DICTIONARY OF
LAW
FOURTH EDITION
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DICTIONARY OF
LAW
FOURTH EDITION
P.H. Collin
A BLOOMSBURY REFERENCE BOOK
www.bloomsbury.com/reference
Originally published by Peter Collin Publishing
as English Law Dictionary
First published 1986
Second edition published 1992
Third edition published 2000, 2001
Fourth edition published 2004
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB
Copyright © P.H. Collin 1986, 1992, 2000
This edition copyright © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 7475 6636 4
eISBN-13: 978-1-4081-0211-4
Text Production and Proofreading
Katy McAdam, Heather Bateman, Emma Harris
All papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing are natural, recyclable
products made from wood grown in well-managed forests.
The manufacturing processes conform to the
environmental regulations of the country of origin.
Text processing and computer typesetting by Bloomsbury
Printed and bound in Italy by Legoprint
Preface
This dictionary provides the user with the main vocabulary currently
being used in British and American law. The areas covered include
criminal, civil, commercial and international law, as well as interactions
with the police and legal advisers, and the procedures of the courts and
prisons. Common words used in reading or writing reports, articles or
guidelines are also included.
The dictionary is designed for anyone who needs to check the meaning or
pronunciation of legal terms, but especially for those who need some
knowledge of legal terms in their work but who may not be legal
professionals, or for those for whom English is an additional language.
Each headword is explained in a clear, straightforward way.
Pronunciations, uncommon plurals and uncommon verb forms are
provided.
Many people have helped or advised on the compilation and checking of
the dictionary in its various editions. In particular, thanks are due to Coral
Hill, Senior Lecturer at the College of Law of England and Wales, for her
helpful comments and advice on this fourth edition.
Pronunciation
The following symbols have been used to show the pronunciation of the main
words in the dictionary.
Stress is indicated by a main stress mark ( ) and a secondary stress mark ( ) .
Note that these are only guides, as the stress of the word changes according to its
position in the sentence.
Vowels Consonants
back b buck
ɑ harm d dead
ɒ stop d other
a type d jump
aυ how f fare
aə hire gold
aυə hour h head
ɔ course j yellow
ɔ annoy k cab
e head l leave
eə fair m mix
e make n nil
eυ go ŋ sing
word p print
i keep r rest
i happy s save
ə about ʃ shop
fit t take
ə near tʃ change
u annual θ theft
u pool v value
υ book w work
υə tour x loch
' shut measure
z zone
A
A.B.A. A.B.A. abbreviation US American Bar
Association
abandon abandon /ə|bndən/ verb 1. to stop
doing something The company has decided
to abandon the project. We have
abandoned the idea of taking the family
to court. to abandon an action to stop
pursuing a legal action to abandon a
legal right or claim to accept that a right
or claim cannot be legally enforced 2. to
leave someone or something without
help He abandoned his family and
went abroad. The crew had to abandon
the sinking ship.
abandonment abandonment /ə|bndənmənt/
noun 1. the act of giving something up
voluntarily such as the right to a property
2. the act of giving up either the whole or
part of a claim put forward during civil
litigation 3. the act of a parent or guardian
leaving a child on their own in circumstances
covered by the Children and
Young Persons Act 1933
abate abate /ə|bet/ verb 1. to remove or stop
a nuisance 2. to reduce a legacy 3. to be
reduced 4. (of a legacy) to be reduced
because there is not enough money in the
estate to pay it in full
abatement abatement /ə|betmənt/ noun 1. the
legal right to remove or stop a nuisance
once a reasonable period of notice has
been given to the wrongdoer 2. the reduction
of a legacy when the deceased
person has not left enough money to pay
it in full 3. the reduction or removal of a
debt when a person has failed to leave
enough money to cover a legacy in full.
tax abatement
ABC ABC abbreviation Acceptable Behaviour
Contract
abduct abduct /b|d kt/ verb to take someone
away against their will, usually by
force The bank manager was abducted
at gunpoint. The robbers abducted the
heiress and held her to ransom.
COMMENT: The Child Abduction Act
1984 provides for specific offences to
cover the abduction of a child either by
a person connected with the child or
by other persons. Abduction of an
adult may result in prosecutions for
kidnapping and/or false imprisonment.
abduction abduction /b|d kʃən/ noun the notifiable
offence of taking someone away
against their will, usually by force
abductor abductor /b|d ktə/ noun a person
who takes someone away against their
will
abeyance abeyance /ə|beəns/ noun 1. in
abeyance not being used or enforced at
present This law is in abeyance. to
fall into abeyance to stop being used or
enforced The practice was common but
has fallen into abeyance. 2. a situation
where there is no owner of a piece of
land
ABH ABH abbreviation actual bodily harm
abide by abide by /ə|bad ba/ verb to accept a
rule or follow a custom He promised to
abide by the decision of the court. She
did not abide by the terms of the agreement.
to abide by a promise to carry
out a promise that has been made
ab initio ab initio /b |nʃiəυ/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘from the beginning’
abjuration abjuration /bdυə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of taking back a statement made
on oath
abjure abjure /əb|dυə/ verb 1. to make a
public promise not to do something 2.
US to swear not to bear allegiance to another
country
abode abode /ə|bəυd/ noun the place where
someone lives. right of abode of no
fixed abode with no permanent address
abolish 2
abolish abolish /ə|bɒlʃ/ verb to cancel or remove
something such as a law or rule
The Chancellor of the Exchequer refused
to ask Parliament to abolish the tax on
alcohol. The Senate voted to abolish
the death penalty.
abolition abolition /bə|lʃ(ə)n/ noun the act
of abolishing something campaigning
for the abolition of the death penalty
abortion abortion /ə|bɔʃ(ə)n/ noun the ending
of a pregnancy before its natural term
(NOTE: Illegal abortion is a notifiable offence.)
abrogate abrogate /brəet/ verb to end
something such as a law or treaty
abrogation abrogation /brə|eʃ(ə)n/ noun an
act of ending something such as a law or
treaty
abscond abscond /əb|skɒnd/ verb 1. to leave
somewhere suddenly and without permission
He was charged with absconding
from lawful custody. 2. not to return
to the court after being released on bail 3.
to escape from prison
absent absent /bsənt/ adjective not present
when you expected to be at something
such as a meeting or hearing, or your
place of work
absentee absentee /bsən|ti/ noun a person
who is not present at something such as
court proceedings even though they are
expected to be there
absolute discharge absolute discharge /bsəlut
dstʃɑd/ noun the release of a convicted
person without any punishment
absolute majority absolute majority /bsəlut mə|
dɒrti/ noun a majority over all the
others counted together
absolute monopoly absolute monopoly /bsəlut mə|
nɒpəli/ noun a situation where only one
producer or supplier produces or supplies
something
absolute privilege absolute privilege /bsəlut
prvld/ noun a rule which protects a
person from being sued for defamation
in specific circumstances such as when a
judge or lawyer makes a statement during
judicial proceedings, or when an MP
speaks in the House of Commons
absolute right absolute right /bsəlut rat/ noun
in the European Convention on Human
Rights, a right that under no circumstances
may legally be interfered with
(NOTE: Examples are the freedoms of
thought, conscience, and religion and
the prohibitions on torture.)
title absolute title /bsəlut tat(ə)l/
noun land registered with the Land Registry,
where the owner has a guaranteed
title to the land (NOTE: Absolute title also
exists to leasehold land, giving the proprietor
a guaranteed valid lease.)
absolutism /bsəlu|tz(ə)m/ noun
the political theory that any legitimate
government should have absolute power
absolutist /bsə|lutst/ adjective 1.
believing in absolutism 2. referring to a
political system where the government
has absolute power noun a person who
believes in absolutism
abstain /əb|sten/ verb to refrain from
doing something, especially voting
abstention /əb|stenʃən/ noun 1. the
act of refraining from doing something,
especially voting The motion was carried
by 200 votes to 150, with 60 abstentions.
