what other people think


alter ego

/ˈɔːl.təɹ iːɡəʊ/

From Latin alter ego (literally “other me”).

alter

one identity of a person with dissociative identity disorder

(law) A corporation used by a person to conduct personal business in an attempt to shield himself or herself from personal liability, and which a court may penetrate by "piercing the corporate veil" to impose liability on the person when they commit fraud or injustice.


wobbler

(colloquial, law) A case that could go either way depending on factors that cannot be controlled.

(colloquial, law) A class of crime that can be charged as a lower penalty or a higher penalty, e.g. a crime punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony at the discretion of the prosecutor.


fair use

en-noun

fair use (countable and uncountable, plural fair uses)

Coordinate term: fair dealing (counterpart in various Commonwealth countries; stricter but akin)

Many commentators have argued that training AI with copyrighted material constitutes “fair use,” the legal doctrine that permits the use of copyrighted material under certain circumstances, enabling parody, quotation, and derivative works that enrich the culture.

2023 August 19, Alex Reisner, “Revealed: The Authors Whose Pirated Books Are Powering Generative AI”, in The Atlantic:

intellectual property
intellectual property

(copyright law) A doctrine in intellectual property law that permits one party to make use of another party's protected intellectual property (such as a copyright or trademark) under narrowly defined circumstances.


per procurationem

to per pro (abbreviation)
p.p. (abbreviation)

Borrowed from Latin per procurationem (“by the agency of/on the instruction of/by proxy”).

bor

(law) by the agency of, especially when signing a letter in place of someone else


sigillum

From Latin sigillum. Doublet of sigil and seal.

(law, historical) A seal (not the animal)


henchman

From Middle English henxman (“page, attendant”), from Old English *hengstmann, *hengestmann (“groom”, literally “horseman”), from hengst, hengest (“stallion, horse, steed, gelding”) (from Proto-Germanic *hangistaz (“stallion”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱanḱest-, *kankest- (“horse”)) + mann (“man”). Cognate with archaic German Hengstmann (“a groom”), Icelandic hestamaður (“horseman, groom”).

cog

A loyal and trusted follower or subordinate.

ذَنَب

a loyal and trusted follower or subordinate

A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests.

aanhanger

a person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests

(obsolete) A page to a prince or other person of high rank.


lockup

He's in lockup for 30 days for drunk and disorderly.

(slang) A jail cell; a period of incarceration in such a cell; a facility containing such cells.


sist

en-verb

sist (third-person singular simple present sists, present participle sisting, simple past and past participle sisted)

sists (present singular third-person)
sisting (participle present)
sisted (participle past)
sisted (past)

Latin sistō (“I bring to a stand, stop”).

der

(law, Scotland) To stay (e.g. judicial proceedings); to delay or suspend; to stop

Some, however, have preposterously sisted nature as the first or generative principle.

1852, William Hamilton, Discussions on Philosophy and Literature, Education and University Reform:

(law, Scotland) to cause to take a place, as at the bar of a court; hence, to cite; to summon; to bring into court


sist

Fourteen Days are only allowed for Sists of Execution, from the Date the Bill was signed, for the Clerks inquiring in the Condition of the Cautioner […]

1693, James Dalrymple Stair, The institutions of the law of Scotland, page 755:

(law, Scotland) a stay or suspension of proceedings


notary public

en-noun

notary public (plural notaries public or (rare) notaries publics)

notaries public (plural)
notaries publics (plural rare)

Anglo-Norman/Law French, on model of notaire publique, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun, instead of idiomatic English *public notary. Compare attorney general, court martial, fee simple, secretary general, surgeon general.

(law) An officer who can administer oaths and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate documents and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.


ground beef

ground beef (usually uncountable, plural ground beefs)

standards of identity
standard of identity

(US standards of identity) Chopped fresh or frozen beef without the addition of beef fat as seasoning, with no more than 30 percent fat, and with no added water, phosphates, binders, or extenders.


statutory

/ˈstæt͡ʃəˌtɔɹi/

Speed limits apply at many points on the line, in addition to the general 25 m.p.h. limit over the whole Dromod-Belturbet section, but it is an open secret that speeds often rise above the statutory limit.

1951 May, R. K. Kirkland, “The Cavan & Leitrim Railway”, in Railway Magazine, pages 343-344:

The order is just one of several recent actions which have given statutory legitimacy to gay and lesbian couples. New York's highest court recently ruled that unmarried partners have the same rights as married ones under New York City rent control laws.

1989 August 19, Jim Fauntleroy, “Unmarried Couples Get Bereavement Leave”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 6, page 2:

Of, relating to, enacted or regulated by a statute.


chickenhawk

/ˈt͡ʃɪkɪnˌhɔk/

From chicken + hawk. The political sense is derived from figurative meanings of "chicken" (coward) and "hawk" (militarist).

(US politics, derogatory) A draft dodger, especially in the Vietnam War, who nonetheless currently supports United States overseas military engagements.

knapenschenner

adult man who seeks out boys as his sexual partners


notary

From Middle English notarie, from Old French notarie (French notaire), from Latin notārius.

Originally an official of the medieval European ecclesiastical courts, the notary developed into a noncontentious secular legal professional in France. In England, partly because the canon and secular laws were not on speaking terms, "the notarial system never took deep root." For one thing, an important aspect of the notary’s duties, his authority to "authenticate" documents, was of little use to the English. The whole notion of a state-sanctioned authenticator of private acts was entirely foreign to English common law; whereas in France we see notaries "making" and "passing" contracts, the common law left that to the parties.

1985, Morris Arnold, Unequal Laws Unto a Savage Race: European Legal Traditions in Arkansas, page 19:

Unlike the United States, where a notary public is often a clerk you find working in a bank or real estate office, a Mexican notary has a higher ranking than an ordinary attorney who is not a notary. (In Mexico all notaries are attorneys, but not all attorneys are notaries.)

2007, John Howells, Don Merwin, Choose Mexico for Retirement, 10th edition, →ISBN, page 49:

Although advocates sometimes get involved in drafting instruments, notaries continue to do most of this work in civil law nations.

2007, John Merryman, Rogelio Pérez-Perdomo, The Civil Law Tradition, 3rd edition, →ISBN, page 107:

It is not known whether any Puebla residents did go to the capital to bid for properties in their state because in such cases the purchases would have been formalized before a notary in Mexico City, [...]

2008, Alienation of Church Wealth in Mexico: Social and Economic Aspects, page 63:

(law, especially civil law) A lawyer of noncontentious private civil law who drafts, takes, and records legal instruments for private parties, and provides legal advice, but does not appear in court on his or her clients' behalf.

The giving of legal advice by notaries and others who are not admitted to practice law is, in its opinion, dangerous to the welfare of the community, because such persons have not demonstrated their capacity [...]

1904, The Bulletin of the Commercial Law League of America, volumes 9-18, page 29:

Although signed by a notary in New York, it lacked a physical description or documentation. It could have been issued to anyone, or resold to anyone willing to change his name.

2001, Christopher H. Pyle, Extradition, Politics, and Human Rights, →ISBN, page 33:

"In 1961, there was a case Torcaso v. Watkins, in which a public notary in Maryland refused to take the oath, “so help me God,” and the court said he wasn't required to acknowledge God [although] the Maryland law said you were."

2004, Richard J. Rolwing, My Daily Constitution, volume IV, →ISBN, page 182:

This was completely unofficial, of course, since a notary in Vermont can only swear in people who plan to be working in Vermont, and they might as well have stayed in bed, but for a public relations ploy you couldn't beat it, […]

2007, Barbara Holland, Hail to the Chiefs, →ISBN, page 175:

(law, Canada, US) A notary public, a public officer who serves as an impartial witness to the signing of important documents, but who is not authorised to practise law.


dilution

dilution (countable and uncountable, plural dilutions)

trademark dilution
trademark dilution#English

(copyright law) Short for trademark dilution.


RAP

(US, law enforcement) Acronym of record of arrest and prosecution.


calendar call

(law) A hearing at which a judge will require all attorneys with cases pending before the court to appear so that the court may schedule hearings and trials.


adjudication

adjudication (countable and uncountable, plural adjudications)

Borrowed from Latin adiudicatio, adiudicationem.

In case two or more petitions for adjudication of bankruptcy shall be filed in different districts by different members of the same copartnership for an adjudication of the bankruptcy of said copartnership , the court in which the petition is first filed having jurisdiction[…]

1869, Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, A Treatise Upon the United States Courts, and Their Practice:

(law) The decision upon the question of whether the debtor is a bankrupt.

(law, Scotland) A process by which land is attached as security or in satisfaction of a debt.


double jeopardy

(law) The act of trying someone twice for the same offense, especially after an acquittal in the first trial.

雙重追訴

ertsa da imave današaulistvis sisxlis samartlis orǯer ṗasuxisgeba

ერთსა და იმავე დანაშაულისთვის სისხლის სამართლის ორჯერ პასუხისგება

sisxlis samartlis ṗasuxisgebaši orǯer micema erti da igive današaulistvis

სისხლის სამართლის პასუხისგებაში ორჯერ მიცემა ერთი და იგივე დანაშაულისთვის

risk dváždy ponestí ugolóvnuju otvétstvennostʹ za odnó i tó že prestuplénije

риск два́жды понести́ уголо́вную отве́тственность за одно́ и то́ же преступле́ние


blue heeler

Shorty the Sixth, as he was sometimes called, had been a very winning puppy, and they had kept him at home until he began to exhibit the same tendencies that Duane's blue heelers always exhibited, that is, a tendency to herd children in the same way they would have herded cattle or sheep: they nipped their heels.

