People say strange things when talking about crime. Some of these things don’t mean what they sound like. These sayings are called idioms. Idioms can help us understand how people feel or what they mean, without saying it directly. They are used in books, shows, and even in news stories.
In this article, we will look at some crime idioms. We’ll explain what they mean and how people use them. You might hear things like “caught red-handed” or “behind bars.” These sayings make talking about crime easier or sometimes funny. Let’s take a closer look.
Idioms about Crime
1. Caught red-handed
Meaning: Caught while doing something wrong
To Provide an Example: Sarah was caught red-handed taking cookies before dinner. / Tommy was caught red-handed drawing on the wall.
Alternative Meaning: It means someone got caught doing something bad with no way to deny it. / Like when you see someone breaking a rule and you know it’s true.
2. Behind bars
Meaning: In jail
To Provide an Example: The thief was put behind bars after he was caught. / The bad guy in the movie ended up behind bars.
Alternative Meaning: Means someone is locked up for doing a crime. / It can also mean someone is being punished for breaking the law.
3. Break the law
Meaning: Do something illegal
To Provide an Example: You break the law if you steal candy from a store. / Driving too fast can break the law.
Alternative Meaning: Doing something rules say you should not do. / Not following what’s fair or right.
4. On the run
Meaning: Trying to escape from the police
To Provide an Example: The robber was on the run after the bank was robbed. / The cartoon cat was on the run after stealing fish.
Alternative Meaning: Means someone is hiding or running away to not get caught. / Can also mean someone is moving fast to not face trouble.
5. Do time
Meaning: Spend time in jail
To Provide an Example: The man did time for taking cars. / The bad guy had to do time after the trial.
Alternative Meaning: Means someone stays in jail as a punishment. / It can also mean paying for a big mistake.
6. A steal
Meaning: Something that costs much less than it’s worth
To Provide an Example: That bike for $10 is a steal! / This toy set was a steal at the yard sale.
Alternative Meaning: It’s not about stealing. It means the price is very low. / People use it when a deal is really good.
7. Get away with
Meaning: Not get caught after doing something wrong
To Provide an Example: Jack got away with not doing his homework. / She got away with taking the last cookie.
Alternative Meaning: Means no one found out or stopped them. / Can also mean someone did something sneaky.
8. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble
To Provide an Example: I was in hot water for lying to Mom. / He was in hot water after breaking the window.
Alternative Meaning: Means someone is in big trouble. / Can also mean someone made a bad choice.
9. Face the music
Meaning: Accept the punishment
To Provide an Example: She had to face the music for cheating on the test. / He faced the music after lying to his teacher.
Alternative Meaning: Means you deal with what happens after doing something wrong. / It’s like taking the blame.
10. Cover one’s tracks
Meaning: Hide what you did
To Provide an Example: He closed the cookie jar to cover his tracks. / She wiped the mud off her shoes to cover her tracks.
Alternative Meaning: Means trying to make sure no one finds out what happened. / Like hiding clues so you don’t get in trouble.
11. Crime doesn’t pay
Meaning: Doing bad things won’t help in the end
To Provide an Example: He stole a toy but had to give it back. Crime doesn’t pay. / She cheated on the game but lost friends.
Alternative Meaning: Being dishonest always brings problems. / Bad actions don’t lead to good results.
12. Lay down the law
Meaning: Tell the rules clearly
To Provide an Example: Dad laid down the law: no TV until homework is done. / The teacher laid down the law about no talking.
Alternative Meaning: Means someone is strict about rules. / Can also mean making others follow the rules.
13. Above the law
Meaning: Think rules don’t apply to you
To Provide an Example: He acted like he was above the law by cutting in line. / She thought she could do anything at school.
Alternative Meaning: Acting like you’re special and don’t have to follow rules. / Trying to be bossy or unfair.
14. Serve time
Meaning: Stay in jail for a crime
To Provide an Example: The thief had to serve time after being caught. / The man served time for stealing money.
Alternative Meaning: Means being punished by going to jail. / Staying in jail for doing something wrong.
15. Beat the rap
Meaning: Escape punishment
To Provide an Example: He beat the rap by saying he didn’t do it. / She beat the rap because no one saw her.
Alternative Meaning: Getting away with something. / Not getting blamed even if you did it.
16. In the clear
Meaning: Not in trouble anymore
To Provide an Example: After telling the truth, he was in the clear. / She was in the clear once they found the real helper.
Alternative Meaning: It means you’re safe now. / You’re not blamed anymore.
17. Act of crime
Meaning: A wrong thing someone did
To Provide an Example: Taking the bike was an act of crime. / The act of crime was caught on camera.
Alternative Meaning: Something wrong that someone does. / It can be stealing, lying, or hurting.
18. Hardened criminal
Meaning: Someone who does bad things often
To Provide an Example: The man was a hardened criminal who broke many rules. / A hardened criminal doesn’t feel sorry.