2. US a situation where a federal
court may refuse to hear a case and passes
it to a state court which then becomes
competent to decide on the federal constitutional
issues raised
abstract /bstrkt/ noun a short
summary of a report or document to
make an abstract of the deeds of a property
verb to make a summary
of title abstract of title /b|strkt əv
tat(ə)l/ noun a summary of the details
of the ownership of a property which has
not been registered
abuse noun /ə|bjus/ 1. the use of
something in a way in which it was not
intended to be used 2. rude or insulting
language The prisoner shouted abuse
at the judge. 3. very bad treatment of a
person, usually physical or sexual child
abuse sexual abuse of children 4. a
harmful or illegal practice verb /ə|
bjuz/ 1. to use something wrongly to
abuse one’s authority to use authority
in an illegal or harmful way 2. to say
rude words about someone He abused
the police before being taken to the cells.
3. to treat someone very badly, usually
physically or sexually He had abused
small children.
3 accomplice
abuse of power abuse of power /ə|bjus əv paυə/
noun the use of legal powers in an illegal
or harmful way
abuse of process abuse of process /ə|bjuz əv prəυ|
ses/ noun the use of a legal process
without proper justification or for malicious
reasons
abut abut /ə|b t/, abut on /ə|b t ɒn/ verb
(of a piece of land) to touch another
property (NOTE: abutting – abutted)
abuttal abuttal /ə|b t(ə)l/ noun the boundaries
of a piece of land in relation to land that
is adjoining
ACAS ACAS /eks/ abbreviation Advisory
Conciliation and Arbitration Service
ACC ACC abbreviation Assistant Chief Constable
acceptable acceptable /ək|septəb(ə)l/ adjective
good enough to be accepted, although
not particularly good The offer is not
acceptable to both parties.
Acceptable Behaviour Contract Acceptable Behaviour Contract
/ək|septəb(ə)l b|hevjə kɒntrkt/
noun a formal written agreement in written
form made between an individual and
either parent or guardian or another party
that the individual will not act in an antisocial
manner in future. Abbreviation
ABC. Antisocial Behaviour Order
(NOTE: ABCs normally last for a period
of 6 months.)
acceptance acceptance /ək|septəns/ noun 1. one
of the main conditions of a contract,
where one party agrees to what is proposed
by the other party acceptance of
an offer an agreement to accept an offer
and therefore to enter into a contract 2.
the act of signing a bill of exchange to
show that you agree to pay it
acceptor acceptor /ək|septə/, accepter noun
somebody who accepts an offer
access access /kses/ noun 1. the right of
the owner of a piece of land to use a public
road which is next to the land He
complained that he was being denied access
to the main road. 2. to have access
to something to be able to obtain or
reach something to gain access to
something to reach or to get hold of
something Access to the courts should
be open to all citizens. The burglar
gained access through the window. 3. the
right of a child to see a parent regularly,
or of a parent or grandparent to see a
child regularly, where the child is in the
care of someone else 4. right of access
to a solicitor in the EU, the right of anyone
who is in police custody to see a solicitor
in private to ask advice
accession accession /ək|seʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the
act of becoming a member of something
by signing a formal agreement 2. the act
of taking up an official position accession
to the throne becoming King or
Queen
access order access order /kses ɔdə/ noun
formerly, a court order allowing a parent
to see a child where the child is in the
care of someone else, such as the other
parent in the case of a divorced couple
(NOTE: Access orders have been replaced
by contact orders.)
accessory /ək|sesəri/ noun a person
who helps or advises someone who commits
a crime accessory after the fact
formerly, a person who helps a criminal
after a crime had been committed accessory
before the fact a person who
helps a criminal before a crime is committed
accident /ksd(ə)nt/ noun something
unpleasant which happens suddenly,
often as the result of a mistake, such
as the crash of a vehicle or plane or other
event resulting in injury or death or damage
to something
accidental accidental /ks|dent(ə)l/ adjective
happening as an accident, or without being
planned a case of accidental death
insurance accident insurance /ksd(ə)nt n|
ʃυərəns/ noun insurance which pays
money if an accident takes place
accident policy accident policy /ksd(ə)nt pɒlsi/
noun an insurance policy which pays
money if an accident takes place
accommodation /ə|kɒmə|deʃ(ə)n/
noun a place to live or somewhere to stay
for a short time (NOTE: In British English,
accommodation has no plural.)
address accommodation address /ə|kɒmə|
deʃ(ə)n ə|dres/ noun an address used
for receiving messages that is not the address
of the company’s offices
accomplice /ə|k mpls/ noun somebody
who helps another to commit a
accordance 4
crime or who commits a crime with another
person
accordance accordance /ə|kɔd(ə)ns/ noun in
accordance with in a way that agrees
with something that has been suggested
or decided In accordance with your instructions
we have deposited the money
in your current account. I am submitting
the claim for damages in accordance
with the advice of our legal advisers.
accord and satisfaction accord and satisfaction /ə|kɔd ən
sts|fkʃən/ noun 1. the payment by a
debtor of a debt or part of a debt 2. the
performing by a debtor of some act or
service which is accepted by the creditor
in full settlement, so that the debtor is no
longer liable under the contract
accordingly accordingly /ə|kɔdŋli/ adverb in
agreement with what has been decided
We have received your letter and have altered
the contract accordingly.
according to according to /ə|kɔdŋ tu/ preposition
1. as someone says or writes According
to the witness, the accused carried
the body on the back seat of his car.
The payments were made according to
the maintenance order. 2. in agreement
with a rule or system 3. in relation to
account account /ə|kaυnt/ noun 1. a record of
money paid or owed please send me
your account or a detailed or an itemised
account action for an account court
action to establish how much money is
owed by one party to another 2. an arrangement
which a customer has with a
shop or supplier to buy goods and pay for
them at a later date, usually the end of the
month 3. a customer who does a large
amount of business with a firm and has a
credit account with that firm 4. a notice
or attention to take account of the age
of the accused, to take the accused’s
age into account when passing sentence
to pass a (lighter) sentence because
the accused is very old or very young
plural noun accounts a detailed record
of a company’s financial affairs verb
to account for to explain and record a
money deal to account for a loss or a
discrepancy
accountability accountability /ə|kaυntə|blti/
noun the fact of being responsible for
something
accountable accountable /ə|kaυntəb(ə)l/ adjective
being responsible for what takes
place and needing to be able to explain
why it has happened If money is lost,
the person at the cash desk is held accountable.
The group leader will be
held accountable for the actions of the
group.
account of profit account of profit /ə|kaυnt əv
prɒft/ noun in copyright law, an assessment
showing how much profit has
been made on the sales of goods which
infringe a copyright or patent, because
the plaintiff claims the profit made by the
defendant
accounts payable accounts payable /ə|kaυnts
peəb(ə)l/ noun money owed to creditors
accounts receivable accounts receivable /ə|kaυnts r|
sivəb(ə)l/ noun money owed by debtors
accredited accredited /ə|kredtd/ adjective (of
an agent) appointed by a company to act
on its behalf (NOTE: A person is accredited
to an organisation.)
accusation accusation /kju|zeʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of saying that someone has committed
a crime
accusatorial procedure accusatorial procedure /ə|
kjuzətɔriəl prə|sidə/ noun a procedure
in countries using common law
procedures, where the parties to a case
have to find the evidence themselves.