2003, Larry McMurtry, Duane's Depressed, page 75:

He always has his blue heeler dog in his office tucked away under his feet or near the door.

2007, Graham Greenwood, A Truckie's Dream: The Allan Scott Story : His Official Biography, page 113:

For some time, Dan and Pat had been at me to get a dog so we took a trip to the Yagoona RSPCA and came back with a blue heeler pup.

2008, Elizabeth Bruce, A Show Off, Just Like Your Father, page 92:

Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Cattle Dog

(Australia) A blue-coated variety of the Australian Cattle Dog breed.

“Take a gander son, but be quick about it,” he said lighting a cigarette. “The blue heelers come by here and start snoopin about.”

2008, Deborah N. David, The Janus Project, page 382:


countersign

From Middle French contresigne. Equivalent to counter- + sign.

(law) A second signature added to a document to affirm the validity of the signature of the first person.


aliunde

a case proved aliunde

evidence aliunde

(law) From another source; from elsewhere.


date rape

However, from a more practical point of view it would be wise to adopt a distinction between "date rape" and "stranger rape" since jurors are likely to adopt such a distinction on their own.

1974, Noreen Connell, Cassandra Wilson, Rape: the first sourcebook for women, New American Library, page 155:

A rape committed by an acquaintance of the victim while out on a date.


driving under the influence

driving under the influence (uncountable)

(law, automotive) Operating a motor vehicle while impaired due to the consumption of drugs or alcohol.


bait and switch

Seereeram and other critics say it was a sort of bait and switch. Citibank met with Trintomar three times in the spring of 1992 to pitch its original $66 million refinancing proposal, and in a letter dated Sept. 9, Trintomar asked for a formal proposal. The next day, Citibank sent a letter outlining the extra $96.5 million loan in several pages of eye-glazing detail.

2002 October 7, Jyoti Thottam, “Predators in Paradise?”, in Time:

An unscrupulous and sometimes illegal sales technique, in which an inexpensive product is advertised to attract prospective customers who are then told by sales personnel that the inexpensive product is unavailable or of poor quality and are instead urged to buy a more expensive product.


McNaughton rules

1843, from the trial of Daniel McNaughton, who shot and murdered Edward Drummond, the Private Secretary to the then British Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel.

(criminal law) A test of criminal insanity by which "it must be clearly proved that, at the time of committing the act, the party accused was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or, if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was wrong".


presumption

presumption (countable and uncountable, plural presumptions)

Borrowed from Middle French presumption, from Old French presumption, from Latin praesumptiō.

The state, in the exercise of its general power to prescribe rules of evidence, may provide that proof of a particular fact, or of several facts taken collectively, shall be prima facie evidence of another fact when there is some rational connection between the fact proved and the ultimate fact presumed. The legislative presumption is invalid when it is entirely arbitrary, or creates an invidious discrimination, or operates to deprive a party of a reasonable opportunity to present the pertinent facts in his defense.

Bandini Petroleum Co. v. Superior Court, 284 U.S. 8, 18–19 (1931)

(law) An inference that a trier of fact is either permitted or required to draw under certain factual circumstances (as prescribed by statute or case law) unless the party against whom the inference is drawn is able to rebut it with admissible, competent evidence.

vermoeden

legal inference based on a rule or policy of law regardless of the facts


seriatim

/sɪəɹɪˈeɪtɪm/

/sɛɹɪˈeɪtɪm/

From Medieval Latin seriatim, from Latin seriēs (“row, chain”) + -ātim, adverbial suffix.

a seriatim review

The argument will also be the first test of the court’s announced hybrid system for oral argument, involving both the usual free-for-all questioning that was missing from the telephone arguments, and one round of seriatim questioning at the end of each arguing attorney’s presentation.

2021 October 4, Mark Walsh, “A View from the courtroom: In-person arguments come out of storage”, in SCOTUSblog:

(chiefly law) Point by point; sequential.


Scotland Yard

From the address, originally at Great Scotland Yard off Whitehall, then at New Scotland Yard on the Embankment, and (currently) at New Scotland Yard in Westminster.
[[File:New_Scotland_Yard_rotating_triangular_sign_(2).jpg|thumb|]]

I, for my part, drew up as full a précis of the case as I deemed advisable, and as time permitted, which I despatched by one of the company’s police to Scotland Yard.

The headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department of the London Metropolitan Police Force.


cutpurse

From Middle English cutte-purs; equivalent to cut + purse: originally, purses were worn by a strap at the girdle, which the thief would cut.

A cutpurse of the empire and the rule

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

The Gipsie snap & Pedro
are none of Toms Comradoes,
yͤ punck I skorne, & yͤ cutpurse sworn
& yͤ roring boyes brauadoes

c. 1620, anonymous, “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song” in Giles Earle his Booke (British Museum, Additional MSS. 24, 665)

A thief who steals from others' purses or pockets in public.


casebook

From case + book. First use appears c. 1675.

(US, law) A kind of book, used in law schools, containing the text of court opinions in legal cases accompanied by analysis and related materials.


four L

A law student in his or her fourth year of law school; generally an unusual situation occurring where a student has either taken an extended part-time curriculum, or has failed a class needed for graduation and must stay on for an extra semester after the three L year.


golden rule

statutory interpretation
statutory interpretation

(law, England and Wales, idiomatic) A method of statutory interpretation, whereby a judge will deviate from a literal interpretation of the law to the extent necessary to circumvent obvious absurdities or (sometimes) conclusions repugnant to public policy.


2L and 3L programs in moot court and trial advocacy are optional.

2001, Eric Owens, Complete Book of Law Schools, 2002 Edition, page 254:

During 2L year Charles was the spokesperson for a highly visible committee of graduate and undergraduate students...

2003, Richard Harrison et al., Working on Mysteries: The Coming of Age, page 26:

Almost every interviewer you'll see during 3L recruiting will ask you whether you received an offer from your 2L firm...

2004, Robert Harrax Miller, Law School Confidential: A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience, page 373:

When I told a group of 2L friends of mine about my fate my first day, they reminisced in minute detail about the first individual to be called on in their section a year earlier.

1999, Broken Contract: A Memoir of Harvard Law School, page 13:

Few activities are more fulfilling to 2Ls and 3Ls than giving advice to new students.

2001, Andrew J. McClurg, The Law School Trip: The Insider's Guide to Law School, page 56:

...it's up to the 2L member editors to make sure that an article's footnotes are accurately and correctly cited.

2003, Jungle Media Group, The JD Jungle Law School Survival Guide, page 69:

Many law schools assign 1L’s a 2L or 3L as a mentor for the 1L to learn from.

2005, J. Keith Essmyer, Jr., Stress, Tests, and Success: The Ultimate Law School Survival Guide, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 31:

The top of the 2L class landed some summer associate positions at all but the most prestigious firms in DC...

2007, Vault Editors, The Law School Buzz Book, page 297:

(law) A law student in the second year of law school.


law school

GFU has a law school called Gender-Friendly University Law School.

1998, Shimon Shetreet, Women in Law, →ISBN, page 155:

If the college or university has a law school or a paralegal program, there usually will not be a law library committee because law and para-legal faculty take on that role through committee meetings and their daily interactions with the library's staff.

2012, Laurie Selwyn, Public Law Librarianship, →ISBN, page 57:

You will find reports of legal cases in law reports which are to be found in most university libraries (provided the relevant university has a law school).

2013, Susan Wolf, Neil Stanley, Wolf and Stanley on Environmental Law, →ISBN, page 594:

An academic institution at which post-graduate students are prepared for the practice of law.


uno flatu

/ˈuːnəʊ ˈflɑːtuː/

Borrowed from Latin ūnō flātū (“in one breath”, “at one blast”), ablative of time-within-which of ūnus flātus (“a single blast of wind or expulsion of breath”).

bor

For quotations using this term, see Citations:uno flatu.

(law) At once, at one blast, at the same moment, contemporaneously, simultaneously.


blue flu

en-noun

blue flu (countable and uncountable, plural blue flus)

(informal) An industrial action taken by members of the police, claiming sickness en masse.


excommunicate

From Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin excommunicātus, perfect passive participle of excommunicō (“put out of the community”). By surface analysis, ex- + communicate. Displaced native Old English āmǣnsumian.

[…]the iewes had conſpyred allredy that yff eny man did confeſſe that he was Chriſt / he ſhulde be excommunicat out of the Sinagoge.

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, John ix:[22], folio cxxxiiij, verso:

Thou ſhalt ſtand curſt, and excommunicate[…]

c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 9, column 2:


excommunicate

en-verb

excommunicate (third-person singular simple present excommunicates, present participle excommunicating, simple past and past participle excommunicated)

excommunicates (present singular third-person)
excommunicating (participle present)
excommunicated (participle past)
excommunicated (past)

Samois includes celebate ^([sic]), heterosexual and bisexual women as well as lesbians, and I feel very strongly that this is the wisest choice. Our community is so fragile that we can't afford to fragment it by excommunicating non-lesbian women.

1982 December 18, Pat Califa, “Open Policy”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 5:

Although our Macs served us well, in those early, dark years Macintosh users were effectively excommunicated by the computer establishment.

1987, InfoWorld, volume 9, number 37, page 46:

(transitive, historical or figurative) To exclude from any other group; to banish.


of even date

SIR,— Our client, Mr. Robert Ferguson, of Ferguson & Muirhead, tea brokers, of Mincing Lane, has made some inquiry from us in a communication of even date concerning vampires.

