Crime and Punishment

More voc.

Vocabulary Bank  NEW ENGLISH FILE File 3A

Crime and Punishment

bribe noun, verb      BrE / braɪb /

take/accept/pay sb/offer (sb) a bribe

noun

a sum of money or sth valuable that you give or offer to sb to persuade them to help you, especially by doing sth dishonest

It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office.

She had been offered a $50 000 bribe to drop the charges.

verb

to give sb money or sth valuable in order to persuade them to help you, especially by doing sth dishonest

~ sb (with sth) They bribed the guards with cigarettes.

~ sb into doing sth She was bribed into handing over secret information.

~ sb to do sth She bribed him to sign the certificate.

~ your way… He managed to bribe his way onto the ship.

brib • ery  BrE / ˈbraɪbəri /

noun

[ uncountable ]

the giving or taking of bribes

She was arrested on bribery charges.   -  allegations of bribery and corruption

black • mail noun, verb BrE  ˈblækmeɪl /

noun

 [ uncountable ]

1 the crime of demanding money from a person by threatening to tell sb else a secret about them

2 the act of putting pressure on a person or a group to do sth they do not want to do, for example by making threats or by making them feel guilty

emotional/moral blackmail

verb

to force sb to give you money or do sth for you by threatening them, for example by saying you will tell people a secret about them

~ sb She blackmailed him for years by threatening to tell the newspapers about their affair.

~ sb into doing sth The President said he wouldn't be blackmailed into agreeing to the terrorists' demands.

hi • jack BrE / ˈhaɪdʒæk /

hijack a plane/ship/bus

verb

1 ~ sth to use violence or threats to take control of a vehicle, especially a plane, in order to force it to travel to a different place or to demand sth from a government

The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome.

2 ~ sth ( disapproving ) to use or take control of sth, especially a meeting, in order to advertise your own aims and interests

Demonstrators fear that the march could be hijacked by extremists.

hi • jack • ing / BrE ˈhaɪdʒækɪŋ ; ( also hi • jack ) noun [ countable ,  uncountable ]

There have been a series of hijackings recently in the area.

an unsuccessful hijack    compare carjacking

kid • nap BrE / ˈkɪdnæp /

verb

( -pp- , US also -p- ) ~ sb

to take sb away illegally and keep them as a prisoner, especially in order to get money or sth else for returning them

abduct , seize

Two businessmen have been kidnapped by terrorists.

kid • napper / BrE ˈkɪdnæpə(r) ;  noun

The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of $1 million.

kid • nap • ping / BrE ˈkɪdnæpɪŋ ;  ( also kid • nap ) noun [ uncountable ,  countable ]

He admitted the charge of kidnap.   -    the kidnapping of 12 US citizens

mug • ger BrE / ˈmʌɡə(r) /

noun

a person who threatens or attacks sb in order to steal their money, especially in a public place

mug • ging BrE / ˈmʌɡɪŋ /

noun

 [ uncountable ,  countable ]

the crime of attacking sb violently, or threatening to do so, in order to steal their money, especially in a public place

Mugging is on the increase.     -     There have been several muggings here recently.

smug • gler  BrE / ˈsmʌɡlə(r) /

noun

a person who takes goods into or out of a country illegally

a drug smuggler

smug • gling BrE / ˈsmʌɡlɪŋ /

noun

[ uncountable ]

the crime of taking, sending or bringing goods secretly and illegally into or out of a country

drug smuggling

man • slaugh • ter BrE / ˈmænslɔːtə(r) /

noun

 [ uncountable ] ( law )

the crime of killing sb illegally but not deliberately

The charge has been reduced to manslaughter.

 mur • der noun, verb  BrE / ˈmɜːdə(r) /

noun

1 [ uncountable ,  countable ] the crime of killing sb deliberately

homicide

He was found guilty of murder.

She has been charged with the attempted murder of her husband.

to commit (a) murder  - a murder case/investigation/trial

The rebels were responsible for the mass murder of 400 civilians.

What was the murder weapon ?    -   The play is a murder mystery .

2 [ uncountable ] ( informal ) used to describe sth that is difficult or unpleasant

It's murder trying to get to the airport at this time of day.

It was murder (= very busy and unpleasant) in the office today.

get away with ˈmurder ( informal , often humorous ) to do whatever

you want without being stopped or punished

verb

1 ~ sb to kill sb deliberately and illegally

He denies murdering his wife's lover.

The murdered woman was well known in the area.

2 ~ sth to spoil sth because you do not do it very well

3 ~ sb ( BrE , informal ) to defeat sb completely, especially in a team sport

I could murder a… ( informal , especially BrE ) used to say that you very much want to eat or drink sth   -    I could murder a beer.

sb will ˈmurder you ( informal ) used to warn sb that another person will be very angry with them

as • sas • sin • ate BrE / əˈsæsɪneɪt /

verb

[ often passive ] ~ sb

to murder an important or famous person, especially for political reasons

The prime minister was assassinated by extremists.

a plot to assassinate the president

as • sas • sin • ation / BrE əˌsæsɪˈneɪʃn ; NAmE əˌsæsəˈneɪʃn / noun [ uncountable ,  countable ]

The president survived a number of assassination attempts.

the assassination of John F. Kennedy