Chng VII

Thnh ng (Idiomatic expressions)

trong lnh vc ting Anh Php l (in legal English)

Thnh ng trong lnh vc ting Anh php l

A
Above board: Chn tht, ci m, ph hp vi php lut (if a
situation/business is described as above board, it is open,
honest and legal)

The deal was completely above board (chn tht) .

Dont worry about the contract; its all completely above board (hp php).

There are not secret negotiations. Our dealings have always been above board
(ci m).

Accessory after the fact: ng phm sau khi thc hin ti phm (a person
who helps someone to commit a crime or who knows
about it and protects the person from the police after
the crime was committed)

Anyone who knowingly harbours a criminal is liable to be prosecuted as an

accessory after the fact (ng phm sau khi thc hin ti phm).
Accessory before the fact: ng phm trc khi thc hin ti phm (= before the
crime was committed)
The three accomplices who helped the prisoner plan the robbery were
convicted as accessories before the fact (ng phm trc khi thc hin ti
phm).

An accomplished fact: Vic ri (something that has been done/completed;

before those affected by it can intervene or change it, is
called an accomplished fact)

An eye for an eye: n ming tr ming (a person who treats someone else
badly should be treated in the same way)
 The death penalty for murder works on the principle of an eye for an eye (n
ming tr ming).

An act of God: Thin tai (an event caused by natural forces which
people cannot control or prevent, for example, a
hurricane, earthquake, etc).

The insurance company refused to pay the money they said the forest fire was
an act of God (thin tai).

The insurance policy covers your house against all types of damage, excluding
those caused by acts of God (thin tai).

The Arm of the law: Quyn lc ca lut php (the extent to which the
authority/power of the law extends)

He fled to South America hoping to escape the arm of the law (quyn lc lut
php)

Assemble a case: Thu thp bng chng kin ai (against someone):

(gather the evidence needed to make a legal case
against someone)

The prosecution was unable to assemble a case (thu thp chng c kin)
against the man.

Assume liability: Tha nhn trch nhim (accept the responsibility for
paying the cost of something)

The business refused to assume liability (tha nhn trch nhim) for the
dangerous products.

At arms length: v t, khng v li (a transaction in which each person

(who is not related to you) acts in their own self-interest)

We purchased the property at arms length (khng v li) and we were not
involved in any management decisions
B

Bail (someone) out/bail out (someone): Np tin bo lnh cho ai c ti

ngoi hu cu (pay a sum of money
that allows someone to get out of jail
while waiting for a trial)

The family of the accused criminal pay much money to bail him out (bo lnh
cho hn c ti ngoi hu cu)

Behind bars: t, trong t (someone who is behind bars is in prison)

If you hang around with that gang, youll find yourself behind bars ( t).

Beyond reasonable doubt: Chc chn, khng nghi ng g na (legal phrase

meaning that something is almost certain)

The judge sent the man to jail because he believed, beyond a reasonable
doubt (khng nghi ng g na), that he had committed the crime.

in Black and white: Trn giy t, c chng c giy trng mc en (to say
that something is in black and white means that there is
written proof of it)

Its an obligation. Its in black and white (giy trng mc en) in the contract.

Blow the whistle on: T co ai (if you report an illegal or socially-harmful

activity to the authorities and give information about
those responsible for it, you blow the whistle or you are
a whistle-blower)

He refused to blow the whistle on (t co) his boss for fear of losing his job.

a Breach of promise: Vi phm hp ng (the breaking of promise which may

also be a breach of promise)
 The couple was accused of breach of promise (vi phm hp ng) when they
broke the contract to buy the condominium.

a Breach of peace: Ti ph ri trt t cng cng (causing a disturbance,

violent, disorderly behavior)

The man was charged with a breach of the peace (ti ph ri trt t cng cng)
when he began fighting with the store clerk.

Breaking and entering: Ti t nhp (entering a building/home illegally by

breaking open a window, door etc.)

The two men were found guilty of breaking and entering (ti t nhp).

Break the law: Vi phm php lut (to fail to obey the law)

The woman was forced to quit her job after it was discovered that she had
broken the law (vi phm php lut)

Brush with the law: Chm trn vi lut php (when you have a brush with
the law, you encounter or experience it briefly)

Had a brush with the law ( chm trn vi lut php) for speeding a few years
ago, but he has had a clean record ever since.

Build a case (against someone): Thu thp chng c kin ai (to gather the
evidence needed to make legal case
against someone)

The legal team was working hard to build a case (thu thp chng c kin)
against the suspected car thief.