1924, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire, Norton, published 2005, page 1555:


ghetto bird

Had to pull a strap on a fool named Louis the Third
Cuz I'm getting chased by the ghetto bird

1993, Ghetto Bird, Ice Cube, Lethal Injection

(slang, US, idiomatic) A police helicopter, specifically in the context of patrolling or searching impoverished, high-crime urban areas (the ghetto).


fiar

I say, since ye hae sae muckle consideration for me, I'se be blithe to accept your kindness; and my mother and me (she's a life-renter, and I am fiar, o' the lands o' Wideopen) would grant you a wadset, or an heritable bond, for the siller, and to pay the annual-rent half-yearly; and Saunders Wyliecoat to draw the bond, and you to be at nae charge wi' the writings.

1816, Walter Scott, “The Black Dwarf”, in A Complete Edition of the Waverley Novels, volume 13, published 1831, page 108:

(Scots law) One in whom the property of an estate is vested, subject to the estate of a liferenter.


palm tree justice

According to the Chambers Dictionary (Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap, 1998) the phrase is “from the old Arabic or Jewish idea of a wise man dispensing justice under a palm tree.” Thus: “And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.” (Judges 4:5)

[…] vary agreed or established rights to property in an endeavor to achieve a kind of palm tree justice […]

1965, National Provincial Bank v. Hastings Car Mart, [1965] 8. W.L.R. 1 at p. 11, per Lord Hodson

(law, derogatory) A pragmatic approach to justice that is entirely discretionary and transcends legal rights or precedent, enabling the court to make such order as it thinks fair and just in the circumstances of the case.


attornment

en-noun

attornment (countable and uncountable, plural attornments)

From Old French atorner (“to turn”), through Middle English with the suffix -ment.

(feudal law) The consent of a tenant to the transfer of his relationship to his landlord to another person.


lemon law

You should consult the applicable lemon laws and see if you have grounds for a return or replacement.

(law, idiomatic) A law dealing with defective items, especially automobiles, and consumers' rights.


attorn

en-verb

attorn (third-person singular simple present attorns, present participle attorning, simple past and past participle attorned)

attorns (present singular third-person)
attorning (participle present)
attorned (participle past)
attorned (past)

From Middle English attournen, from Old French atorner (“designate”), from a- (“to”) + torner (“turn”).

(intransitive, law) To transfer one's obligations from one person to another person.

(intransitive, law) To consent to the transfer of one's obligations as tenant under a lease to a new landlord.

(intransitive, law) To acknowledge the jurisdiction of (a particular court) over one's dispute.


minimum contacts

personal jurisdiction
personal jurisdiction

(law) In United States civil procedure, the contact required between a party and a state in order for the courts of that state to constitutionally assert personal jurisdiction over that party.


excuss

excuss (third-person singular simple present excusses, present participle excussing, simple past and past participle excussed)

excusses (present singular third-person)
excussing (participle present)
excussed (participle past)
excussed (past)

Borrowed from Latin excussus, past participle of excutere (“to shake off”).

(transitive, law) To seize and detain by law.

The surety claimed relief in terms of the beneficium excussionis, thus obliging the creditor to excuss against the principal debtor.

(law) To proceed against a principal debtor where there are either joint debtors or debtors and sureties.


tax resister

In the United States, a person who resists or refuses to pay a tax for which the government has determined that person is liable, based on a disagreement with the policies of the government.


voetstoots

Dutch met de voet te stoten: to kick. Through Afrikaans.

(South Africa, law) Descriptive of a sale without guarantees where the thing is sold as is or with all its faults.


voetstoots

(South Africa, law) Sold in this manner.


tax protester

It is readily apparent that Hattman's appeal and "petitions" in this Court, as well as his petition for redetermination filed in the Tax Court, are nothing other than the thinly veiled arguments of a tax protester. These types of tax protester arguments have been rejected as patently frivolous, and require no additional analysis here.

Hattman v. Commissioner, NO. 05-1376 (3d Cir. 2005) (per curiam)

Some people believe with great fervor preposterous things that just happen to coincide with their self-interest. Tax protesters have convinced themselves that wages are not income, that only gold is money, that the Sixteenth Amendment is unconstitutional, and so on. These beliefs all lead--so tax protesters think--to the elimination of their obligation to pay taxes.

Coleman v. Commissioner, 791 F.2d 68, 69 (7th Cir. 1986)

(law) In the United States, a person who denies the obligation to pay a tax for which the government has determined that person is liable, based on a belief that the government lacks the legal authority to impose taxes.


fideicommissum

Latin fides (“faith”) + commissus, past participle of committo (“to combine/hold together”).

I bequeath my farm to my brother John on condition that he bequeath it to his son Peter. The farm is entailed or burdened by a fideicommissum.

A benefit bequeathed to a beneficiary who inherits the benefit, subject to the obligation of bequeathing it to another.


usucaption

The acquisition of right or title to an object or property by means of the simple passage of time.


con artist

He's the FBI agent antagonist in Catch Me If You Can (2002) opposite a buoyantly charming young Leonardo DiCaprio as con artist Frank Abagnale, but his character is more of a determined cat to Leo's mouse than a real foil; he's simply a prim Eisenhower-era man with a job to do.

2021 February 9, Christina Newland, “Is Tom Hanks part of a dying breed of genuine movie stars?”, in BBC:

Leavers will be attracted to that story because it spares them the discomfort of admitting that they voted for a con, and then made a prime minister of the con artist.

2021 February 23, Rafael Behr, “Brexit is a machine to generate perpetual grievance. It's doing its job perfectly”, in The Guardian:

A person who defrauds or swindles others after first gaining their trust; a scam operator.


usucapion

en-noun

usucapion (usually uncountable, plural usucapions)

From Latin usucapio, usucapionis (“to acquire by prescription”).

The acquisition of right or title to an object by means of the passage of time. The common law analogue is adverse possession.


excussion

excussion (countable and uncountable, plural excussions)

Latin excussus, past participle of excutere (“to shake off”).

There has been excussion against the principal debtor, who has no assets. The creditor is therefore proceeding against the surety.

The process or proceedings whereby a creditor must proceed against a principal debtor before proceeding against a surety or subsidiary debtor.

menettely, jonka mukaan saatavat peritään ensin päävelalliselta


personal jurisdiction

personal jurisdiction (countable and uncountable, plural personal jurisdictions)

(law) in the law of civil procedure, the ability of a court to hear a case brought against a party stemming from that party's presence, activities, or contacts within a specified set of geographical boundaries, usually the borders of a county, state, or nation.


subject matter jurisdiction

The divorce court was overturned when it rendered a criminal conviction against a party, because it lacked the subject matter jurisdiction to hear a criminal case.

(law) In the law of civil procedure, the ability of a court to hear a case based on the authority granted to the court to hear that particular type of case.


statement of claim

statement of claim (plural statements of claim)

(law) A statement issued in civil court proceedings by a plaintiff. It sets forth the complaints against the defendants, and the prayers for relief from the court.


semble

en-verb

semble (third-person singular simple present sembles, present participle sembling, simple past and past participle sembled)

sembles (present singular third-person)
sembling (participle present)
sembled (participle past)
sembled (past)

From Middle English semblen, from Old French sembler (“to resemble”).

(law, third-person singular only) It seems; it appears that


incident report

en-noun

incident report (plural incident reports)

(law enforcement) A commonly used description for law enforcement or help desk events.


sunshine agenda

sunshine agenda (plural sunshine agendas)

(US, government, law) An agenda on which an item has been placed for which the decision-making body will not entertain discussion or commentary.

(US, government, law) A public agenda on which an item for decision has been placed for which the decision-making body will not entertain commentary, discussion or influence during a certain defined time-frame prior to the decision, in order to give the body "a period of repose" in which to make decisions.


rustler

(US, especially Western US, slang, dated) An alert, energetic, driving person.


kain

kain (countable and uncountable, plural kains)

hens[…] in most leases make a part of the rent, under the name of kain, and are generally kept for conveniency or profit.

1798, Robert Douglas, General View of the Agriculture in the Counties of Roxburgh and Selkirk:

(Scots law) poultry, etc., required by the lease to be paid in kind by a tenant to the landlord.


barney

Etymology unknown. Often incorrectly thought to be Cockney rhyming slang from Barney Rubble (“trouble”, from the character Barney Rubble on The Flintstones), it actually dates back to the 19th century and its origin is unknown.

unk

Etymology unknown

There goes that fuckin' Barney right now, with his fuckin' "skiin' trip." We should'a kicked that dude's ass.

1997, Damon, Matt, Affleck, Ben, Good Will Hunting, spoken by Morgan O'Mally (Casey Affleck):

(US dialect, Boston) A student at Harvard University.


inadmissible

en-adj

inadmissible (comparative more inadmissible, superlative most inadmissible)

more inadmissible (comparative)
most inadmissible (superlative)

From French inadmissible, from Middle French inadmissible.
Morphologically in- + admissible.

Not admissible, especially that cannot be admitted as evidence at a trial.


inadmissible

June saw a decline in Southwest Border apprehensions and inadmissibles by 18 percent compared to May. This decline follows the overall downward trend for this time of year as apprehensions and inadmissibles along the Southwest Border have declined from May to June.

2018, Southwest Border Migration FY2018, United States Customs and Border Patrol:

A person who is not to be admitted (to a country, a group, etc).


pursuer

On his area the pursuer built a dwelling-house, of which the gable and garden-wall were mutual with his neighbour Smith […]

1809, Faculty of Advocates (Scotland), Decisions of the Court of Sessions, from 1752 to 1808, page 216:

(Scots law) The party who initiates a lawsuit; a plaintiff.


feme sole

From Anglo-Norman feme (“woman”) sole (“alone”).

To Mary Smith, an adult feme sole, you are hereby summonsed...