Compare inquisitorial procedure.
burden of proof
accuse accuse /ə|kjuz/ verb 1. to say that
someone has committed a crime She
was accused of stealing £25 from her
boss. He was accused of murder. Of
what has she been accused? or What has
she been accused of? (NOTE: You accuse
someone of a crime.) 2. to charge someone
with a crime
accused accused /ə|kjuzd/ noun the accused
the person or persons charged
with a crime All the accused pleaded
not guilty. The police brought the accused,
a young man, into the court.
acknowledge acknowledge /ək|nɒld/ verb 1. to
accept that something is true 2. to admit
that a debt is owing 3. to confirm that a
letter has been received to acknowledge
service to confirm that a legal doc-
5 actual loss
ument such as a claim form has been received
acknowledged and agreed acknowledged and agreed /ək|
nɒldd ən ə|rid/ phrase words written
on an agreement to show that it has
been read and approved
acknowledgement of service acknowledgement of service /ək|
nɒldmənt əv s$vs/ noun a document
whereby a defendant confirms that
a claim form or other legal document has
been received and that he or she intends
to contest the claim
acquiescence acquiescence /kwi|es(ə)ns/ noun
consent which is either given directly or
is implied (NOTE: There is a distinction
between mere knowledge of a situation
and positive consent to it. The latter is
required in order to constitute acquiescence.)
acquit acquit /ə|kwt/ verb to set a person free
because he or she has been found not
guilty He was acquitted of the crime.
The court acquitted two of the accused.
(NOTE: acquitting – acquitted. Note
also that you acquit someone of a
crime.)
acquittal acquittal /ə|kwt(ə)l/ noun the act of
acquitting someone of a crime After his
acquittal he left the court smiling.
COMMENT: There is no appeal against
an acquittal, and a person who has
been acquitted of a crime cannot be
charged with the same crime again.
act act /kt/ noun a statute which has been
approved by a law-making body (NOTE:
Before an Act becomes law, it is presented
to Parliament in the form of a
Bill. See notes at bill.)
acte clair acte clair /kt kleə/ noun (in the
EU) French legal term meaning that a legal
question is clear and there can be no
doubt about it
action action /kʃən/ noun 1. a proceeding
heard in the civil court allowing an individual
to pursue a legal right action in
personam a court case in which one party
claims that the other should do some
act or should pay damages action in
rem a court case in which one party
claims property or goods in the possession
of the other action in tort a court
case brought by a claimant who alleges
he or she has suffered damage or harm
caused by the defendant to take legal
action to begin a legal case, e.g. to instruct
a solicitor or to sue someone 2.
something that is done, or the doing of
something action to prevent the information
becoming public to take action
to do something They should have taken
immediate action to prevent a similar
accident happening.
actionable actionable /kʃənəb(ə)l/ adjective
referring to writing, speech or an act
which could provide the grounds for
bringing a legal case against someone
torts which are actionable per se torts
which are in themselves sufficient
grounds for bringing an action without
the need to prove that damage has been
suffered
actionable per se actionable per se /kʃənəb(ə)l p$
sa/ adjective being in itself sufficient
grounds for bringing an action
active partner active partner /ktv pɑtnə/ noun
a partner who works in a partnership
activist activist /ktvst/ noun a person who
works actively for a political party, usually
a person who is in disagreement with
the main policies of the party or whose
views are more extreme than those of the
mainstream of the party The meeting
was disrupted by an argument between
the chairman and left-wing activists.
Party activists have urged the central
committee to adopt a more radical approach
to the problems of unemployment.
act of God act of God /kt əv ɒd/ noun a natural
disaster which you do not expect to
happen, and which cannot be avoided,
e.g. a storm or a flood. force majeure
(NOTE: Acts of God are usually not covered
by an insurance policy.)
Act of Parliament Act of Parliament /kt əv
pɑləmənt/ noun a decision which has
been approved by Parliament and so becomes
law
actual bodily harm actual bodily harm /ktʃuəl
bɒdli hɑm/ noun the offence of causing
injury to an individual by attacking
them. The injury does not have to be serious
or permanent but it must be more
than just a scratch. Abbreviation ABH
actual loss actual loss /ktʃuəl lɒs/ noun real
loss or damage which can be shown to
have been suffered
actual notice 6
actual notice actual notice /ktʃuəl nəυts/
noun real knowledge which someone
has of something
actual possession actual possession /ktʃuəl pə|
zeʃ(ə)n/ noun the situation of occupying
and controlling land and buildings
actual total loss actual total loss /ktʃuəl təυt(ə)l
lɒs/ noun a loss where the item insured
has been destroyed or damaged beyond
repair and can no longer be used for its
intended purpose
actual value actual value /ktʃuəl vlju/ noun
the real value of something if sold on the
open market
actuarial actuarial /ktʃu|eəriəl/ adjective
calculated by an actuary The premiums
are worked out according to actuarial
calculations.
actuary actuary /ktʃuəri/ noun a person employed
by an insurance company to calculate
premiums
actus reus actus reus /ktəs reəs/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘guilty act’: an act
which is forbidden by the criminal law,
one of the two elements of a crime. Compare
mens rea. crime
addicted addicted /ə|dktd/ adjective unable
to stop doing something addicted to
alcohol or drugs being unable to live
without taking alcohol or drugs regularly
address address /ə|dres/ noun 1. the details of
number, street and town where an office
is or where a person lives address for
service an address where court documents
such as pleadings can be sent to a
party in a case 2. a formal speech In his
address to the meeting, the mayor spoke
of the problems facing the town. address
of thanks a formal speech, thanking
someone for doing something, e.g.
thanking a VIP for opening a new building,
thanking the Queen for reading the
Queen’s Speech verb 1. to write the details
of an address on an envelope an
incorrectly addressed package 2. to
speak to someone The defendant asked
permission to address the court. The
chairman addressed the meeting. 3. to
speak about a particular issue He then
addressed the question of the late arrival
of notification. to address oneself to a
problem to deal with a particular problem
The government will have to address
itself to problems of international
trade.
address list address list /ə|dres lst/ noun a list of
names and addresses of people and companies
adduce adduce /ə|djus/ verb to offer something
as a reason or proof to adduce
evidence to bring evidence before a
court
adeem adeem /ə|dim/ verb to remove a legacy
from a will because the item mentioned
no longer exists, e.g. in the case
when the person who made the will sold
the item before they died)
ademption ademption /ə|dempʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of removing a legacy from a will, because
the item concerned no longer exists
ad hoc ad hoc /d hɒk/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘for this particular purpose’
an ad hoc committee a committee
set up to study a particular problem.
standing
ad idem ad idem /d adem/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘in agreement’
adjective law adjective law /dktv lɔ/ noun an
area of law which deals with practices
and procedures in the courts
adjoin adjoin /ə|dɔn/ verb (of a property) to
touch another property The developers
acquired the old post office and two adjoining
properties. The fire spread to
the adjoining property.
adjoining adjoining /ə|dɔnŋ/ adjective next
to and touching something else adjoining
properties
adjourn adjourn /ə|d$n/ verb 1. to stop a
meeting for a period to adjourn a meeting
The meeting adjourned at midday.
to adjourn sine die to adjourn without
saying when the next meeting will be
The hearing was adjourned sine die. 2.
to put off a legal hearing to a later date
The chairman adjourned the tribunal until
three o’clock. The appeal was adjourned
for affidavits to be obtained.
adjournment adjournment /ə|d$nmənt/ noun 1.
an act of adjourning The adjournment
lasted two hours. The defendant has
applied for an adjournment. adjournment
sine die adjournment without fixing
a date for the next meeting (used in
the US Congress to end a session) 2. the
7 admissible
period during which a meeting has been
adjourned
adjudicate adjudicate /ə|dudket/ verb to give
a judgment between two parties in law
to adjudicate a claim to adjudicate in a
dispute Magistrates may be paid expenses
when adjudicating. he was adjudicated
bankrupt he was declared legally
bankrupt
adjudication adjudication /ə|dud|keʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of giving a judgment or of
deciding a legal problem
adjudication order adjudication order /ə|dud|
keʃ(ə)n ɔdə/ noun an order by a
court making someone bankrupt
adjudication tribunal adjudication tribunal /ə|dud|
keʃ(ə)n tra|bjun(ə)l/ noun a group
which adjudicates in industrial disputes
adjudicator adjudicator /ə|dudketə/ noun
somebody who gives a decision on a
problem an adjudicator in an industrial
dispute
adjust adjust /ə|d st/ verb to change something
to fit new conditions, especially to
calculate and settle an insurance claim
adjuster adjuster /ə|d stə/, adjustor noun
somebody who calculates losses for an
insurance company
adjustment adjustment /ə|d stmənt/ noun 1.