Burden of proof: Ngha v phi chng minh, a ra chng c (the burden of

proof is the necessity imposed by the law to prove that what
one says is true)
 The burden of proof (ngha v phi chng minh, a ra chng c) lies with the
claimant.

By the book: Cht ch theo ng iu l (following rules and instructions in

a very strict way)

She always does everything by the book (theo ng iu l).

Our lawyer is very good and he does everything by the book.

Case of mistaken identity: Trng hp nhn lm ngi (a case where you

incorrectly identify someone)

The young man was arrested in a case of mistaken identity (do trng hp
nhn lm ngi).

He was shot in what seems to have been a case of mistaken identity (nhn lm
ngi).

Caught in the act (of doing something): B bt khi (bn) ang lm g (if a
person is caught in the act (of doing
something), they are caught while
they are doing something wrong)

He was caught in the act of (b bt khi) stealing a car.

Caught red-handed: B bt qu tang (if a person is caught red-handed, they

are caught while they are doing something wrong)

The police arrived as the burglar was leaving the house. He was caught red-
handed (b bt qu tang).
Causing a disturbance: Ti ph ri trt t cng cng (an offence committed
by fighting/screaming/shouting/swearing or being
drunk in public)
 Several fans were arrested for causing a disturbance (ti ph ri trt t cng
cng) after the football game.

Cease and desist: Ngng/chm dt mt hnh ng theo lnh ta n (a

legal phrase which means to stop doing something
and not start again often used in the form of a
cease and desist order)

The womans husband was given a cease and desist order (lnh chm dt) to
stop bothering her.

Consecutive sentences: n chng n (sentences that are given to someone

with one sentences following immediately after the
other sentence)

The criminal was given 3 consecutive sentences for the murder of the young
girls.

Crack down on: Trng tr thng tay (enforce a rule/law more strictly)

To reduce road accidents, it was decided to crack down on (trng tr thng tay)
speeding.

Police are cracking down on (trng tr thng tay) drug dealers.

Cut someone slack: Bt nghim khc, d di hn

Our parents are strict; I wish theyd cut us some slack (bt nghim khc hn).

Daylight robbery: Gi ct c (the term daylight robbery is used when the

price of something is thought to be much too high)
 $10 for an orange juice? Thats daylight robbery (gi ct c).

Draw up an agreement: D tho hp ng (to prepare a written statement to

put something into writing)

My lawyer is helping me to draw up an agreement (d tho hp ng) to buy

the small business.

Due process (of law): Quyn cng dn c php lut bo v (the rights
that each person has to be protected by the law)

The man was accused of theft by his employer but he knew that he was
entitled to due process of law (quyn cng dn c c php lut bo v) and
would be found to be innocent.

Everyone is entitled to due process of law.

Extenuating circumstances: Cc tnh tit lm nh ti (special circumstances

that explain an irregular or improper way of doing
things)

The man was able to avoid going to jail for the money because of extenuating
circumstances (do c cc tnh tit gim nh ti).

Because of extenuating circumstances (do c cc tnh tit gim nh ti), he

was acquitted of charges.

Fair hearing: Xt x cng bng

I can guarantee that you will get a fair hearing (xt x cng bng).
False pretences: La o (if you obtain something under false pretenses,
you deceive others by lying about identity, qualifications,
financial/social position in order to get what you want)

The woman was acting under false pretenses (la o) when she went to the
bank and asked for a loan.

The journalists obtained the interview under false pretenses (la gt).

Get out of hand: Kh/khng th kim sot (difficult/impossible to control)

Unemployment is getting out of control (kh kim sot).

During the student demonstration, things got out of hand (kh kim sot) and
several shop windows were broken.

Hit and run accident/driver: Gy tai nn ri b chy/li xe gy ti nn ri b

trn (when the driver of a vehicle hit another
vehicle without stopping to provide help,
identification/insurance, and fails to report the
accident to the police, the collision is called a hit
and run accident)

A hit and run accident (gy ti nn ri b trn) deserves serious punishment.

I
In trouble with the law: Gy rc ri vi lut php (if someone is in trouble
with the law, they are being questioned by the police
in connection with something illegal or criminal)
 The suspect has often been in trouble with the law (gy rc ri vi php lut).

