Defying Norms: English Vocabulary List

to do something that is not strictly according to rules, often by making exceptions

"The coach bent the rules to help his team."

"The coach bent the rules slightly by allowing an extra player to stay on the team."

in a situation where there is clear proof of one's crime or wrongdoing

"The police caught him dead to rights."

"The police caught the thief dead to rights with all the stolen items in his bag."

a situation in which one is responsible for the death of a person

"The dictator has blood on his hands."

"The ruthless dictator had blood on his hands from ordering the deaths of innocent people."

a piece of evidence that is used to prove someone's crimes or wrong deeds

"The email was the smoking gun."

"The email was the smoking gun and proved that the executive knew about the illegal scheme."

to confront someone very powerful or dangerous in their area of control and strength, where they hold the advantage

"He bearded the lion in his den."

"The journalist decided to beard the lion in his den by interviewing the dictator face to face."

to publicly oppose a group or party that one has been a member of

"She broke ranks with them."

"The senator decided to break ranks with her party and vote against the controversial new law."

to illegally punish someone in a way that one personally thinks is right or just, often by the use of violence

"Do not take the law into your own hands."

"When the police did nothing the angry villagers took the law into their own hands."

to ignore red traffic lights and move past them

"He jumped the light yesterday."

"The driver jumped the light and nearly caused a serious accident at the busy intersection."

used to refer to a situation in which people are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed

"In business, it is the law of the jungle."

"In the business world it is often the law of the jungle where only the strongest survive."

a place in which rules and laws are not followed or obeyed

"The town was bandit territory."

"The town was bandit territory and travelers avoided the area after dark for fear of robbery."

to try to unfairly move past a group of people lining up somewhere before one's turn arrives

"Don't jump the line."

"He was so impatient that he tried to jump the line at the busy ticket counter."

used for saying that a free or unreasonably cheap product is not obtained legally

"He bought it cheap."

"The police suspected the electronics were stolen and came off the back of a truck."

(of a person) not attending a place one was supposed to or leaving an obligation without any notice or permission

"The student was AWOL."

"The soldier went AWOL for three days and he was court martialed and sentenced to thirty days of hard labor."

an unannounced and unauthorized absence from a job, workplace, or other commitment

"He took French leave today."

"She decided to take French leave from her job without telling anyone."

to secretly put a drug in a person's drink in order to make them unconscious

"He slipped him a Mickey."

"The criminal tried to slip the guard a Mickey Finn to escape from the prison easily."

a vivid and often bizarre hallucination that a person may experience, typically as a result of heavy drinking or drug use

"He saw pink elephants after drinking."

"He saw pink elephants after drinking and hallucinated wildly before passing out."

to try to unfairly move past a group of people lining up somewhere before one's turn arrives

"Don't jump the line."

"It is considered impolite and unfair to jump the line when queuing for services."

(of a person) not attending a place one was supposed to or leaving an obligation without any notice or permission

"He is awol."

"The soldier was reported awol after failing to report for duty at the designated time."

at a time when it is illegal to hunt an animal

"It is out of season."

"Hunting the majestic stag during its breeding season is strictly prohibited and therefore out of season."