Blood murder the lead piping in the conservatory revenge the candlestick in the ballroom mysteries...

blood

murder

the lead piping in the conservatory

revengethe candlestick in the ballroom

mysteries

corpse

2

If you work through this module, you’ll know all the

lexis you need to follow a murder mystery. Then you

can watch and enjoy one in English ......

There is plenty of choice, and our heroes usually get

their man – and sometimes woman ..... so all’s well

that ends well, except for the victims of course ......

Watch out for a high body-count, especially in

“Midsomer Murders”, where our lads often need

numerous deaths until all the possible suspects but

one have been eliminated …..

GOOD LUCK …..

PS Click here for a complete list in pdf format of events following a murder.

This module: “The Language of Crime” (72 items)

© Chris Snuggs28 April, 2012

Self-testing Vocabulary Revision

3

First – the Key Characters

in a murder mystery …..

There is a lot of content in this module! Don‘t feel you have to do it all in one go!




4

The policeman who investigates serious crime is a __________________.

detectiveusually an Inspector working with a Sergeant

SAY to yourself the missing word(s),

then check by clicking the slide.

detectives




5

The branch of the police (in the UK) which investigates serious crime is the ________.

CID – (Criminal Investigation Department)




6

The detective in charge of a major case usually has

the rank of DI, or even DCI, which is an abbreviation of _________.

Detective Chief Inspector




7

Detectives in the CID always wear _________ clothes.

plain




8

The person who is the target of a crime is the __________.

victim

in the photo above, the woman is a victim of a mugging

in the US crime series “CSI Miami”, the

investigating team often refer to the victim as “the vic”




9

The person who commits a crime,

the guilty person, is often called the _________.

culprit

in the photo above, the culprit (in this case a mugger)

is trying to steal a lady‘s handbag




10

We don’t say to “do” a crime, but to __________ one.

commit

You can also commit specific crimes:

to commit murder, arson, burglary, fraud etc




11

The lowest-ranked uniformed policeman who assists detectives is a ___________.

a PC (police constable) or

a WPC (woman police constable)

“Police Constable” is the lowest rank in the British police force, but by tradition, the HIGHEST-ranking

police officer is a “Chief Constable”, who is responsible for an entire county’s police force.




12

One high-ranking detective is usually nominated to investigate each serious crime.

He or she is known as the ___________.

S.I.O.(Senior Investigating Officer)

“Police Constable” is the lowest rank in the British police force, but by tradition, the HIGHEST-ranking

police officer is a “Chief Constable”, who is responsible for an entire county’s police force.




13

The person or persons that the police think may have committed a crime are the __________.

suspects

Normally, a suspect is “innocent until found guilty”, but

as far as the Jesse James gang was concerned, the police

were pretty sure when they issued this famous poster!




14

Physical evidence at a crime scene is vital, so

detectives immediately call in a team of forensic

crime specialists known as _____________.

“SOCO”Scene Of Crime Officers

In the USA, these are called “CSI” (Crime Scene Investigators).




15

The scientifically-trained specialist who evaluates

possible evidence in a laboratory is a ___________.

forensic scientist

He or she specializes in forensic evidence from crimes.




16

One or more forensic pathologists will normally

examine a dead body to determine the cause and

time of death and report details of any evidence

found to the investigating officers.

This special medical procedure is called …

an autopsyand sometimes a post mortem




17

OK – now we know the key players,

it’s time for the rest of the essential language ….

… some of which is police JARGON or slang.




18

The place where a crime takes

place is called the _________.

crimescene

… and is usually cordoned off by the police to stop the public from entering




19

If someone ______ a crime committed

by someone else, then they should call 999.

witnesses

Someone who WITNESSES an event at first hand is also a witness.




20

In many cases the police set up ________ to check cars leaving an area.

road blocks

In the USA, they often talk about putting out an APB (All Points Bulletin).




21

In a murder, of course, the main object the police want to find

is the murder ________. (the object used to commit the murder)

weapon




22

In a murder case, one of the first things the police do is to inform

the victim’s nearest relative, better known as his or her __________.

next-of-kin




23

________ is information and facts that the police look for not only to solve

a crime but also to present in court to obtain a conviction.