Alternative Meaning: Someone used to doing wrong. / A person who keeps breaking rules.
19. Inside job
Meaning: A crime done by someone who works there
To Provide an Example: The stolen laptop was an inside job. / If the door wasn’t broken, maybe it was an inside job.
Alternative Meaning: A worker or helper was part of the crime. / Someone on the inside helped make it happen.
20. Busted
Meaning: Caught doing something bad
To Provide an Example: I got busted sneaking cookies. / He was busted for copying answers.
Alternative Meaning: It means someone got caught. / Now they might get in trouble.
21. Act shady
Meaning: Behave in a sneaky or untrustworthy way
To Provide an Example: He started acting shady when I asked where the toy went. / She looked shady hiding something behind her back.
Alternative Meaning: Doing things that seem wrong. / Acting like you’re hiding the truth.
22. Booked
Meaning: Taken by the police for breaking the law
To Provide an Example: The robber was booked for stealing. / He got booked after being caught spray painting.
Alternative Meaning: It means someone is written down as a rule breaker. / The police have a record of the crime.
23. Blow the whistle
Meaning: Tell someone about a wrong act
To Provide an Example: She blew the whistle when she saw someone cheating. / He blew the whistle on a kid who broke the rules.
Alternative Meaning: It means to tell an adult about something bad. / Like reporting a secret crime.
24. Daylight robbery
Meaning: Something unfair or too expensive
To Provide an Example: $10 for one ice cream? That’s daylight robbery! / The toy cost way too much. It felt like daylight robbery.
Alternative Meaning: It means something costs way more than it should. / It feels like getting tricked or cheated.
25. Stir up trouble
Meaning: Start problems on purpose
To Provide an Example: He stirred up trouble by lying about who started the game. / She likes to stir up trouble at recess.
Alternative Meaning: Means making people upset on purpose. / Causing problems for fun.
26. Lock them up
Meaning: Put someone in jail
To Provide an Example: The police said they had to lock him up. / The man was locked up for stealing bikes.
Alternative Meaning: Means someone is taken away for being bad. / They go to jail and can’t leave.
27. Take the fall
Meaning: Get blamed for something
To Provide an Example: He took the fall even though it wasn’t his fault. / She didn’t break the toy but still took the fall.
Alternative Meaning: Someone else did it, but you got in trouble. / You get blamed even if you’re innocent.
28. Under the table
Meaning: Secret and dishonest
To Provide an Example: He paid under the table to skip the line. / The deal was done under the table with no one knowing.
Alternative Meaning: It means doing something secretly and not allowed. / Hidden from others so you don’t get caught.
29. Get the axe
Meaning: Get fired from a job
To Provide an Example: He got the axe for not showing up to work. / She was lazy and got the axe.
Alternative Meaning: It means someone lost their job. / They were told not to come back.
30. Cold case
Meaning: A crime that no one solved
To Provide an Example: The missing bike was a cold case after a year. / It became a cold case when they stopped looking.
Alternative Meaning: A crime that no one figured out. / The search has stopped.
31. The jig is up
Meaning: The trick has been discovered
To Provide an Example: The jig is up! Mom found the candy wrappers. / He tried to hide it, but the jig was up when the teacher saw.
Alternative Meaning: It means the secret is out. / Someone found out what really happened.
32. Do a double-take
Meaning: Look again because something seems wrong
To Provide an Example: I did a double take when I saw the dog wearing sunglasses. / He did a double take when he saw his broken bike fixed.
Alternative Meaning: Something surprised you so much you looked twice. / It means you can’t believe what you saw.
33. Clean record
Meaning: No bad history or crimes
To Provide an Example: She has a clean record. She always follows rules. / He has a clean record and never gets in trouble.
Alternative Meaning: Never did anything wrong before. / Good behavior all the time.
34. Do a heist
Meaning: Steal something in a planned way
To Provide an Example: The movie shows robbers doing a big heist. / They planned a heist to take jewels.
Alternative Meaning: A group stealing something together. / A planned robbery.
35. Cook the books
Meaning: Change money records to hide the truth
To Provide an Example: He cooked the books to make it look like he had more money. / The company got in trouble for cooking the books.
Alternative Meaning: It means lying about money. / Making fake records on purpose.
36. Smooth criminal
Meaning: Someone who breaks rules without getting caught
To Provide an Example: The smooth criminal left no fingerprints. / He acted nice, but he was a smooth criminal in the story.
Alternative Meaning: Someone sneaky and clever who does bad things. / Looks kind, but does wrong.
37. Crime spree
Meaning: A series of crimes happening one after another
To Provide an Example: The town had a crime spree of broken windows. / A crime spree happened in the cartoon with lots of stealing.
Alternative Meaning: Many bad things done in a short time. / Crimes that happen back to back.