(law) A single woman, whether unmarried, spinster, widow or divorcee.


SSP

senior superintendent
senior superintendent#English

(law enforcement) Abbreviation of senior superintendent. (a police rank)


real property

en-noun

real property (usually uncountable, plural real properties)

(law) Synonym of real estate, land, buildings, etc. as property.


feme covert

feme covert (plural femes covert or femes coverts)

femes covert (plural)
femes coverts (plural)

From Anglo-Norman feme (“woman”) covert (“covered, protected”).

[…]—you, Diana Vernon, spinstress, not being a femme covert; and being a convict popish recusant, are bound to repair to your own dwelling, and that by the nearest way, under penalty of being held felon to the king—[…]

1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter IX, in Rob Roy. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, pages 213–214:

A deed of a feme covert, to be valid, must be executed by the husband also.

1851, Thomas W Waterman, American Chancery Digest, volume II:

Connecticut courts failed to recognize feme couvert property rights until 1723, when the legislature finally passed an act significantly reforming the law on conveyancing.

1986, Marylynn Salmon, Women and the Law of Property in Early America:

(law, now chiefly historical) A married woman.


slaying

slaying (countable and uncountable, plural slayings)

The slaying of the civil rights activist brought a storm of protest.

Slay not your children, fearing a fall to poverty, We shall provide for them and for you. Lo! the slaying of them is great sin.

1930, Marmaduke Pickthall, transl., The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, surah 17, verse 31:

Killing, especially the murder of a human.

घात

killing, especially the murder of a human


MRA

mutual recognition agreement
mutual recognition agreement#English

(international trade, law) Initialism of mutual recognition agreement.


do time

en-verb

do time (third-person singular simple present does time, present participle doing time, simple past did time, past participle done time)

does time (present singular third-person)
doing time (participle present)
did time (past)
done time (participle past)

My wife is unavailable for three months, as she's doing time for fraud.

(colloquial) To spend time in prison (as a prisoner) or in the military (as a servicemember).

if you can't do the time, don't do the crime


cabotage

en-noun

cabotage (countable and uncountable, plural cabotages)

/ˈkæbətɪd͡ʒ/

Borrowed from French cabotage (“coasting trade”), from caboter (“to travel by the coast”). It originally (16th c.) referred to restrictions allowing only French ships to trade or transport between French ports. Other countries adopted this concept and extended it to land and air travel.

Cabotage, used as a legal term, here refers to the right to transport goods or passengers between ports of a country.

2002, Kevin Colin Ingram, Xingang Li, Maritime Law and Policy in China, page 19:

(law) The right to engage in such transport.


prone out

en-verb

prone out (third-person singular simple present prones out, present participle proning out, simple past and past participle proned out)

prones out (present singular third-person)
proning out (participle present)
proned out (participle past)
proned out (past)

(transitive, law enforcement) To order or cause a person to lie prone on the ground, usually at gunpoint and to effect a high-risk arrest.


hot-wire

hot-wire (third-person singular simple present hot-wires, present participle hot-wiring, simple past and past participle hot-wired)

hot-wires (present singular third-person)
hot-wiring (participle present)
hot-wired (participle past)
hot-wired (past)

From hot + wire, with hot referring to electrical current.

(transitive, slang) To start an automobile engine by bypassing the ignition key wiring.


ipsissima verba

From Latin ipsissima verba (“the very words”).

der

"The record in the magistrate's court does not purport to reproduce the ipsissima verba of the witness; it does not give questions and answers in the exact words in which the question was put and the answer made; it, at best, gives no more than a summary...."

1941, Engelbrecht v Nieuwoudt | CPD 54 at 55:

The actual words (spoken or transcribed).


down payment

(law, finance) A payment representing a fraction of the price of something being purchased, made to secure the right to continue making payments towards that purchase.


mortification

en-noun

mortification (countable and uncountable, plural mortifications)

honor

antonym(s) of “a sensation of extreme shame”

/ˌmɔːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

From Middle French mortification, from Old French, from Latin mortificatio.

(law, Scotland) A bequest to a charitable institution.


presumptive

en-adj

presumptive (comparative more presumptive, superlative most presumptive)

more presumptive (comparative)
most presumptive (superlative)

PIE word
 *upó
From Late Middle English presumptif, presumptijf (“based on presumption”), from Anglo-Norman presumptif and Middle French presumptif, présomptif (“based on presumption; of an heir or heiress: presumed to be entitled to inherit unless someone with a superior entitlement is born; presumptuous”) (modern French présomptif), and directly from their etymon Late Latin praesumptivus (“based on presumption; bold; insolent”), from Latin praesūmptus (“presumed”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives). Praesūmptus is the perfect passive participle of praesūmō (“to presume”), from prae- (prefix meaning ‘before; in front’) + sūmō (“to seize, take; to accept, presuppose; to undertake”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to distribute; to take”)).

предполагаем

based on presumption or conjecture — see also presumed

The perſon in this ſituation [having a mere right of property without possession or the right of possession of the property] may have the true ultimate property of the lands in himſelf: but by the intervention of certain circumſtances, either by his ovvn negligence, the ſolemn act of his anceſtor, or the determination of a court of juſtice, the preſumptive evidence of that right is ſtrongly in favour of his antagoniſt; vvho has thereby obtained the abſolute right of poſſeſſion.

1766, William Blackstone, “Of the Title to Things Real, in General”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book II (Of the Rights of Things), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 197:

Though we had seen no land since leaving Calloa, Cape Horn was said to be somewhere to the West of us; and though there was no positive evidence of the fact, the weather encountered might be accounted pretty good presumptive proof.

1850, Herman Melville, “Edging Away”, in White Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-War, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, pages 182–183:

(often law) Chiefly in presumptive evidence: providing a reasonable basis for a certain presumption or conclusion to be drawn.


uttering

The girl using a fake ID to enter a bar was guilty of uttering.

If two jointly prepare counterfeit coin, and utter it in different shops apart from each other, but in concert, and intending to share the proceeds, the utterings of each are the joint utterings of both, and they may be convicted jointly.

1881, Ephraim Arnold Jacob, Robert Alexander Fisher., An Analytical Digest of the Law and Practice of the Courts of Common Law:

(law) The crime of knowingly presenting forged documentation.


par delictum

From Latin in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis (“if both (parties) are in the wrong, a defence is set up”).

uder

The 'clean hands doctrine', derived from English law, is similar in effect to the Roman law maxim in pari delicto potior est conditio defendentis, which operated as an absolute bar to the grant of relief to the plaintiff. The par delictum rule is concerned with the moral guilt of contracting parties, not their criminal liability.

(law) The par delictum rule prescribes that a party should not obtain satisfaction from a court of law with where his own conduct is wrongful.


legitim

(law) Common in Continental Law jurisdictions, a portion of property fixed by law, which a testator with issue is bound to bequeath to his children.


binder

From Middle English byndere; equivalent to bind + -er.

(law) A down payment on a piece of real property that secures the payor the right to purchase the property from the payee upon an agreement of terms.

voorschot

law: down payment on a piece of real property


commandment

en-noun

commandment (countable and uncountable, plural commandments)

Inherited from Middle English comaundement, from Old French comandement, from comander. See command.

inh+

(law) The offence of commanding or inducing another to violate the law.


mortify

en-verb

mortify (third-person singular simple present mortifies, present participle mortifying, simple past and past participle mortified)

mortifies (present singular third-person)
mortifying (participle present)
mortified (participle past)
mortified (past)

From Anglo-Norman mortifier, Middle French mortifier, from Late Latin mortificō (“cause death”), from Latin mors (“death”) + -ficō (“-fy”).

the schoolmasters of Ayr were paid out of the mills mortified by Queen Mary

1876 James Grant, History of the Burgh and Parish Schools of Scotland, Part II, Chapter 14, p.453 (PDF 2.7 MB)

(transitive, Scots law, historical) To grant in mortmain.


pound the table

pound the table (third-person singular simple present pounds the table, present participle pounding the table, simple past and past participle pounded the table)

pounds the table (present singular third-person)
pounding the table (participle present)
pounded the table (participle past)
pounded the table (past)

There's an old legal aphorism that goes, "If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither on your side, pound the table."

(figuratively, law) To base an argument on bluster or rhetoric when unsupported by more substantive elements.


case law

en-noun

case law (countable and uncountable, plural case laws)

Law developed by judges through court decisions and opinions, as distinct from statute and other legislation.


speeding

We were overtaken on the inside by a speeding motorcyclist.

The NTSB said on Tuesday that the 2022 North Las Vegas crash highlights the need for intelligent speed assistance technology and countermeasures including interlock program for repeat speeding offenders. National Transportation Safety Board Calls For Speed-Limiting Tech in Cars, Road track, 15 Nov 2023

Specifically, travelling at an illegal speed (of vehicles, motorists).


victimology

victimology (countable and uncountable, plural victimologies)

From French victimologie. victim + -ology.

The study of the victims of crime, and especially of the reasons why some people are more prone to be victims.

受害者學

the study of the victims of crime, and especially of the reasons why some people are more prone to be victims


attachiamenta de spinis et boscis

(law, dated) An ancient privilege granted to forest officers to take for their own any thorns, brushwood, and windfalls within their own precincts.


obs

But I now knew I was under obs by the Gardai as well as by GMP.

2017, Jimmy Donnelly, Jimmy The Weed: Inside the Quality Street Gang:

Had you under obs for three weeks.

2018, Paige Elizabeth Turner, Clock Face of Ills:

(law enforcement, slang) Police observation.


exceptio non numeratae pecuniae

Latin phrase.
exceptio (“an exception”) + non (“not (having)”) + numero - atis ("to count") + pecunia (“money”).