Evidence




24

When detectives arrive at a crime scene they look for

individual pieces of physical evidence called ________.

clues




25

The best physical evidence remains the traditional one of _________, whereby the police

can know who touched a murder weapon or something else at the crime scene.

fingerprints




26

Any criminal with half a brain cell knows that

fingerprints provide damning evidence, so he

or she will take care to wear _____________

when committing the crime.

gloves




27

The police often look for a __________ in a series of crimes;

similarities, or things which they have in common. This may give them a lead.

pattern




28

Another way to think of this is expressed by the abbreviation _____________,

from the latin expression meaning “means or way of operating”.

M.O.

(modus operandi)




29

If they have to solve a number of murders with similar M.O.

they may decide that they are looking for a ___________ killer.

serial

The most famous example in the UK was perhaps Jack-the-Ripper …




30

In recent years, they have also increasingly been able

to solve crimes by finding samples of _______ at the

crime scene. This is the unique genetic code for each

human and is present in body fluids, for example.

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid




31

When the police give a press conference, reporters always ask them if they have

got any _______, that is to say, any paths of enquiry that they are following.

leads




32

Anyone involved in any way with the victim

or the crime will be asked questions, or _______.

interviewed




33

The branch of medicine that deals with the evidence from

dead bodies and crime-scenes is called __________ medicine.

forensic medicine




34

Of course, once a body has been ________,

(incinerated in a furnace), then an autopsy is of little value!

cremated




35

If the police had no clues, why would they NOT say: “We are clueless.”?

because that would mean they had no idea what they

were doing and/or were totally incompetent

(which could be true, but they wouldn’t admit it ….)




36

Sometimes a policeman may put on some sort of

disguise so that he doesn’t look like a policeman.

This is called going __________

under cover

Colombo always looks as if he‘s working under cover, though he never is …..




37

The police will ask many of those they interview

about their ________ at the time of death.

whereabouts




38

In other words, they will try to determine whether

the interviewee has an __________ for the time of death.

alibi




39

Most murderers will plan to ________ a false alibi so that

the police will eliminate them from the list of suspects.

set up – prepare




40

The concept of an alibi is closely linked to that of “__________”. In fact, the key question a

detective asks himself is, who had both motive and ?????? to commit the crime

opportunity




41

The reason someone has for committing a crime is called their ___________.

motive




42

The most common motive for any crime is probably financial __________.

gain




43

Another common motive is sexual __________.

sexual jealousy




44

The third most frequent motive is __________. The murderer feels that the victim has

in some way cheated or mistreated him and wants to punish him (or her) for this.

revenge




45

__________ is when someone demands money to keep a secret.

They usually send their demands in anonymous letters or phone calls.

Blackmail

This is of course very dangerous for the blackmailer, who therefore tries to hide his or her identity.

Sometimes this doesn‘t work, and the police find themselves investigating the murder of a blackmailer.




46

Criminals try to avoid using the phone

because phone calls can be often be _________.

traced




47

To see who might have had a motive for the crime, detectives always want

to know as soon as possible who was the main beneficiary of the victim’s

_________, in which he or she details who should inherit his or her estate.

(last) will (and testament)

(the term “last will and testament” is a legal one, but we usually only say the word “will”)




48

The police always check the PNC to see whether

a suspect has any __________ convictions.

previous

PNC = Police National ComputerWe often hear the phrase: “Can you do a PNC check on X”?




49

Someone who has once been convicted of a crime has a criminal ________.

record




50

The UK police jargon to describe someone with a previous

conviction (a criminal record) is to say that he or she has ….

form




51

Sometimes the police interview a suspect before they have enough evidence to charge

him. If the press think the police HAVE got their man, then until they charge him all the

police will say to the press is that he is “helping them with their ______________.”

enquiries




52

When the police finally catch their prime suspect, they _______

him or her and take him or her to the police station.

arrest




53

They usually put _______ around the suspect’s wrists

so that there is less danger of him or her trying to escape.

handcuffs




54

When the police arrest someone they are obliged to _________ him. This involves

giving him a warning about what he says or does not say at the moment of arrest.

caution

This is known in the USA as “reading someone their rights”.