an act of adjusting 2. a slight change
adjustor adjustor /ə|d stə/ noun same as adjuster
ad litem ad litem /d litəm/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘referring to the case at
law’
administer administer /əd|mnstə/ verb 1. to be
responsible for providing, organising or
managing something to administer
justice to provide justice to administer
an oath to make someone swear an
oath 2. to give someone a medicine, drug
or medical treatment She was accused
of administering a poison to the old lady.
administration administration /əd|mn|streʃ(ə)n/
noun the organisation, control or management
of something such as of the affairs
of someone who has died, e.g. payment
of liabilities, collection of assets or
distributing property to the rightful people
shown in the will the administration
of justice providing justice
administration bond administration bond /əd|mn|
streʃ(ə)n bɒnd/ noun an oath sworn
by an administrator that he or she will
pay the state twice the value of the estate
being administered, if it is not administered
in accordance with the law
administration order administration order /əd|mn|
streʃ(ə)n ɔdə/ noun an order by a
court, appointing someone to administer
the estate of someone who is not able to
meet the obligations of a court order
administrative /əd|mnstrətv/ adjective
referring to administration
administrative law administrative law /əd|mnstrətv
lɔ/ noun law relating to how government
organisations affect the lives and
property of individuals
administrative tribunal administrative tribunal /əd|
mnstrətv tra|bjun(ə)l/ noun a tribunal
which decides in cases where government
regulations affect and harm the
lives and property of individuals
administrator administrator /əd|mnstretə/ noun
1. somebody who arranges the work of
other employees in a business so that the
business functions well 2. a person appointed
by a court to represent a person
who has died without making a will or
without naming executors, and who is
recognised in law as able to manage the
estate
administratrix administratrix /əd|mnstrətrks/
noun a woman appointed by a court to
administer the estate of a person who has
died
Admiralty Admiralty /dm(ə)rəlti/ noun the
British government office which is in
charge of the Navy
Admiralty Court Admiralty Court /dm(ə)rəlti kɔt/
noun a court, part of the Queen’s Bench
Division, which decides in disputes involving
ships
Admiralty law Admiralty law /dm(ə)rəlti lɔw/
noun law relating to ships and sailors,
and actions at sea
admissibility admissibility /əd|msə|blti/ noun
the fact of being admissible The court
will decide on the admissibility of the evidence.
admissible admissible /əd|msəb(ə)l/ adjective
referring to evidence which a court will
allow to be used The documents were
not considered relevant to the case and
were therefore not admissible.
admission 8
admission /əd|mʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. permission
for someone to go in free admission
on Sundays There is a £1 admission
charge. Admission is free on
presentation of this card. 2. making a
statement that you agree that some facts
are correct, saying that something really
happened 3. (in civil cases) a statement
by a defendant that a claim or part of a
claim by the claimant is true When a
party has made an admission in writing,
the other party can apply for judgment
on that admission.
charge admission charge /əd|mʃ(ə)n
tʃɑd/ noun the price to be paid before
going into an exhibition, etc.
admit /əd|mt/ verb 1. to allow someone
to go in Children are not admitted
to the bank. Old age pensioners are admitted
at half price. 2. to allow someone
to practise as a solicitor She was admitted
in 1989. 3. to allow evidence to be
used in court The court agreed to admit
the photographs as evidence. 4. to agree
that an allegation is correct She admitted
having stolen the car. He admitted
to being in the house when the murder
took place. (NOTE: admitted – admitting.
Note also that you admit to something,
or admit having done something.)
5. to say that something really
happened He admitted his mistake or
his liability.
adopt /ə|dɒpt/ verb 1. to become the
legal parent of a child who was born to
other parents 2. to accept something so
that it becomes law to adopt a resolution
The proposals were adopted unanimously.
adoption /ə|dɒpʃən/ noun 1. the act of
becoming the legal parent of a child
which is not your own 2. the act of agreeing
to something so that it becomes legal
He moved the adoption of the resolution.
order adoption order /ə|dɒpʃən ɔdə/
noun an order by a court which legally
transfers the rights of the natural parents
to the adoptive parents
proceedings adoption proceedings /ə|dɒpʃən
prə|sidŋz/ plural noun court action to
adopt someone
adoptive adoptive /ə|dɒptv/ adjective resulting
from the process of adoption, or from
choice his adoptive country
adoptive child adoptive child /ə|dɒptv tʃald/
noun a child who has been adopted
adoptive parent adoptive parent /ə|dɒptv peərənt/
noun a person who has adopted a child.
Compare biological parent (NOTE: If a
child’s parents divorce, or if one parent
dies, the child may be adopted by a
step-father or step-mother.)
ADR ADR noun same as alternative dispute
resolution
adult adult /d lt, ə|d lt/ noun a person
who is eighteen years old or older
adulteration adulteration /ə|d ltə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
the addition of material to food for sale,
which makes it dangerous to eat or drink
adulterous adulterous /ə|d lt(ə)rəs/ adjective
referring to adultery He had an adulterous
relationship with Miss X.
adultery adultery /ə|d lt(ə)ri/ noun sexual intercourse
by consent between a married
person and someone of the opposite sex
who is not that person’s spouse His
wife accused him of committing adultery
with Miss X.
ad valorem ad valorem /d və|lɔrəm/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘according to value’
ad valorem duty ad valorem duty /d və|lɔrəm
djuti/ noun a tax calculated according
to the value of the goods taxed
advance advance /əd|vɑns/ noun in advance
before something happens to
pay in advance freight payable in advance
adjective early advance booking
advance payment You must give
seven days’ advance notice of withdrawals
from the account.
advancement advancement /əd|vɑnsmənt/ noun
money or goods given by a parent to a
child which the child would inherit in
any case if the parent died
advantage advantage /əd|vɑntd/ noun something
useful which may help you to be
successful to learn something to your
advantage to hear news which is helpful
to you, especially to hear that you have
been left a legacy obtaining a pecuniary
advantage by deception the offence
of deceiving someone so as to derive a financial
benefit
9 Advocate General
adversarial adversarial /dv$|seəriəl/ adjective
based on people opposing each other
adversarial procedure adversarial procedure /dv$|
seəriəl pɒltks/ noun same as accusatorial
procedure
adversary adversary /dvəs(ə)ri/ noun an opponent
in a court case adjective adversary
procedure same as accusatorial
procedure
adverse adverse /dv$s/ adjective contrary,
which goes against one party
adverse outcome adverse outcome /dv$s
aυtk m/ noun a result which was unexpected
and unwanted
adverse party adverse party /dv$s pɑt/ noun
the opponent in a court case
adverse possession adverse possession /dv$s pə|
zeʃ(ə)n/ noun an occupation of property
by squatters or others that is contrary
to the rights of the real owner
adverse witness adverse witness /dv$s wtnəs/
noun a witness called by one party in a
court case whose evidence goes unexpectedly
against that party. Such a witness
can then be cross-examined as if the
evidence were being given for the other
party in the case.
advert advert /dv$t/ verb to refer to This
case was not adverted to in Smith v.