In my opinion a defendant in an action for provisional sentence on a mortgage bond who has renounced the benefit of the exceptio non numeratae pecuniae is not debarred either in the provisional case or in the principal case from raising the defence that he did not receive the money in respect of which he had acknowledged his indebtedness. The benefit of the exception is to enable a defendant to place upon the plaintiff the onus of proving that the money was paid; by renouncing the benefit, the defendant takes the onus of proof upon himself.

COHEN v LOUIS BLUMBERG (PTY), LTD AND ANOTHER 1949 (2) SA 849 (W)

(law) An exception whereby a defendant can claim that the plaintiff has not paid the money to him and that therefore the obligation is not owing.


naturalism

naturalism (countable and uncountable, plural naturalisms)

From natural + -ism. Compare French naturalisme.

(politics, law) The belief in natural law.


ministerial

en-adj

ministerial (comparative more ministerial, superlative most ministerial)

more ministerial (comparative)
most ministerial (superlative)

Borrowed from Middle French ministeriel. Doublet of minstrel and ministerialis.

Filling out the form under the direction of a lawyer is a ministerial task performed by a legal secretary.

(especially law) Serving as an instrument or means (i.e., procedural or ancillary, not substantive).


one-time

He was the one-time president of the club.

His one-time investment in a brickyard had put the idea into his head—an idea that he decided was a good one, for it enabled him to suggest that she ride along with him to inspect the quarry.

1910, Jack London, chapter XIII, in Burning Daylight:

Pollyanna never doubted now that John Pendleton was her Aunt Polly's one-time lover; […]

1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 18, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:

The old Ramsgate Harbour station of the one-time South Eastern Railway was a case in point, as also the stations in the Isle of Wight that you name, such as Ventnor West.

1945 July and August, “The Why and The Wherefore: Station Turntables”, in Railway Magazine, page 241, reply to J. A. Drew:

Has the one-time wonder fuel become the new asbestos – not to say mustard gas?

2017 April 13, Adam Forrest, “The death of diesel: has the one-time wonder fuel become the new asbestos?”, in The Guardian:

Of or pertaining to a specific period of time in the past, not extending to the present.

някогашен

of or pertaining to a specific time in the past


exceptio quod metus causa

From Latin exceptio (“exception”) quod (“based on”) metus (“duress”) causa (“a cause (of action)”).

It appears that in that Court, the defence stressed by appellant's counsel was the exceptio quod metus causa and it was to that defence that the learned Judge-President mainly directed himself.

1974, SHEPSTONE v SHEPSTONE 1974 (2) SA 462 (N):

Reverting to the defence raised by first defendant, it is clear that a contract may be vitiated by duress (metus), the raison d'etre of the rule apparently being that intimidation or improper pressure renders the consent of the party subjected to duress no true consent at all. ]

[ 1974, AREND AND ANOTHER v ASTRA FURNISHERS (PTY) LTD 1974 (1) SA 298 (C)

(law) The exceptio metus; an exception based on the fact that the underlying cause of action was based on duress or intimidation by the plaintiff of the defendant.


exceptio metus

From a shortening of exceptio quod metus causa.

(law) An exception based on the fact that the underlying cause of action was based on duress or intimidation by the plaintiff of the defendant.


surcharge

/ˈsɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃɑː(ɹ)d͡ʒ/

From Middle French surcharge, from Old French. By surface analysis, sur- + charge. Doublet of supercharge.

(law) A charge that has been omitted from an account as payment of a credit to the charged party

kuittaus

law: charge omitted from an account as payment

(law) A penalty for failure to exercise common prudence and skill in the performance of a fiduciary's duties.

пеня́

law: penalty for failure to exercise common prudence as fiduciary

(law, obsolete) The putting, by a commoner, of more animals on the common than he is entitled to.


surcharge

en-verb

surcharge (third-person singular simple present surcharges, present participle surcharging, simple past and past participle surcharged)

surcharges (present singular third-person)
surcharging (participle present)
surcharged (participle past)
surcharged (past)

/ˈsɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃɑː(ɹ)d͡ʒ/

Another diſturbance of common is by ſurcharging it; or putting more cattle therein than the paſture and herbage will ſuſtain, or the party hath a right to do.

1768, William Blackstone, “Of Disturbance”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book III (Of Private Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 237:

(law) To overstock; especially, to put more cattle into (e.g. a common) than one has a right to do, or more than the herbage will sustain.


dematerialization

en-noun

dematerialization (countable and uncountable, plural dematerializations)

/diːməˌtɪəɹɪəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

(finance, law) The substitution of paper-form securities by book-entry securities.


holograph

(law, textual criticism) A handwritten document that is solely the work of the person whose signature it bears, especially a letter, deed, or will; an original manuscript, a protograph.

eigenhändig verfasstes, handschriftliches Dokument


gag order

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-gag order.wav

Nonetheless, Mr. Trump has continued apace with comments that test the limits of what he can say. Two days after the hearing, prosecutors offered four new instances in which they said he had violated the gag order.

2024 April 28, Maggie Haberman, Jonah E. Bromwich, “Trump’s Trial Could Bring a Rarity: Consequences for His Words”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(law) An order issued by a court prohibiting specified persons from discussing a case outside limitations set by the court.


commission de bene esse

commission de bene esse (plural commissions de bene esse)

From Latin de bene esse (“for the good cause”).

der

(law) A commission appointed to take evidence by deposition where the deponent is unwilling or unable to come to court and the court cannot compel the witness/deponent.


of age

One must be 18 years of age to be an eligible voter in most countries.

(formal, idiomatic, law, usually literary) Having existed for a certain period of time; used in referring to a person's age.


relevancy

en-noun

relevancy (countable and uncountable, plural relevancies)

(law, Scotland) Sufficiency (of a statement, claim etc.) to carry weight in law; legal pertinence.


spoliation

spoliation (countable and uncountable, plural spoliations)

From Latin spoliātiō, from spoliāre + -tiō, from spolium (“skin, hide, fell”) + -āre.

(law) The intentional destruction of or tampering with (a document) in such way as to impair evidentiary effect.


drink-driver

A drink driver is anyone who is over the legal alcohol limit for driving.

2008, “Drink driving”, in Kent County Council, UK, retrieved 2008-06-26:

(chiefly British and Australia, law) A person who operates a motor vehicle when legally intoxicated.

spritbilist

person who operates motor vehicle when drunk


drink-driving

A reformed alcoholic with an “appalling” history of drink-driving between three and five times the legal limit was jailed yesterday.

2008 June 26, Rae Wilson, “Ex-alcoholic jailed for repeat drink-driving”, in Sunshine Coast Daily, Australia:

(chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, law) A criminal offence committed by a person who operates a vehicle when the measured amount of alcohol in his or her blood exceeds the legal limit.


gumball

The spiky seedpod of the sweet gum tree.


disafforestation

disafforestation (countable and uncountable, plural disafforestations)

From post-classical Latin disafforestatio (13th cent.), from the participial stem of Latin disafforestare.

Disafforestation and enclosure could thus be regarded as a national duty, a kindness in disguise to the idle poor, as well as of more immediate benefit to the rich encloser.

1972, Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down, Folio Society, published 2016, page 37:

(law, now historical) The change in the legal status of an area from forest to that of normal land, entailing the loss of forest laws.


imputable

(law) Accusable; culpable; chargeable with fault.


Miranda

Ernesto Miranda
Miranda
Miranda v. Arizona

From the case Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), from the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian habitational surname Miranda of Ernesto Miranda.


roukoop

Afrikaans rouw (“to regret, to rue”) + koop (“to buy”).

The applicant was called upon, within 14 days, to make payment in full of all amounts owing, failing which, it was said, the deed of sale would be cancelled and all amounts paid would be retained by way of liquidated damages or "roukoop".

1971, ANDREWS v LIDAKS AND ANOTHER 1971 (1) SA 892 (W)

As applicant, however, still failed to pay his monthly instalments the respondent had, for this reason, cancelled the contract in terms of the cancellation clause of the deed of sale which provided that the seller was entitled to retain all payments as roukoop or as agreed pre-estimated damages sustained by the seller, and also to claim money in arrear.

1978, SHIRLEY v VIRGILIA TRUST (EDMS) BPK 1978 (2) SA 357 (T)

(law, South Africa) Genuine pre-estimated damages on the cancellation of a sale or lease, usually relating to immovable property.


facially

The law will be repealed if it is found to be facially unconstitutional.

(law, of a law or regulation's validity) In a facial manner; on its face.


guaranty

From Old French guarantie, from Old French guarantie (“protection, defense”), from Old French garantir, guarantir (“to warrant, vouch for something”), from Old French garant, guarant, warant (“a warrant; warranter, supporter, defender, protector”), from Frankish *warand, *warjand (“a warrant”), from Frankish *warjan (“to fend for, designate something as true, vouch for”), from Proto-Germanic *warjaną (“to defend, protect”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, save, defend”). Cognate with Middle Low German warent, warend (“a warrant”), German gewähren (“to grant”). More at warrant. Doublet of guarantee and warranty.

der

(law) An undertaking to answer for the payment of some debt, or the performance of some contract or duty, of another, in case of the failure of such other to pay or perform; a warranty; a security.

garantiaĵo

undertaking to answer for payment, performance of contract, etc.


enjoin

en-verb

enjoin (third-person singular simple present enjoins, present participle enjoining, simple past and past participle enjoined)

enjoins (present singular third-person)
enjoining (participle present)
enjoined (participle past)
enjoined (past)

From Middle English enjoinen, from Old French enjoindre (“to join with”), from Latin iniungo (“to attach”), a compound of in- (“into” “upon”) and iungo.

