etymology - When did 'smoking gun' become a set phrase? - English ...
Sep 25, 2015 · Smoking gun: The term "smoking gun" is a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act, just short of being caught in flagrante delicto. (Wikipedi...
What's exactly the difference between "per se" and "ipso facto"?
Sep 13, 2015 · Look at all the examples provided: Possession of a smoking gun is not ipso facto evidence of guilt. Possession is a fact: it is either true or false that the defendant possesses a …
Why Are Guns Called 'Biscuits' In American Slang?
Dec 28, 2024 · A title like "Why have guns been called biscuits in parts of America?", or just "where did the slang 'biscuit' for 'gun' come from", would be appropriate if you want to ask about regional, …
A verb that means “to prove someone is guilty of a crime”
Aug 26, 2015 · That's interesting, finding a smoking gun, doesn't exclude the possibility that a person could be falsely accused of murder. But in my student's story Lucy did find the "smoking gun", …
Is there a single, opposite word to “alibi”?
Mar 12, 2015 · The term " smoking gun " was originally, and is still primarily, a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act. In addition to this, its meaning has …
An idiom for "a hidden clue that will unravel a mystery"
Sep 9, 2016 · The missing piece of the puzzle and a smoking gun aren't hidden at all: the former's shape per force is obvious; the latter's signal is likewise. Things that do the trick or seal the deal needn't be …
prepositions - forbidden from or forbidden to - English Language ...
Feb 27, 2024 · However, 'It is forbidden from smoking in the staffroom' sounds ghastly. Google 4-grams show that 'it is forbidden to' is the overwhelmingly more idiomatic choice. Also, the Google 4-grams …
Source and popularity of the recent slang word "cuck"
Aug 21, 2016 · And the political/racial connotations seem to have been cultivated in other online communities. Tracing words to communities and/or emergence during a rough period of time is what …
Origin of "Fits [x] to a T"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Oct 5, 2011 · In this case, although there is no smoking gun, the 'to a tittle' derivation would probably stand up in court as 'beyond reasonable doubt'. So the OED and Phrase Finder agree that the most …
etymology - Where do "shenanigans" come from? - English Language ...
Dec 17, 2015 · Later references in NYTimes refer to it in quotes, like an the name of an archetype for 'claim deception'. It's also used in the singular. I can't see a smoking gun yet, but I suspect it's an …