Jones Machines Ltd.
advice advice /əd|vas/ noun an opinion as to
what action should be taken as per advice
according to what is written on an
advice note counsel’s advice the opinion
of a barrister about a case we sent
the documents to the police on the advice
of the solicitor or we took the solicitor’s
advice and sent the documents to the police
to take legal advice to ask a lawyer
to advise about a problem in law
advice note advice note /əd|vas nəυt/ noun a
written notice to a customer giving details
of goods ordered and shipped but
not yet delivered
advise advise /əd|vaz/ verb 1. to give a professional
legal opinion on something
such as the strengths and weaknesses of
a case 2. to suggest to someone what
should be done We are advised to take
the shipping company to court. The solicitor
advised us to send the documents
to the police. to advise against something
to suggest that something should
not be done The bank manager advised
against closing the account. Our lawyers
have advised against suing the landlord.
advisement advisement /əd|vazmənt/ noun to
take something under advisement to
consider something in order to make a
judgment
adviser adviser /əd|vazə/, advisor noun
somebody who suggests what should be
done He is consulting the company’s
legal adviser.
advisory advisory /əd|vaz(ə)ri/ adjective as an
adviser She is acting in an advisory capacity.
advisory board advisory board /əd|vaz(ə)ri bɔd/
noun a group of advisers
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration
Service /əd|vaz(ə)ri kən|
sli|eʃ(ə)n ən ɑb|treʃ(ə)n s$vs/
noun a government body which assists in
furthering industrial relations and settling
industrial and employment disputes.
Abbreviation ACAS
advocacy advocacy /dvəkəsi/ noun 1. the
skill of pleading a case orally before a
court his advocacy of the right of these
illegal immigrants to remain in the country
2. support for a cause
advocate advocate noun /ə|bjus/ 1. a person,
usually a barrister or solicitor, with right
of audience (i.e. the right to speak in
open court) as the representative of a party
in a case Fast track trial costs include
the cost of a party’s advocate in
preparing the case and appearing in
court. (NOTE: Solicitors who take additional
exams may qualify as solicitoradvocates
and have the same rights of
audience as barristers.) 2. US a legal
practitioner 3. a barrister or solicitor who
may argue a case for their client during
legal proceedings. Both barristers and
solicitors can acquire rights of audience
(i.e. the right to speak in open court), but
a solicitor’s right of audience is limited
to the magistrates and county courts.
verb /dvəket/ to suggest a course of
action
Advocate General Advocate General /dvəkət
den(ə)rəl/ noun 1. one of the two Law
Officers for Scotland (NOTE: The position
of the Advocates General is equal
to that of the fifteen judges in the Euro-
advowson 10
pean Court of Justice; their role is to
give careful advice on legal matters.) 2.
one of eight independent members forming
part of the European Court of Justice
together with 15 judges, who summarises
and presents a case to the judges to assist
them in coming to a decision (NOTE:
The plural is Advocates General.)
advowson advowson /əd|vaυz(ə)n/ noun the
right to nominate a person to be a parish
priest
affair affair /ə|feə/ noun 1. something which
is relevant to one person or group of people
only Are you involved in the copyright
affair? It’s an affair for the police.
2. a sexual relationship where one
party or both parties are married to someone
else to have an affair with someone
to commit adultery plural noun affairs
situations or activities relating to
public or private life His affairs were so
difficult to understand that the lawyers
had to ask accountants for advice.
affidavit affidavit /f|devt/ noun a written
statement which is signed and sworn before
a solicitor, judge, JP, commissioner
for oaths or other official and which can
then be used as evidence in court hearings
affiliation order affiliation order /ə|fli|eʃ(ə)n ɔdə/
noun formerly, a court order which made
the father of an illegitimate child contribute
towards the cost of the child’s upbringing
(NOTE: It is now replaced by
the provisions of the Family Law Reform
Act 1987.)
affiliation proceedings affiliation proceedings /ə|fli|
eʃ(ə)n prə|sidŋz/ plural noun formerly,
the proceedings needed to order
the father of an illegitimate child to provide
for the child’s maintenance (NOTE:
They are now replaced by the provisions
in the Family Law Reform Act
1987.)
affirm affirm /ə|f$m/ verb 1. to state that you
will tell the truth, though without swearing
an oath 2. to confirm that something
is correct
affirmation affirmation /fə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a
statement in court that you will tell the
truth, though without swearing an oath
(NOTE: It is similar to an affidavit, but is
not sworn on oath.) 2. a written statement
which is affirmed as true by the
person making it 3. a statement by an MP
of his or her allegiance to the Queen
when not wishing to take the Oath of Allegiance
on religious or other grounds
affirmative action affirmative action /ə|f$mətv
kʃən/ noun US a policy of positive
discrimination to help groups in society
who have a disadvantage (NOTE: The
British equivalent is equal opportunity.)
affirmative easement affirmative easement /ə|f$mətv
izmənt/ noun US an easement where
the servient owner allows the dominant
owner to do something
affix affix /ə|fks/ verb to attach something
such as a signature to a document
affray affray /ə|fre/ noun the offence of intentionally
acting in a threatening way
towards someone in public
COMMENT: A person is guilty of affray if
he uses or threatens to use unlawful
violence towards another, and his conduct
is such that a reasonable person
who happened to be present might
fear for his safety.
AFO AFO abbreviation assault on a federal
officer
aforementioned aforementioned /ə|fɔmenʃənd/ adjective
having been mentioned earlier
the aforementioned company
aforesaid aforesaid /ə|fɔsed/ adjective said
earlier as aforesaid as was stated earlier
aforethought aforethought /ə|fɔθɔt/ adjective
with malice aforethought with the intention
of committing a crime, especially
murder
a fortiori a fortiori /e fɔti|ɔra/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘for a stronger reason’
If the witness was present at the
scene of the crime, then a fortiori he must
have heard the shot.
after the event after the event /ɑftə də |vent/ adjective
after the event insurance policy
a policy to cover the recovery of costs
in case of failure in a case where a conditional
fee arrangement is applied
age age /ed/ noun the number of years
someone has lived. age of consent,
age of criminal responsibility
age discrimination age discrimination /ed dskrm|
neʃ(ə)n/ noun US the unfair treatment
of people because of their age
11 aiding and abetting
age limit age limit /ed lmt/ noun the top
age at which you are permitted to do
something
agency agency /edənsi/ noun 1. an arrangement
where one person or company
acts on behalf of another person in contractual
matters They signed an agency
agreement or an agency contract. 2. the
office or job of representing another
company in an area 3. a branch of government
the Atomic Energy Agency a
counter-intelligence agency
agent agent /edənt/ noun 1. somebody
who represents a company or another
person in matters relating to contracts 2.
the person in charge of an agency advertising
agent estate agent travel
agent 3. somebody who works for a government
agency, especially in secret
agent provocateur agent provocateur /ɒn prə|
vɒkə|t$r/ noun a person who provokes
others to commit a crime, often by taking
part in it personally, in order to find out
who is not reliable or in order to have his
or her victim arrested
age of consent age of consent /ed əv kən|sent/
noun the age at which a girl can legally
consent to sexual intercourse. The age of
consent is 16.
age of criminal responsibility age of criminal responsibility
/ed əv krmn(ə)l r|spɒns|blti/
noun the age at which a person is considered
to be capable of committing a crime
aggravated aggravated /rəvetd/ adjective
made worse
aggravated assault aggravated assault /rəvetd ə|
sɒlt/ noun assault causing serious injury
or carried out in connection with another
serious crime
aggravated burglary aggravated burglary /rəvetd
b$ləri/ noun burglary where guns or
other offensive weapons are carried or
used
aggravated damages aggravated damages /rəvetd
dmdz/ plural noun damages
awarded by a court against a defendant
who has behaved maliciously or wilfully
aggravating circumstances aggravating circumstances
/rəvetŋ s$kəmstnsz/ noun
circumstances which make a crime
worse
aggravation aggravation /rə|veʃ(ə)n/ noun
an action, especially the carrying of a
weapon, which makes a crime more serious
aggrieved aggrieved /ə|rivd/ adjective injured
or harmed by the actions of a defendant
the aggrieved party
AGM AGM abbreviation Annual General
Meeting
agree agree /ə|ri/ verb 1. to approve or accept
something The figures were
agreed between the two parties. Terms
of the contract are still to be agreed. 2.