In 1983, BLM was enjoined by court order from using any herbicides in its Medford, Oregon District. Subsequent court action in 1984 enjoined BLM from the use of herbicides throughout Oregon and the U.S. Forest Service was similarly enjoined throughout Region 6 (Pacific Northwest).

1989, U.S. Department of the Interior, chapter 1, in Western Oregon Program-Management of Competing Vegetation: Proposed Record of Decision, Bureau of Land Management, page 9:

the judicial power of the United States had no power to enjoin the executive branch of the government from the execution of a constitutional duty or of a constitutional law

1826, James Kent, Commentaries on American Law:

(transitive, law) To prohibit or restrain by a judicial order or decree; to put an injunction on.

забранявам

to prohibit or restrain by judicial order


movant

(law) The party who moves for the judge to rule in favor of a motion.


self-incrimination

Act of giving testimony, in a trial, that would incriminate oneself.

自證其罪

giving testimony that would incriminate oneself


retour

(law, Scotland) An extract from chancery of the service of an heir to his ancestor.


decedent

From Latin decedens, present active participle of decedere (“to depart, die”).

“A check of the nightstands revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent’s name,” the coroner’s notes said, according to TMZ.com.

2009 December 22, New York Post, “‘Dangerous drug mix’ likely killed Brittany”, in The Herald Sun:

A 2020 study found that MAiD recipients in Ontario tended to be wealthier, less likely to be in institutional care, and more likely to be married than the average Ontario decedent.

2023 January 10, Sara Miller Llana, Whitney Eulich, Dominique Soguel, “As assisted dying broadens, countries wrestle with new ethical lines”, in The Christian Science Monitor:


joint-stock company

en-noun

joint-stock company (plural joint-stock companies)

合股公司

company with transferable ownership and unlimited shareholder liability

(business, finance, law, UK) A company with transferable ownership interests and limited shareholder liability.

shoqëri aksionare

company with transferable ownership and limited shareholder liability — see also public limited company

(business, finance, law, US) A company with transferable ownership interests and unlimited shareholder liability.


shimmer

(crime) A thin electronic device that is fit inside a card reader, such as on automated teller machines (ATMs), or point-of-sale terminals (POS's), that acts as an intermediate interface between the chip on a chip-and-pin technology card and the chip reader of the machine, to allow one to clone the chip.


conveyancer

2006, “Conveyancers in Cape Town are furious over long delays holding up the issue of rates clearance certificates by the City of Cape Town that are playing havoc with property transfers and deed registrations.”, in Weekend Argus June 24 2006:

(law) An attorney who passes transfer of immovable property from one party to another.


hot property

hot property (usually uncountable, plural hot properties)

From sense hot (“illegal, stolen”) – compare hot check (“fraudulent check”).


scathe

scathe (countable and uncountable, plural scathes)

From Middle English scath, scathe [and other forms], from Old Norse skaði (“damage, harm; loss; death; murder”), from Proto-Germanic *skaþô (“damage, scathe; one who causes damage, injurer”, noun) (whence Old English sċeaþa, sċeaþu (“scathe, harm, injury”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keh₁t- (“damage, harm”).
cognates
* Scots skaith
* Dutch schade
* German schaden
* Norwegian skade
* Swedish skada
* Icelandic skaði
* Polish szkoda
* Russian шко́да (škóda)
* Belarusian шко́дa (škóda)
* Ukrainian шко́да (škóda)

nb...

scade, scate, schath, schathe, schatht, sckathe, skade, skaith, skaithe, skagh, skate, skath, skathe, (Northern England, Northwest Midlands, Scotland) scaith, scaithe, schaithe, schath, schathe, skaith, skaithe, skaitht, (in names) scait, skeithe

der

(countable, Scots law, obsolete) An injury or loss for which compensation is sought in a lawsuit; damage; also, expenses incurred by a claimant; costs.


kleptocracy

WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.

2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:

A corrupt and dishonest government or society characterised by greed.


pay-off

The prison break never could have succeeded if it hadn't been for multiple pay-offs to various corrupt officers.


disclosure

en-noun

disclosure (countable and uncountable, plural disclosures)

From disclose by analogy with closure. A purely English formation.

get full disclosure

(law) The making known of a previously hidden fact or series of facts to another party; the act of disclosing.


internal affairs

(US, law enforcement) A division of a law enforcement agency investigating incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force.


drawee

(law) The party directed to pay the amount of a draft or cheque.


intestacy

intestacy (countable and uncountable, plural intestacies)

(law) The state of being intestate, or of dying without having made a valid will.


asc

Wild Animals and Circuses (Wales) Act 2020 (2020 asc 2)

Act of Senedd Cymru
w:Act of Senedd Cymru

(UK, law, in citation) Initialism of Act of Senedd Cymru; formerly called Acts of the National Assembly for Wales, and only used for Acts passed after the change of name.


crime of passion

crime of passion (plural crimes of passion)

There was this boy I sent to the gas chamber at Huntsville here a while back. My arrest and my testimony. He killed a fourteen-year-old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion but he told me there wasn't any passion to it. Told me that he'd been planning to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he'd do it again.

2007, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men (motion picture), spoken by Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones):

(law, criminology) A crime, typically a violent crime such as assault or murder, committed against a loved one because of sudden jealous rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated act.

crim passional

crime against a loved one because of jealous rage or heartbreak


EIR

(US, law) Initialism of establishment inspection report.: a report issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration following the inspection of a facility where goods under the authority of the agency are manufactured, held, or sold.


nightstick

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-nightstick.wav

(US, law enforcement) A long, narrow, polelike club carried by police and security personnel, for use in self-defense.


reassurance

reassurance (countable and uncountable, plural reassurances)


ashcan

Describing a comic book originally published solely to retain ownership of a trademark, not intended for general release; later used for promotional comic books intended for limited release to the public.


right of sepulchre

The common law doctrine that human remains must be left undisturbed in their place of deposition.


courtroom

The room where a judge presides over hearings and trials, sometimes with a jury.


pandect

Antiochus of Palestine
Lawrence Torrentinus
Russian Museum

Sense 3 (“comprehensive treatise”) is from Latin pandectēs (“book that contains everything, encyclopedia”), from Ancient Greek πανδέκτης (pandéktēs, “encyclopedia”, literally “all-receiver”), from παν- (pan-, prefix meaning ‘all’) (from πᾶς (pâs, “all”)) + δέκτης (déktēs, “receiver, recipient”) (from δέχομαι (dékhomai, “to receive”) (from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to take; to perceive”)) + -της (-tēs, suffix forming agent nouns)).
Sense 1 (“compendium of writings on Roman law”) in the plural form Pandects is from Late Latin pandectae (“the Pandects”), the plural of pandectēs, modelled after (Byzantine) Ancient Greek πανδέκται (pandéktai, “the Pandects”), the plural of πανδέκτης (pandéktēs): see further above.

refn

From the collection of the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

der

After upwards of Thirty Years Study, and a painful Induſtry, in compiling A New Pandect or Complete Body of the Roman Civil Law; the Firſt Volume of this Undertaking craves Leave to appear in the World under the Patronage and Protection of your Lordſhip, [...]

1734, John Ayliffe, “[Dedication]”, in A New Pandect of Roman Civil Law, […], London: Printed for Tho[mas] Osborne, […], →OCLC:

And altho' there are many relations of perfect hermaphrodites, creatures that poſſeſſed the power of both ſexes, and could both beget and conceive children, yet theſe relations are treated as fabulous, notwithſtanding ſome laws concerning them are found both in the Roman and Gallic pandect.

1750 January, “We See in a Monthly Book Published at Paris, with the Royal License, an Advertisement with a New Print of a Remarkable and Famous Hermaphrodite, …”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym; Edward Cave], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, volume XX, London: Printed by Edw[ard] Cave, […], published January 1755, →OCLC, page 20, column 2:

But the juriſprudence of the Pandects is circumſcribed within a period of an hundred years, from the perpetual edict to the death of Severus Alexander: [...]

1788, Edward Gibbon, chapter XLIV, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume IV, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, page 361:

And now, upon this third morning after your departure, things are but little better; for though the lamp burns in my den, and Voet on the Pandects hath his wisdom spread open before me, yet as I only use him as a reading-desk on which to scribble this sheet of nonsense to Darsie Latimer, it is probable the vicinity will be of little furtherance to my studies.

1824 June, [Walter Scott], “Letter II. Alan Fairford to Darsie Latimer.”, in Redgauntlet, […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 27:

(Ancient Rome, law, historical) Usually in the plural form Pandects: a compendium or digest of writings on Roman law divided in 50 books, compiled in the 6th century C.E. by order of the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I (c. 482–565).


GBH

grievous bodily harm
grievous bodily harm#English

(British, law) Initialism of grievous bodily harm.


adjure

en-verb

adjure (third-person singular simple present adjures, present participle adjuring, simple past and past participle adjured)

adjures (present singular third-person)
adjuring (participle present)
adjured (participle past)
adjured (past)

From Middle English adjuren, from Latin adiūrō (“beg earnestly”), from ad- (“near, at; towards, to”)' + iūrō (“swear by oath”).

(transitive, often law) To issue a formal command.


actual bodily harm

(British, law) Hurt or injury which interferes with the health or comfort of the victim and which is more than transient or trifling.


deforest

deforest (third-person singular simple present deforests, present participle deforesting, simple past and past participle deforested)

deforests (present singular third-person)
deforesting (participle present)
deforested (participle past)
deforested (past)

(transitive, law, archaic) To disafforest (remove legal status as forest).


parallelism

en-noun

parallelism (countable and uncountable, plural parallelisms)

From parallel + -ism and from Late Latin parallelismus.