55

The UK wording for the caution given on arrest is:

“You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your ________ if you do not mention now

anything you later rely on in court. Anything you do say will be given in evidence.”

defence

This is known in the USA as “reading someone their rights”.




56

At the police station the suspect is _______ with

a particular offence: murder, arson, burglary or whatever.

charged




57

The suspect will be asked questions, or ___________.

interrogated

“interviewed” is less severe - witnesses are interviewed - an accused is interrogated




58

If the police switch the recorder off and do not take a note

of what they or a witness says, this is known as speaking __________.

off-the-record

We also say, for example: “X is on record as saying Y.”




59

When there is an eyewitness to the crime the police always want to know if this

witness can identify the culprit, so they organise an __________ parade to see if

the witness can pick out the suspect from a number of similar-looking people.

identity parade

This is often referred to in police jargon as “a line-up”.




60

The police always hope that the accused will own up, or ________ to

the crime. This saves a lot of expense and time, especially in paperwork.

confess




61

They are also very keen to find out whether

the culprit acted alone, or if he had any ______________.

accomplices




62

If the police believe that the suspect DOES have accomplices, then they try

to get him or her to “__________” on them (give their names to the police).

grass (police jargon)




63

Someone who may not have actually committed or helped in the crime in any way

but who DOES assist the culprit AFTER the crime is also committing a serious offence.

Such a person is known as an ____________ after the fact.

accessory

An “accessory after the fact” may have HELPED the culprit afterwards but not actually committed the crime.




64

In rare cases, a rogue policeman may manipulate

or _______ evidence in order to gain a conviction.

fabricate




65

This is known in police jargon as “________ someone up”, or “framing” them.

fitting someone up




66

If the charge is not very serious, the accused may be __________;

this is when he pays a large sum of money to the court

which he will lose if he doesn’t turn up for his court hearing.

bailed




67

If the charge IS serious, then the accused is held on ______;

this means kept in prison while waiting for his or her trial.

remand




68

Anyone charged with a criminal offence has the right

to ask for a ___________ to give him or her legal advice.

solicitor




69

In a serious case, the solicitor with then brief (give the facts to) a specialist

advocate called a _________, who will defend the accused in a court of law.

barrister




70

The solicitor briefs (gives information to) a barrister. The relevant papers

are also called briefs, and are obviously carried in a _____________.

briefcase

These days, briefcases are usedby all sorts of people, not only lawyers.




71

To be held at a police station by the police is to be in ________.

custody




72

In most police stations, the custody

sergeant is _________ for the prisoner’s safety.

responsible




73

One of the custody sergeant’s most important responsibilities

is to ensure that someone in custody does not commit ___________.

suicide




74

The police have to prepare their case and present it

to the _______, who will decide whether the case can go to trial.

CPS (Crown Prosecution Service)

Crown means that the service represents the Monarch (King or Queen)




75

The CPS base their decision about whether to go to trial

on whether there is a reasonable chance of getting a ______.

To convict someone is to find them guilty in a court.

A “convict” is someone convicted, but the word convict is not used very often these days.

Hundreds of years ago, English convicts were sent to Australia.

conviction




76

The police may believe they have the right culprit, but unless the CPS sees

enough evidence to convince a court, then they will not give the go-_________.

go-ahead

77

fabricating evidence to try to get someone wrongly convicted framing them, or fitting them up

STARTAGAIN

someone with a criminal record is said to have ______ form

the police call “solving a case” “getting ________” a result

a criminal who informs on his accomplices is _______ a grass

term describing murder mysteries, by Agatha Christie for example whodunnits

ditto but for major crimes and informing on many accomplices a supergrass

where the police might keep a witness for his or her protection a safe house

Finally, some essential police jargon!

77© Chris Snuggs22 March, 2012


the suspect has fled, escaped or done __________ a runner

Blood murder the lead piping in the conservatory revenge the candlestick in the ballroom mysteries...

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