crime

• Caught red-handed

  To be discovered in the very act of committing a crime or doing something wrong.

• Grease someone's palm

  To give someone money, typically illegally, to persuade them to do something for you.

• Light-fingered

  Someone who is light-fingered is prone to stealing or is skillful at petty theft.

• Bum rap

  An unfair or undeserved accusation or punishment.

• Go postal

  To become extremely and uncontrollably angry, often resulting in violent behavior.

• Don't try to con me

  This phrase is a direct warning to someone not to attempt to deceive, trick, or swindle the speaker.

• On the game

  Engaged in prostitution.

• Lady of the night

  A 'Lady of the night' is a euphemism for a woman who works as a prostitute.

• Turn tricks

  To engage in acts of prostitution for money.

• Den of iniquity

  A "den of iniquity" is a place notorious for immoral, corrupt, or wicked behavior and activities.

• Bawdy house

  A bawdy house is an archaic term for a brothel or a place where people engage in prostitution.

• Knock shop

  A "knock shop" is an informal and often derogatory term for a brothel or house where prostitutes operate.

• push drugs

  To illegally sell or distribute illicit substances, often aggressively.

• deal drugs

  To illegally buy and sell illicit or controlled substances.

• score drugs

  To successfully obtain illegal controlled substances, often through illicit means.

• cut drugs

  To adulterate or dilute illicit drugs with other substances, usually less potent or inert materials, in order to increase their volume and profitability.

• Private eye

  A private eye is a detective who is not part of a police force and is hired by individuals or companies to investigate cases.

• Keep one's nose clean

  To avoid trouble, especially with the law or authority, and maintain a good reputation.

• Spill your guts

  To reveal all your secrets or innermost thoughts, often reluctantly or under pressure.

• Bang to rights

  To be caught in the act of committing a crime or with undeniable proof of guilt.

• Fall off the back of a lorry

  To acquire goods that have been stolen or illegally obtained, often implying they were found or came into possession through questionable means.

• Grass someone up

  To inform authorities or someone in power about another person's wrongdoing, often betraying their trust.

• Catch red-handed

  To discover someone in the very act of committing a crime or wrongdoing, often with incriminating evidence clearly visible.

• Have sticky fingers

  To have a tendency to steal small items or engage in petty theft.

• Stitch someone up

  To falsely incriminate someone or to trick them into a difficult and unfair situation.

• Loan shark

  A predatory lender who charges extremely high interest rates, often using illegal or threatening methods to collect debts.

• Foul play

  Unfair, dishonest, or violent actions, especially those leading to a crime or an unexpected death.

• Take a dive

  To intentionally lose a competition, especially in boxing or wrestling, often for financial gain or to avoid further engagement.

• The dark web

  The dark web refers to a hidden part of the internet that is not indexed by conventional search engines and requires specific software, like Tor, to access, often associated with anonymity and illicit activities.

• Corner

  To force someone or something into a difficult or inescapable position, often by limiting their options or escape routes.

• Boiler room

  A call center or office where high-pressure sales tactics, often deceptive or fraudulent, are used to sell investments or products.

• Wanted dead or alive

  This phrase indicates that a person is being sought, and their apprehension, whether alive or deceased, is acceptable.

• Law of the gun

  A situation where power and control are maintained through force and violence rather than legal authority or moral principles.

• Hang 'em high

  To advocate for or inflict severe, often summary, punishment, particularly execution.

• Stick 'em up

  This is a command, usually issued by a robber or attacker, instructing someone to raise their hands in surrender.

• taking someone for a ride

  To deceive, exploit, or mislead someone, often for personal gain or malicious intent.

• A gallery of rogues

  A collection or group of individuals who are dishonest, mischievous, or disreputable.

• A shady past

  Having a past that involves suspicious, dishonest, or morally questionable activities.

• A trumped-up story

  A trumped-up story is a false or fabricated account, often created with the intention to deceive, mislead, or wrongly incriminate someone.

• Flimflam

  Flimflam refers to deceptive or misleading talk or behavior, often used to swindle someone.

• Fall guy

  A fall guy is a person who is wrongly or conveniently blamed for a mistake, crime, or failure, often to protect the real culprit.

• Patsy

  A patsy is a person who is easily fooled, manipulated, or made to take the blame for someone else's actions or failures.

• To be framed

  To be falsely implicated in a crime or wrongdoing through fabricated evidence or circumstances.

• Take the fall

  To accept blame or punishment for a mistake or crime, often to protect another person or group.

• A honey trap

  A deceptive scheme in which a person is enticed into a compromising romantic or sexual situation, often for the purpose of espionage, blackmail, or other illicit gain.

• A loaded gun

  Something or someone that is highly dangerous, volatile, or ready to cause harm at any moment.

• Rogue element

  An individual or group within a larger organization that acts independently and often against the interests or directives of the main body.

• Tied up

  To be completely occupied or busy with something, rendering one unavailable, or to be physically restrained and bound.

• Highway robbery

  An excessively high price or an unfair deal that feels like a blatant act of theft.

• Cough up

  To reluctantly give money, goods, or information that is due or demanded.

• Heavily armed

  Possessing a significant quantity of powerful weapons, often implying a readiness for combat or strong defense.

• To give someone the slip

  To cleverly escape from someone who is pursuing or watching you.

• Artful dodger

  An artful dodger is a person who is clever and skillful at avoiding capture, responsibility, or difficult situations through cunning means.

• Taking the fall

  To accept blame, responsibility, or punishment for something, often to protect another person or group.

• Left holding the bag

  To be left to face the blame or consequences of a difficult or undesirable situation, often when others involved have escaped responsibility.

• In flagrante delicto

  To be caught in the very act of committing a crime or wrongdoing, with the evidence clearly visible.

• With the goods

  To be caught in possession of stolen items, incriminating evidence, or proof of wrongdoing.

• Caught in the act

  To be discovered in the middle of doing something, especially something wrong or illicit.

• Dead to rights

  To be caught unequivocally guilty or in the act, with no possible defense or escape.

• Caught with one's hand in the cookie jar

  To be discovered in the act of doing something wrong or illegal, especially when trying to conceal it.

• Busted

  To be caught in the act of doing something wrong or illegal, or to be apprehended by authorities.

• Nailed for it

  To be caught, exposed, and punished for a wrongdoing or mistake.