38. Stick to the rules
Meaning: Always follow the rules
To Provide an Example: She sticks to the rules, even in games. / I stick to the rules at school so I don’t get in trouble.
Alternative Meaning: Means being fair and honest. / Not breaking any rules.
39. Turn oneself in
Meaning: Go to the police and admit you did something wrong
To Provide an Example: He turned himself in after taking the toy. / The man turned himself in to fix his mistake.
Alternative Meaning: Telling the truth to someone in charge. / Saying, “Yes, I did it.”
40. Set the record straight
Meaning: Tell the truth to fix a lie
To Provide an Example: I had to set the record straight and say I didn’t break the vase. / She set the record straight about who won the game.
Alternative Meaning: Means telling the truth clearly. / Making sure people understand what really happened.
41. Take the law into your own hands
Meaning: Try to punish someone without help from the police
To Provide an Example: He tried to take the law into his own hands by yelling at the thief. / She took the law into her own hands when she chased the bully.
Alternative Meaning: It means trying to fix something without asking for help. / Doing what police should do.
42. Crime of passion
Meaning: A crime done in a strong moment of anger or love
To Provide an Example: In the story, the man broke the window in a crime of passion. / It was a crime of passion when she yelled and knocked things over.
Alternative Meaning: Doing something wrong without thinking clearly. / A quick mistake caused by big feelings.
43. In cold blood
Meaning: Done without feeling sorry
To Provide an Example: He lied in cold blood and didn’t care. / She broke the toy in cold blood on purpose.
Alternative Meaning: Means doing something wrong and not feeling bad. / No care for who gets hurt.
44. Criminal record
Meaning: A list of crimes someone has done
To Provide an Example: He can’t get the job because of his criminal record. / She wants a clean life after getting a criminal record.
Alternative Meaning: It means past crimes are written down. / A report of things someone did wrong.
45. Be in custody
Meaning: Being held by the police
To Provide an Example: The man is in custody after the shoplifting. / She is in custody until the police finish asking questions.
Alternative Meaning: Being taken by the police. / Waiting with them after doing something wrong.
46. Life of crime
Meaning: Someone keeps doing bad things over time
To Provide an Example: He lived a life of crime by stealing and lying. / The movie shows a man in a life of crime.
Alternative Meaning: Always choosing to break rules. / Living with bad choices again and again.
47. Make a getaway
Meaning: Leave quickly after doing something bad
To Provide an Example: The raccoon made a getaway with the sandwich. / They made a getaway before the teacher saw them.
Alternative Meaning: Leaving fast after causing trouble. / Trying not to get caught.
48. Break-in
Meaning: Entering a place without permission
To Provide an Example: There was a break-in at the toy store. / The break-in happened late at night.
Alternative Meaning: Someone came in where they shouldn’t. / Entering secretly or by force.
49. Life sentence
Meaning: Stay in jail for the rest of your life
To Provide an Example: The man got a life sentence for a big crime. / A life sentence means he will never leave jail.
Alternative Meaning: Being punished forever. / The biggest jail time someone can get.
50. In the act
Meaning: Caught while doing something wrong
To Provide an Example: He was caught in the act of sneaking candy. / The teacher saw her in the act of copying answers.
Alternative Meaning: It means being seen while doing something bad. / Not after, but right when it happens.
Trials for Success: Idioms about Crime
- When Joey took a candy bar without paying, he was ___________ by the store clerk.
- After drawing on the wall, Mia tried to ___________ so her parents wouldn’t find out.
- Emma told the teacher the truth to ___________ after someone blamed her.
- The man who took bikes was sent ___________ for many years.
- Ava paid only $1 for a toy worth $10. It was such ___________.
- Dad said, “No more snacks before dinner,” and ___________.
- The robber tried to ___________, but the police caught him.
- My big brother didn’t do his chores but still got ___________ with it.
- Lily told on a classmate who was cheating—she had to ___________.
- The man who broke windows all week was on a ___________.
- The raccoon who stole my sandwich made a fast ___________.
- After lying about homework, Max had to ___________ with his teacher.
- That tiny ice cream cost $12. It felt like ___________.
- Mr. Lee was a ___________ who had been in jail many times.
- After staying out late without telling anyone, Ella was ___________ with her parents.
Answer Key
- caught red-handed
- cover her tracks
- set the record straight
- behind bars
- a steal
- laid down the law
- make a getaway
- get away
- blow the whistle
- crime spree
- getaway
- face the music
- daylight robbery
- hardened criminal
- in hot water
Conclusion
Crime idioms help us talk about rules, fairness, and what happens when people make bad choices. These sayings are short, but they carry big meaning.
Now that you know them, you’ll hear them in stories, shows, and even in real life. Keep learning, and you’ll get better at knowing what people really mean when they use these words.