(law) In antitrust law, the practice of competitors of raising prices by roughly the same amount at roughly the same time, without engaging in a formal agreement to do so.


conspiracy theory

conspiracy theory (plural conspiracy theories)

/kənˈspɪɹəsi ˌθɪəɹi/

/kənˈspɪɹəsiː ˌθɪəɹiː/

/- ˌθiːəɹiː/

/kɘnˈspɘɹɘsiː ˌθiəɹiː/

/- ˌθiːɘɹiː/

England has had quite enough to do in Europe and Asia, without going out of her way to meddle with America. It was a physical and moral impossibility that she could be carrying on a gigantic conspiracy against us. But our masses, having only a rough general knowledge of foreign affairs, and not unnaturally somewhat exaggerating the space which we occupy in the world's eye, do not appreciate the complications which rendered such a conspiracy impossible. They only look at the sudden right-about-face movement of the English Press and public, which is most readily accounted for on the conspiracy theory.

1863 January 11, Charles Astor Bristed, “English Insincerity on the Slavery Question. [Letter to the Editor]”, in The New York Times, page 3:

It is impossible, within the limits set for this Answer, to deal in any detail with the conspiracy theory which Dr. Boyd has put forward with such virulence for so many years and which apparently has been adopted by His Majesty's Government, at least in part.

1923, American and British Claims Arbitration: The Rio Grande Claim. Answer of the United States, Press of Byron S. Adams, The Conspiracy Theory, page 28:

(A) conspiracy theory is simply a theory that posits a conspiracy – a secret plan on the part of some group to influence events by partly secret means.

2007, Charles R. Pigden, “Conspiracy Theories and the Conventional Wisdom”, in Episteme: A Journal of Social Epistemology, volume 4, number 2, Edinburgh University Press, →DOI, page 222:

The main problem with any particular conspiracy theory is not that it's wrong, but that it's inarguable; not that it's false, but that it is unfalsifiable.

2020, Maj Dr. Ebenezer Kwakye Agyemang (Rtd), DECODING 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS: Outbreak: Conspiracies: Impact, page 153:

(originally law) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see conspiracy, theory. A hypothesis that posits conspiracy or collusion.


subsection

Coordinate term: subparagraph

(law) A subpart of a legal document such as law.

款

Subsection of a legal document such as law


police force

He joined the police force a long time ago, when he lived in Virginia.

(law enforcement) Any police organization; a constabulary.


catch and release

(law) The practice of a patent holding company buying a patent, offering a license to its members, and then selling or donating the patent after a certain period.


attorney general

attorney general (plural attorneys general or attorney generals)

attorneys general (plural)
attorney generals (plural)

From Anglo-Norman/Law French, (modern French avocat général or procureur général), hence the unusual order of adjective following noun, instead of idiomatic English *general attorney. Compare court martial, notary public, secretary general, surgeon general.

Janet Reno was US Attorney General under Bill Clinton.

If you do wrongfully ſeize Herford's right, / call in his Letters Patents that he hath / By his Atturneyes generall, to ſue[…]

1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 29, column 2:

A major government officer throughout the English-speaking world, generally responsible for interpreting the law for the head of government and executive department and functioning as chief prosecutor, with the ability to bring civil and criminal actions directly.


Twinkie defence

Twinkie defence (plural Twinkie defences)

From the 1979 trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk and mayor George Moscone. White's defense was that he suffered diminished capacity as a result of his depression; his change in diet from healthy food to Twinkies and other sugary food was said to be a symptom of this depression.

(US, colloquial, law) A legal defense of diminished responsibility based on a claim that irregular behavior is caused by a poor diet or junk food.


attainder

From Anglo-Norman ataindre ("to reach"), with infinitives used as nouns being frequent in Law French. Doublet of attain and attinge.

Grandpa Piper led thereto by the arm […] and himself thrust into a chair, to support the character of dummy to Henry's prearranged attainder.

1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 139:

(law, rare) The state a prisoner enters once a death sentence (usually for treason) had been issued; the state of being stripped of all civil rights.

muerte civil

the state of a prisoner after a death sentence


white-collar crime

white-collar crime (countable and uncountable, plural white-collar crimes)

Introduced by American sociologist Edwin Sutherland.

Fraud and embezzlement are examples of white-collar crime.

Non-violent crime, generally for personal gain and often involving money.


constabulary

From mediaeval Latin conestabularia, a noun use of the feminine version of conestabularius, from Latin constabulus, from comes stabuli, literally ‘master of the stables’.


attaint

From Middle English atteinte, from Old French ateint, past participle of ateindre; in some senses influenced by taint.

(obsolete, law) The giving of a false verdict by a jury; the conviction of such a jury, and the reversal of the verdict.


headsman

From Middle English heddysman, equivalent to head + -s- + -man. Cognate with Scots hedisman, heidisman (“head man; chief; commander”). Compare also Danish høvedsmand (“captain”), Swedish hövitsman (“captain”), Icelandic höfuðsmaður (“captain”), German Hauptmann (“captain”).

(obsolete or Scotland) A chief person; a head man

And of those base-minded jesters or buffons, some have beene seene, that even at the point of death would never leave their jesting and scoffing. He whom the heads-man threw off from the Gallowes cried out, ‘Row the Gally,’ which was his ordinarie by-word.

1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 40, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

And made him Headsman, for we said, / "Who's next to be decapited / Cannot cut off another's head / Until he's cut his own off[…]"

1885, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, […] The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu, London: Chappel & Co., […], →OCLC:

An executioner whose method of dispatching the condemned is decapitation.

(mining, historical) A labourer in a colliery who transports the coal from the workings to the horseway, and who is oftentimes assisted by a younger worker called a foal.

(nautical) One in command of a whaling vessel.


patrolman

On September 9, when a solitary Japanese patrolman tried to curtail the work of five Taiwanese who were cutting trees from a windbreak (in Anting settlement, Sinhua district), the accused responded "Taiwan is not Japan's land. Why are you stopping us?"

2006, Ping-hui Liao, David Der-wei Wang, Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895–1945, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page https://books.google.com/books?id=pHlwcjwt7fEC&pg=PT391:

A police officer, especially a junior officer assigned patrol duty instead of detection or supervision.


hot pursuit

(law) close and continuous pursuit of a fleeing suspected lawbreaker or hostile military force, especially across territorial lines.


interdiction

interdiction (countable and uncountable, plural interdictions)

From Middle English, borrowed from French interdiction, itself a borrowing from Latin interdictiō.

the act of interdicting or something interdicted


dropper

Thus an American police chief discussing the 'cheque-droppers', then peculiar to his side of the Atlantic, who were taking a toll estimated at […] Over the years, forgery has tended to be an amateur operation — a crime of opportunity.

1969, Criminologist, number 11, page 123:

[…] 'dropper' — the person who presents the cheque at the bank or elsewhere — who takes the risk. […] On the other hand, 'kite droppers' usually work in teams.

1973, Arthur J. La Bern, Noël C. Browne, Haigh: the mind of a murderer, page 39:

(slang) A person who uses fraudulent cheques.


twoc

en-verb

twoc (third-person singular simple present twocs, present participle twoccing or twocking, simple past and past participle twocced or twocked)

twocs (present singular third-person)
twoccing (participle present)
twocking (participle present)
twocced (participle past)
twocced (past)
twocked (participle past)
twocked (past)

From the legal term TWOC (“taken without owner's consent”).

Most familiarly, juveniles twoc cars. But, I suggest, readers twoc writings.

1994 Winter, John Hartley, “Twoccing and joyreading”, in Terence Hawkes, editor, Textual Practice, volume 8, number 3, page 2:

Joyriders are generally introduced to ‘twoccing’ by friends and it is seen as exciting, with many recounting the thrill, excitement and ‘buzz’ involved.

1998, Hazel Croall, Crime and Society in Britain, Longman, →ISBN, page 220:

James Harris also left a note saying "North Shields crew, if you don't keep it locked, it will get twocked" on the victim's TV

2015 June 22, Sara Nichol, “North Shields window cleaner poured bleach over victim's clothes when he burgled her house”, in Chronicle Live:

Security guard or not, Michael had jumped at the chance to steal, or in his parlance ‘twoc’, the bus.

2016, Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons & Rob Gibbons, Alan Partridge: Nomad, page 171:

A frustrated Kim, in a bright yellow waistcoat that looked like someone had made a hi-viz tabard out of Big Bird, twocked Vincent’s car and had a high octane 2mph crash with Dot Branning.

2016 October 18, Ian Hyland, “EastEnders has been a load of rubbish - but Kim's driving test could change that”, in Daily Mirror:

[The sentence was imposed in August by Judge Passfield, after he had pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without consent.]

2023 November 28, Gareth Crickmer, “Sunderland man gets banned from drinking alcohol after twocking car, then gets caught out by ankle tag”, in Sunderland Echo:

(UK regional, slang) To steal (especially a car).


Nuremberg

/ˈnjʊəɹəmbəɡ/

From German Nürnberg, from Medieval Latin Norinberga. The second element is from Berg, origins of the first element unclear.

The trial of Nazi criminals that took place there, after World War II.


act of God

They didn't get shot to death in hold-ups, strangled to death in rapes, stabbed to death in saloons, bludgeoned to death with axes by parents or children or die summarily by some other act of God.

1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 168:

The action of “The Discovery of Heaven” combines the emotional melodrama of a telenovela with a sequence of events that an insurance lawyer would call acts of God.