Kangaroo court: Ta n tr h (a kangaroo court is an illegal tribunal set up

by a group of people who taken the law into their own
hands and conduct trials which deny fundamental justice)

Calm down please! Is this a meeting or a kangaroo court (ta n tr h)?

a Law unto themselves: Coi thng lut l (someone who makes his/her own
laws/rules)

The manager was a law unto herself (coi thng lut l) and she thought that
she could do whatever she wanted.

Lay down the law: Ra lnh, ra oai (to state firmly what the roles/laws are for
something)

We decided to lay down the law (ra lnh) regarding the vacation schedule for
our employees.

Law of the jungle: Lut rng (a situation in which people are prepared to use
Unscrupulous methods in order to succeed/survive is calle
the law of jungle)

Some businesses today seem to be governed by the law of the jungle (lut
rng).

Letter of the law: Li vn ca lut php (the literal interpretation of the words of
a law but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the
law)
 The lawyer always likes to follow the letter of the law (li vn ca lut php).

Licence to print money: Vic hi ra tin d dng (used to describe a business

which makes a lot of money with little effort)

The contract to supply computers to schools was a licence to print money (vic
hi ra tin d dng).

Moot point/question: Mt iu cn phi bn, cn phi tranh lun (a matter

about which there may be disagreement or confusion)

Its a moot point/question (iu cn phi tranh lun) whether men or women
are better drivers.

Murphys law: nh lut bnh b, nh lut Murphy, nu c th, sai tri lun
xy ra (reffering to Murphys law express a sentiment of bad
luck and the idea that if anything can be wrong, it will)

With any business, there are times when Murphys law takes over (nu c th,
sai tri lun xy ra)

Weve tried to prepare for every possible incident, but remember Murphys law
(nh lut Murphy).

Open and shut case: R rnh rnh (an open and shut case is one where the
facts are so clear that the matter can be dealt with or
solved easily)

Hes obviously guilty its an open and shut case (qu r rng).

Out of court: Khng nh n ta n phn x (a decision was reached without

a trial)
 The case was settled out of court (m khng nh n ta n phn x).

Power of attorney: Quyn c y nhim (a legal document granting

authority for one person to act as anothers
representive)

The woman was given power of attorney (quyn c y nhim) over her
mothers daily affairs.

Run afoul of the law: Phm php (to getinto trouble with the law)

The young man ran afoul of the law (phm php) and was taken into police
custody.

Set someone free: Tr t do cho ai (to release someone from prison/captivity)

The police set the man free (tr t do) when they decided there was not
enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

Sign on dotted line: K vo mt hp ng/giy t quan trng (to put your

signature on a contract or other important document)

We signed on the dotted line of the contract (k vo mt hp ng) to start the

new business.

Spirit of the law: Tinh thn ca lut php (something as it is meant to be and
not as it is stated exactly, what the people who made the law
wanted to achieve)
 The judge tried to follow the spirit of law (tinh thn ca lut php) and not only
as it was written.

Obey the spirit (tinh thn), not the leter of the law.

Take precedence over (someone/something): C quyn u tin (vi ai/ci g)

(to be more important than
someone/something, to have
the right to come before
someone/something else)

The laws about the safety of children take precedence over (c quyn u tin
hn) many other laws.

Toe the line: Tun th, phc tng (if someone toes the line, they obey the
rules and accept the principles laid down by a person, a
group, an organization)

If you want to stay in this school, youll have to learn to toe the line (tun th).

Trumped-up: Vu co (false and exaggerated, invented by fraud/criminal

deception)

The business owner was arrested on trumped-up charges (ti vu co).

Turn a blind eye to: Gi v khng bit, pht l (to pretend not to see
someone who is doing something wrong)

The police often turn a blind eye to (gi v khng bit) people who cross the
street on a red light.

The manager turned a bind eye (pht l) when his staff were late.

U
Under age: Cha n tui trng thnh (below the legal age to do something)

The boy was under age (v thnh nin) and was not able to buy cigarettes.

You shouldnt sell cigarettes to teenagers who are under age (cha n tui
trng thnh)

Under arrest: B bt (arrested by the police)

The man was placed under arrest (b bt) for stealing a car. .

You are under arrest (b bt).

I am placing you under arrest (bt anh) for attempted burglary.

With no strings attached: Khng km theo iu kin c bit (with no

obligations attached), khng km theo trch
nhim (without too much responsibility or
commitment)

The man was forced to agree to the terms of the agreement with no strings
attached (khng km theo iu kin c bit)

It was a relationship without strings (khng km theo trch nhim) which suited
them both.