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Society, Law & Politics - Defying Norms

Explore English idioms that relate to defying the norms with examples like "bandit territory" and "break ranks".

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English idioms related to Society, Law & Politics
to bend the rules

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [bend|stretch] the rules\"
dead to rights

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

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blood on one's hands

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

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smoking gun

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

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to beard the lion in his den

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [beard] the lion in (his|her) den\"
to break ranks

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

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to take the law into one's (own) hands

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

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to jump the light

to ignore red traffic lights and move past them

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the law of the jungle

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

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bandit territory

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

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to jump the line

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

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off the back of a truck

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

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AWOL

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"AWOL\"
French leave

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

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to slip somebody a Mickey (Finn)

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [slip] {sb} a Mickey (Finn|)\"
pink elephants

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

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out of season

at a time when it is illegal to hunt an animal

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Definition & Meaning of \"out of season\"
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