to agree to do something to say that you
will do something to agree with someone
to say that your opinions are the
same as someone else’s to agree with
something to be the same as something
else The witness’ statement does not
agree with that of the accused.
agreed agreed /ə|rid/ adjective having been
accepted by everyone an agreed
amount on agreed terms or on terms
which have been agreed upon
agreed price agreed price /ə|rid pras/ noun the
price which has been accepted by both
the buyer and seller
agreement agreement /ə|rimənt/ noun 1. a
contract between two people or groups
where one party makes an offer, and the
other party accepts it written agreement
unwritten or oral agreement to
break an agreement to reach an agreement
or to come to an agreement on prices
or salaries an international agreement
on trade collective wage agreement
an agency agreement a
marketing agreement gentleman’s
agreement agreement in principle
agreement with the basic conditions of a
proposal 2. a document setting out the
contractual terms agreed between two
parties, to witness an agreement to
draw up or to draft an agreement Both
companies signed the agreement.
aid aid /ed/ noun help to pray in aid to
rely on something when pleading a case
I pray in aid the Statute of Frauds in
support of the defendant’s case verb to
help to aid and abet to help and encourage
someone to commit a crime
aiding and abetting aiding and abetting /edŋ ənd ə|
betŋ/ noun the act of helping and encouraging
someone to commit a crime
such as driving a car to help a criminal
escape from the scene of a crime or keep-
air rage 12
ing watch while a crime is committed.
accessory
air rage air rage /eə red/ noun a violent attack
by a passenger on a member of the
crew of an aircraft, caused by drink,
tiredness or annoyance at something
a. k. a. a. k. a. abbreviation also known as
al. al. et al.
aleatory aleatory /li|etəri/ adjective 1. not
certain 2. carrying a risk
aleatory contract aleatory contract /lietəri
kɒntrkt/ noun an agreement such as a
wager where what is done by one party
depends on something happening which
is not certain to happen
alia alia et al., inter alia
alias alias /eliəs/ noun a name which you
use to hide your real name The confidence
trickster used several aliases.
adverb using the name of John Smith,
alias Reginald Jones
alibi alibi /lba/ noun a plea that a person
charged with a crime was somewhere
else when the crime was committed
alien alien /eliən/ noun a person who is not
a citizen of a country (NOTE: In the UK,
an alien is a person who is not a UK citizen,
not a citizen of a Commonwealth
country and not a citizen of the Republic
of Ireland.)
alien absconder alien absconder /eliən əb|skɒndə/
noun an illegal foreign visitor to the
United States who has been told to leave
the country but has not done so
alienation alienation /eliə|neʃ(ə)n/ noun the
transfer of property, usually land, to
someone else
alienation of affection alienation of affection
/eliəneʃ(ə)n əv ə|fekʃən/ noun US
the loss of affection by one of the partners
in a marriage for the other
alieni juris alieni juris /eli|ena durs/ phrase
a Latin phrase meaning ‘of another’s
right’: a person such as a minor who has
a right under the authority of a guardian.
Compare sui generis
alimony alimony /lməni/ noun the money
that a court orders a husband to pay regularly
to his separated or divorced wife
(NOTE: It can occasionally be applied to
a wife who is ordered to support her divorced
husband.) alimony pending
suit, alimony pendente lite money paid
by a husband to his wife while their divorce
case is being prepared. palimony
allegation allegation /lə|eʃ(ə)n/ noun a
statement, usually given in evidence, that
something has happened or is true
allege allege /ə|led/ verb to state, usually in
giving evidence, that something has happened
or is true The prosecution alleged
that the accused was in the house
when the crime was committed.
allegiance allegiance /ə|lid(ə)ns/ noun obedience
to the State or the Crown. oath of
allegiance
All England Law Reports All England Law Reports /ɔl
ŋlənd lɔ r|pɔts/ plural noun reports
of cases in the higher courts. Abbreviation
All E.R.
allocate allocate /lə|ket/ verb to share
something between several people, or
decide officially how something is to be
divided between different possibilities
to allocate a case to a track (of a court)
to decide which track a case should follow
The court may allocate a case to a
track of a higher financial value.
allocation allocation /lə|keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the
division of a sum of money in various
ways allocation of funds to research
into crime 2. the act of deciding which of
three systems of processing (small
claims, fast track or multi-track) a case
should follow, depending on the monetary
value of the claim The allocation
of a case to a particular track has implications
for the speed with which the case
will be processed.
allocation hearing allocation hearing /lə|keʃ(ə)n
hərŋ/ noun a court hearing to consider
statements from the parties to a case and
decide which system of processing
(small claims, fast track or multi-track) a
case should follow when an allocation
questionnaire has not been submitted
allocation questionnaire allocation questionnaire /lə|
keʃ(ə)n kwestʃəneə/ noun a form to
be filled in by each party to a claim, to
give the court enough information to allow
it to allocate the case to one of three
systems of processing (small claims, fast
track or multi-track)
allocatur allocatur /lɒke|tuə/ phrase a Latin
word meaning ‘it is allowed’: a court
document confirming the amount of
13 amends
costs to be paid by one party to another
after a court action
allocution allocution /lə|kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun US a
request by the judge to a person who has
been found guilty, asking if they wants to
say anything on their own behalf before
sentence is passed
allow allow /ə|laυ/ verb 1. to say that someone
can do something The law does not
allow you to drive on the wrong side of
the road. Begging is not allowed in the
station. Visitors are not allowed into
the prisoners’ cells. 2. to give someone
time or a privilege The court adjourned
to allow the prosecution time to find the
missing witness. You are allowed thirty
days to pay the fine. 3. to approve or accept
something legally to allow a claim
or an appeal 4. allow for to consider
something when making a decision
about something else In coming to our
conclusion, we allowed for his poor
knowledge of the language.
allowable allowable /ə|laυəb(ə)l/ adjective legally
accepted
allowable expenses allowable expenses /ə|laυəb(ə)l k|
spensz/ plural noun expenses which
can be claimed against tax
all-points bulletin all-points bulletin /ɔl pɔints
bυlətn/ noun an urgent message
broadcast to all police in an area
alteram alteram /ɔltərəm/ audi alteram
partem
alteration alteration /ɔltə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a
change made to a legal document such as
a will, which usually has the effect of
making it invalid
alternative alternative /ɔl|t$nətv/ noun something
which takes the place of something
else They argued that they had offered
a similar car as an alternative. pleading
in the alternative, alternative
pleading US the practice of making two
or more pleadings which are mutually
exclusive. service by an alternative
method adjective able to take the
place of something else an alternative
solution to the problem
alternative dispute resolution alternative dispute resolution /ɔl|
t$nətv d|spjut rezəluʃ(ə)n/ noun
any of various methods which can be
used to settle a dispute without going to
trial. Abbreviation ADR
ambassador ambassador /m|bsədə/ noun
somebody who is the highest level of
diplomat representing his or her country
in another country our ambassador in
France She is the wife of the Spanish
Ambassador. The government has recalled
its ambassador for consultations.
ambassadorial ambassadorial /mbsə|dɔriəl/
adjective referring to an ambassador
ambassadress ambassadress /m|bsədres/
noun an ambassador’s wife
Amber alert Amber alert /mbə ə|l$t/ noun a
system of bulletins issued by police to
the media, and in the USA sometimes
also on electronic road signs, seeking information
leading to the rapid return of a
kidnapped child
ambiguity ambiguity /mb|juti/ noun 1.