1997 January 5, Jack Miles, “On a Mission From God”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Infrastructure failures tend to be treated like acts of God, but of course they aren't really.

2019 October, Ian Walmsley, “Cleaning up”, in Modern Railways, page 42:

(law) An unforeseen occurrence beyond one's control, such as a natural disaster.


letters close

(law, plural only) A sealed legal document, once issued by a monarch or government, granting a right, title etc to a person or corporation.


nasciturus rule

From Roman law (Digest 1.5.7): "nasciturus pro iam nato habetur quotiens de commodo eius agitur".

The right of a child to sue for prenatal injuries is recognised in law, but the more difficult question is whether such an action should be allowed by using the nasciturus rule or by using the ordinary principles of the law of delict. The contention that the recognition of an action for prenatal injuries is logically impossible without the conferment of legal rights, and hence legal personality, upon the unborn child, as achieved by the nasciturus rule, is to be rejected.

ROAD ACCIDENT FUND v MTATI 2005 (6) SA 215 (SCA)

(law) The rule stating that an unborn child, if subsequently born alive, is considered as already in existence whenever it is to its own advantage.


reformatory

/ɹəˈfɔɹməˌtɔɹi/

/ɹɪˈfɔː(ɹ)mətəɹi/

/ɹɪˈfɔː(ɹ)mətɹi/

It was the nicest-looking property Elwood had ever seen—a real school, a good one, not the forbidding reformatory he’d conjured the last few weeks.

2019, Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, Fleet, page 45:

A prison, especially one for juveniles; a reform school.


borrowing

(slang, crime) Slang term for shoplifting.


dreng

Probably borrowed from Medieval Latin drengus, from Middle English dreng (“warrior, retainer”) or its source, Old English drenġ (“warrior, soldier”), from Proto-West Germanic *drangī, from Proto-Germanic *drangijaz, cognate to Old Norse drengr.

der

In the reign of K. Richard I, the Theines and Drenges of Northumberland were tallaged. They paid each of them 80 much de Dono (o).

1711, “Chapter XVII: Of Tallage”, in Thomas Madox, The Hiſtory and Antiquities of the Exchequer of the Kings of England, London: John Matthews, page 480:

Accordingly, long after the Conquest, the Thegns and Drengs of Northumberland, and the Drengs, Thegns, and Villeins of the bishopric of Durham, continued to be tallaged.

1862, “Appendix T: The Laws of King Henry the First”, in E. William Robertson, Scotland Under Her Early Kings: A History of the Kingdom to the Close of the 13th Century, volume 2, Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas, page 513:

It is significant that, as Map 2 shows, the main concentrations of thegns and drengs are in the east of the territory that was apparently tributary to the Danish king in about AD 1000.

2000, “Society and Status”, in Birgit Sawyer, The Viking-age Rune-stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 106:

(historical, UK) A kind of feudal free tenant with military duties, mentioned in the Domesday Book.


sub silencio

Borrowed from Latin sub silencio (“beneath the silence”).

bor

(law) in a clearly implied but not overtly stated way


reform school

And through this one small error of judgment, Elwood’s life is changed when he is sent to a reform school called Nickel.

2019 July 26, Aminatta Forna, “The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead review”, in The Guardian:

(dated) A penal institution for juveniles, especially males.


organized crime

有組織犯罪

crimes carried out by these organizations

Organized crime is largely responsible for the nation’s illicit drug trafficking.

A large criminal organization, or a group of such organizations, that deals in illegal goods and services.

Organized crime has dramatically increased in our neighbourhood.

The crimes perpetrated by those organizations.


kife

en-verb

kife (third-person singular simple present kifes, present participle kifing, simple past and past participle kifed)

kifes (present singular third-person)
kifing (participle present)
kifed (participle past)
kifed (past)


beneficial owner

en-noun

beneficial owner (plural beneficial owners)

(law) The person who takes all or most of the returns of a property's equity or monetary gains.

bénéficiaire effectif

the person who takes all or most of the returns of a property's equity or monetary gains


surety

surety (countable and uncountable, plural sureties)

From Middle English surete, attested since the early 1300s in the sense "guarantee, promise, pledge, assurance", from Anglo-Norman seurté/Old French seurté with the same meaning (whence modern French sûreté), from Latin sēcūritās. Equivalent to sure + -ty. The senses "security, safety, stability" and "certainy" are attested since the late 1300s. "One who undertakes to pay if another does not" is from the early 1400s. Doublet of security.

There remains unpaid
A hundred thousand more; in surety of the which
One part of Aquitaine is bound to us.

c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

(law) A promise to pay a sum of money in the event that another person fails to fulfill an obligation.

borgtocht

law: promise to pay on behalf of another

He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 11:15:

Trump’s lawyers said two days ago that to post a bond covering the full amount of the $454m civil fraud judgment against him while he appeals was “a practical impossibility” after 30 surety companies turned him down.

2024 March 20, “New York attorney general could soon move to seize Trump’s property”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(law) One who undertakes to pay money or perform other acts in the event that his principal fails therein.


hand down

en-verb

hand down (third-person singular simple present hands down, present participle handing down, simple past and past participle handed down)

hands down (present singular third-person)
handing down (participle present)
handed down (participle past)
handed down (past)

The jury handed down a verdict of guilty.

Justice James A. Burke, who presided over the trial in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, could have sentenced Mr. Weinstein to as little as five years, but he heeded the arguments of prosecutors who urged him to hand down a long sentence.

2020 March 11, Jan Ransom, “Harvey Weinstein’s Stunning Downfall: 23 Years in Prison”, in New York Times:

2024 March 25, United Nations, “Thailand: UN experts alarmed by sentences handed down to human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa on lèse-majesté charges”, in United Nations:

(law) To deliver (the decision of a court, etc.)

The Clerk of the Court of Appeals handed down its decision.

(law) To forward to the proper officer (the decision of a higher court).


gendarme

en-noun

gendarme (plural gendarmes or gensdarmes)

Borrowed from French gendarme, from plural gendarmes, a re-spelling of gens d’armes (“people of arms", "armed people”).

A member of the gendarmerie, a military body charged with police duties.

The US is tempted to play the role of global gendarme because everyone knows that the UN, as it is, lacks the resources and capacity to fill this role.

2003, Daniele Archibugi, Mathias Koenig-Archibugi, Debating Cosmopolitics, Verso, page 170:

The previous attempts foundered when they tried to take this gendarme directly.

1979, Chris Jones, Climbing in North America, →ISBN, page 118:

The Arete starts easily, with several beautiful, loping pitches leading to a striking gendarme.

1998, Climbing - Issues 178-180, page 64:

Continuing to the main summit involves ascents of the gendarmes (the first being the owl-eared one referred to in the next route description) and 140-foot rappels down their south sides.

2013, Joe Kelsey, Climbing and Hiking in the Wind River Mountains, →ISBN, page 259:


MPS

Metropolitan Police Service
w:en:Metropolitan Police

(UK, law enforcement) Initialism of Metropolitan Police Service.


bench memo

(law) A legal research memorandum drafted by a law clerk to assist a judge in deciding a case.


justifiable

en-adj

justifiable (comparative more justifiable, superlative most justifiable)

more justifiable (comparative)
most justifiable (superlative)

From Middle French justifiable. By surface analysis, justify + -able.

justifiable homicide

(law, specifically) Describing an illegal and intentional act that is nevertheless not blameworthy, for example because its positive consequences outweighed the bad. Distinguished from excusable, describing an involuntary illegal act.


law clerk

A clerk who assists a judge with legal proceedings. Depending on the court, such positions may be professional careers or may be temporary positions for graduating law students.

assistant de justice or assistant du contentieux


corrections officer

en-noun

corrections officer (plural corrections officers)

Frank was proud of the fact that in all his years as a corrections officer, he had never been assaulted by an inmate.


on point

Possibly from the French "en pointe" meaning to be on the tip of the toes in ballet and reflects a higher degree of skill. "On point" also describes a degree of competence and in the military the man "on point" was at the front and most exposed position in a combat military formation, that is, the leading soldier or unit advancing through hostile or unsecured territory. In recent American youth (especially hip hop) culture, the idiom "on point" refers either to someone who possesses abundant and various qualities of competence, leadership or style, or to specific acts which demonstrate such qualities.

We have no decisions in our state directly on point. With us the problem is one of first impression. None of the cases cited is on point.

1937, Herdman Motor Co. v. State Bd. of Tax Appeals, 119 N.J.L. 164, 166

His historical discussions always appear on point, well researched, and indicate a great deal of care.

1984, Eike-Henner W. Kluge, “Review of Frege and the Philosophy of Mathematics by Michael D. Resnik and Gottlob Frege by Hans D. Sluga”, in Noûs, volume 18, number 2, page 342:

Eitingon raised Jung's idea of substituting a new complex; Freud did not answer on point, but talked at length about transference.

1994, John Kerr, A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein, →ISBN:

The second question of the night was about the shortage of flu vaccine. Bush gave a fine answer, on point.

2004 October 13, Dick Meyer, “Opinion: Bush Did Well, But Kerry Won”, in CBS News, retrieved 2012-06-22:

(chiefly US, law, philosophy) Having a direct application to the case or topic under consideration; apposite, relevant.


controlled substance

controlled substance (plural controlled substances)

In order to determine that a controlled substance is present, it is frequently necessary to carry out a full forensic analysis of such samples.

2003, Michael D. Cole, The Analysis of Controlled Substances, John Wiley and Sons, →ISBN, page 120:

(officialese, law) A drug or chemical whose use, possession, manufacture, or sale is regulated or banned by the government.