the fact of being unclear because it can
be understood in different ways 2. something
which is unclear because it can be
understood in different ways. latent
ambiguity
ambiguous ambiguous /m|bjuəs/ adjective
meaning two or more things and therefore
possibly misleading The wording
of the clause is ambiguous and needs
clarification.
ambulatory ambulatory /mbju|let(ə)ri/ adjective
(of a will) only taking effect after the
death of the person who made it
COMMENT: Writing a will does not bind
you to do what you say you are going
to do in it. If in your will you leave your
car to your son, and then sell the car
before you die, your son has no claim
on the will for the value of the car.
amend amend /ə|mend/ verb to change something
Please amend your copy of the
contract accordingly.
amendment amendment /ə|men(d)mənt/ noun 1.
a change made in a document to propose
an amendment to the draft agreement
to make amendments to a contract
2. a change made to a statement of
case, which in civil law can be done before
the details of a claim are served 3. a
change proposed to a Bill which is being
discussed in Parliament
amends amends /ə|mendz/ plural noun to
make amends to do something to compensate
for damage or harm done offer
of amends an offer by a libeller to write
an apology
American Bar Association 14
American Bar Association American Bar Association /ə|
merkən bɑ ə|səυsieʃ(ə)n/ noun US
an association of lawyers practising in
the USA. Abbreviation ABA
amicus curiae amicus curiae /ə|makəs kjυəria/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘friend of
the court’: a lawyer who does not represent
a party in a case but who is called
upon to address the court to help clear up
a difficult legal point or to explain something
which is in the public interest
amnesty amnesty /mnəsti/ noun a pardon,
often for political crimes, given to several
people at the same time verb to grant
convicted persons a pardon They were
amnestied by the president.
anarchic anarchic /ə|nɑkk/, anarchical /ə|
nɑkkl/ adjective with no law or order
the anarchic state of the country districts
after the coup
anarchism anarchism /nəkz(ə)m/ noun the
belief that there should be no government
or control of people by the state
anarchist anarchist /nəkst/ noun somebody
who believes in anarchism
COMMENT: Anarchism flourished in the
latter part of the 19th and early part of
the 20th century. Anarchists believe
that there should be no government,
no army, no civil service, no courts, no
laws, and that people should be free to
live without anyone to rule them.
anarchy anarchy /nəki/ noun absence of law
and order, because a government has lost
control or because there is no government
When the president was assassinated,
the country fell into anarchy.
ancestor ancestor /nsestə/ noun a person
living many years ago from whom someone
is descended common ancestor a
person from whom two or more people
are descended Mr Smith and the Queen
have a common ancestor in King
Charles II
ancient lights ancient lights /enʃənt lats/ plural
noun a claim by the owner of a property
that he or she has the right to enjoy light
in his windows and not have it blocked
by a neighbour’s buildings
ancillary ancillary /n|sləri/ adjective giving
help or support
ancillary relief ancillary relief /n|sləri r|lif/
noun financial provision or adjustment
of property rights ordered by a court for
a spouse or child in divorce proceedings
animus animus /nməs/ noun intention
animus cancellandi animus cancellandi /nməs
knsəl|nda/ noun the intention to
cancel
animus furandi animus furandi /nməs fjυə|
rnda/ noun the intention to steal
animus manendi animus manendi /nməs mn|
nenda/ noun the intention to stay in a
place
animus revocandi animus revocandi /nməs revə|
knda/ noun the intention to revoke a
will
COMMENT: With all these terms, when
the phrase is ‘with the intention of’, animo
is used: e.g. animo revocandi
‘with the intention of revoking a will’.
annexation annexation /nek|seʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of annexing a territory
annexe annexe, annex noun a document added
or attached to a contract verb 1. to
attach a document to something 2. to
take possession of a territory which belongs
to another state and attach it to
your country, so taking full sovereignty
over the territory The island was annexed
by the neighbouring republic.
The war was caused by a dispute over
the annexing of a strip of land.
annual annual /njuəl/ adjective for one year
on an annual basis each year
Annual General Meeting Annual General Meeting /njuəl
den(ə)rəl mitŋ/ noun a meeting of
the shareholders of a company which
takes place once a year to approve the accounts.
Abbreviation AGM
annually annually /njuəli/ adverb each year
The figures are revised annually.
annual return annual return /njuəl r|t$n/ noun
a form to be completed by each company
once a year, giving details of the directors
and the financial state of the company
annuitant annuitant /ə|njutənt/ noun somebody
who receives an annuity
annuity annuity /ə|njuti/ noun money paid
each year to a person, usually as the result
of an investment to buy or to take
out an annuity He has a government
annuity or an annuity from the government.
15 any other business
annul annul /ə|n l/ verb 1. to stop something
having any legal effect The contract
was annulled by the court. 2. to declare
that something never existed or that
something never had legal effect Their
marriage has been annulled. (NOTE: [all
senses] annulling – annulled)
annullable annullable /ə|n ləb(ə)l/ adjective
able to be cancelled
annulling annulling /ə|n lŋ/ adjective cancelling
annulling clause noun the act of
cancelling the annulling of a contract
annulment annulment /ə|n lmənt/ noun the act
of cancelling
annulment of adjudication annulment of adjudication /ə|
n lmənt əv ə|dud|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the cancelling of an order making someone
bankrupt
annulment of marriage annulment of marriage /ə|n lmənt
əv mrd/ noun the act of ending a
marriage by saying that it was never valid
annum annum /nəm/ per annum
answer answer /ɑnsə/ noun 1. a spoken or
written reply my letter got no answer or
there was no answer to my letter I am
writing in answer to your letter of October
6th. I tried to phone his office but
there was no answer. 2. a formal reply to
an allegation made in court, especially a
defence made by a respondent to a divorce
petition verb 1. to speak or write
after someone has spoken or written to
you to answer a letter to write a letter
in reply to a letter which you have received
to answer the telephone to lift
the telephone when it rings and listen to
what the caller is saying 2. to reply formally
to an allegation made in court to
answer charges to plead guilty or not
guilty to a charge the judge ruled
there was no case to answer the judge
ruled that the prosecution or the claimant
had not shown that the accused or the defendant
had done anything wrong
answerable answerable /ɑns(ə)rəb(ə)l/ adjective
being responsible for one’s actions
and having to explain why actions have
been taken He is answerable to the Police
Commissioner for the conduct of the
officers in his force. She refused to be
held answerable for the consequences of
the police committee’s decision. (NOTE:
You are answerable to someone for an
action.)
ante ante /nti/ Latin adverb meaning
‘which has taken place earlier’ or ‘before’
antecedents antecedents /nt|sid(ə)nts/ plural
noun details of the background of a convicted
person given to a court before sentence
is passed
antedate antedate /nt|det/ verb to put an
earlier date on a document The invoice
was antedated to January 1st.
anti- anti- /nti/ prefix against an antidrug
campaign the anti-terrorist squad
anticipatory anticipatory /n|tspət(ə)ri/ adjective
done before it is due
anticipatory breach anticipatory breach /n|
tspət(ə)ri britʃ/ noun a refusal by a
party to a contract to perform his or her
obligations under the contract at a time
before they were due to be performed
antisocial behaviour antisocial behaviour /ntisəυʃ(ə)l
b|hevjə/ noun bad or unpleasant behaviour
in public
Antisocial Behaviour Order Antisocial Behaviour Order
/ntisəυʃ(ə)l b|hevjə ɔdə/ noun an
order that can be applied for by the police
against any individual over the age of 10
years old who is causing someone distress,
harm or harassment, in order to restrict
their behaviour. Abbreviation ASBO.
Acceptable Behaviour Contract
(NOTE: ASBOs are a provision of
the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.)
anti-trust anti-trust /nti tr st/ adjective attacking
monopolies and encouraging
competition anti-trust laws or legislation
Anton Piller order Anton Piller order /ntɒn plər
ɔdə/ noun in a civil case, an order by a
court allowing a party to inspect and remove
a defendant’s documents, especially
where the defendant might destroy evidence
(NOTE: So called after the case
of Anton Piller K.G. v. Manufacturing
Processes Ltd. Since the introduction
of the new Civil Procedure Rules in
April 1999, this term has been replaced
by search order.)
any other business any other business /eni də
bzns/ noun an item at the end of an
agenda, where any matter not already on
apology 16
the agenda can be raised. Abbreviation
AOB
apology /ə|pɒlədi/ noun a defence
made to an action of defamation where
the defendant argues that the offending
statement was either made innocently or
unintentionally (NOTE: Even if an apology
is not accepted, the offer in itself will
always be capable of reducing the
amount of compensation awarded to
the plaintiff.)
posteriori a posteriori /e pɒsteri|ɔri/ phrase
a Latin phrase meaning ‘from what has
been concluded afterwards’ a posteriori
argument an argument based on observation
apparent /ə|prənt/ adjective easily
visible, or obvious apparent defect a
defect which can be easily seen
appeal /ə|pil/ noun 1. the act of asking
a higher court to change a decision of a
lower court the appeal from the court
order or the appeal against the planning
decision will be heard next month He
lost his appeal for damages against the
company. to win a case on appeal to
lose a case in the first court, but to have
the decision changed by an appeal court
appeal against conviction the act of
asking a higher court to change the decision
of a lower court that a person is
guilty appeal against sentence the act
of asking a higher court to reduce a sentence
imposed by a lower court 2. the act
of asking a government department to
change a decision verb to ask a government
department to change its decision
or a high law court to change a sentence
The company appealed against the decision
of the planning officers. He has
appealed to the Supreme Court. (NOTE:
You appeal to a court or against a decision,
an appeal is heard and either allowed
or dismissed.)
Court Appeal Court /ə|pil kɔt/ noun
Court of Appeal
appear /ə|pə/ verb 1. to seem The
witness appeared to have difficulty in remembering
what had happened. 2. (of a
party in a case) to come to court 3. (of a
barrister or solicitor ) to come to court to
represent a client Mr A. Clark QC is
appearing on behalf of the defendant.
appearance appearance /ə|pərəns/ noun the act
of coming to court to defend or prosecute
a case to enter an appearance to register
with a court that a defendant intends
to defend an action
appellant appellant /ə|pelənt/ noun a person
who goes to a higher court to ask it to
change a decision or a sentence imposed
by a lower court
appellate appellate /ə|pelət/ adjective referring
to appeal
appellate committee appellate committee /ə|pelət kə|
mti/ noun the upper house of the British
Parliament, which is responsible for
analysing legislation and hearing cases
which have been referred to it by lower
courts
appellate court appellate court /ə|pelət kɔt/ noun
Court of Appeal
appellate jurisdiction appellate jurisdiction /ə|pelət
dυərs|dkʃ(ə)n/ noun the power of a
judge to hear appeals from a previous decision
made by a lower court If the ECJ
tries to decide if a national court’s decision
to refer a case to it is correct, then
the ECJ is exercising a form of appellate
jurisdiction.
appendix appendix /ə|pendks/ noun an additional
piece of text at the end of a document
The markets covered by the agency
agreement are listed in the Appendix.
See Appendix B for the clear-up rates
of notifiable offences. (NOTE: The plural
is appendices.)
applicant applicant /plkənt/ noun 1. somebody
who applies for something an applicant
for a job or a job applicant
There were thousands of applicants for
shares in the new company. 2. somebody
who applies for a court order
application application /pl|keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the act or process of asking for something,
usually in writing application
for shares shares payable on application
application for a job or job application
2. the act of asking the Court to
make an order His application for an
injunction was refused. Solicitors acting
for the wife made an application for
a maintenance order.
COMMENT: Applications can now be
dealt with by telephone (a ‘telephone
hearing’); urgent applications can be
17 appurtenances
made without making an application
notice.
form application form /pl|keʃ(ə)n
fɔm/ noun a form to be filled in when
applying to fill in an application form
for a job or a job application form
notice application notice /pl)keʃ(ə)n
nəυts/ noun a document by which an
applicant applies for a court order. The
notice must state what type of order is
being sought and the reasons for seeking
it. (NOTE: The phrase applications
made without notice being served
on the other party is now used instead
of ex parte applications.)
apply /ə|pla/ verb 1. to ask for something,
usually in writing to apply for a
job to apply for shares to apply in
writing to apply in person My client
wishes to apply for Legal Aid. He applied
for judicial review or for compensation
or for an adjournment. to apply
to the Court to ask the court to make an
order he applied to the Court for an injunction
2. to affect or be relevant to
something or someone This clause applies
only to deals outside the EU. The
legal precedent applies to cases where
the parents of the child are divorced.
appoint /ə|pɔnt/ verb to choose
someone for a job to appoint James
Smith to the post of manager The government
has appointed a QC to head the
inquiry. The court appointed a receiver.
(NOTE: You appoint a person to a job
or to do a job.)
appointee /əpɔn|ti/ noun somebody
who is appointed to a job
appointment /ə|pɔntmənt/ noun 1.
an arrangement to meet someone to
make or to fix an appointment for two
o’clock to make an appointment with
someone for two o’clock He was late
for his appointment. She had to cancel
her appointment. 2. the act of appointing
someone or being appointed to a job on
his appointment as magistrate when he
was made a magistrate 3. a job legal
appointments vacant list in a newspaper
of legal jobs which are vacant
book appointments book /ə|pɔntmənts
bυk/ noun a desk diary in which appointments
are noted
apportion apportion /ə|pɔʃ(ə)n/ verb to share
out something such as property, rights or
liabilities in appropriate proportions
Costs are apportioned according to
planned revenue.
apportionment apportionment /ə|pɔʃ(ə)nmənt/
noun the act of sharing out such as property,
rights or liabilities in appropriate
proportions
appraise appraise /ə|prez/ verb to make an estimate
of the value of something
appraiser appraiser /ə|prezə/ noun somebody
who appraises something
apprehend apprehend /pr|hend/ verb
(formal) 1. to understand I apprehend
that you say your client has a reference.
2. to arrest and take into police custody
The suspect was apprehended at the
scene of the crime.
apprehension apprehension /pr|henʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of arresting someone
(formal)
appropriate appropriate adjective /ə|prəυpriət/
suitable for a particular purpose Is a
fine an appropriate punishment for sex
offences? verb /ə|prəυpriet/ 1. to
take control of something illegally 2. to
take something for a particular use, e.g.
taking funds from an estate to pay legacies
to beneficiaries
appropriation appropriation /ə|prəυpri|eʃ(ə)n/
noun the allocation of money for a particular
purpose such as distributing parts
of an estate to beneficiaries
approval approval /ə|pruv(ə)l/ noun 1. permission
to do something given by someone
with authority to submit a budget for
approval 2. on approval a sale where
the buyer pays for goods only if they are
satisfactory
approve approve /ə|pruv/ verb to agree to
something officially to approve the
terms of a contract The proposal was
approved by the board. The motion was
approved by the committee. to approve
of to think something is good
approved school approved school /ə|pruvd skul/
noun formerly, a school for young delinquents
appurtenances appurtenances /ə|p$rtnənsz/ plural
noun land or buildings attached to or
belonging to a property
appurtenant 18
appurtenant appurtenant /ə|p$rtnənt/ adjective
relevant to
a priori a priori /e pra|ɔri/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘from the first’: using
logic and reason to draw conclusions
from what is already known a priori
argument reasoning based on ideas or
assumptions, not on real examples
arbitrate arbitrate /ɑbtret/ verb (usually
used in building, shipping or employment
disputes) to settle a dispute between
parties by referring it to an arbitrator
instead of going to court to arbitrate
in a dispute
arbitration arbitration /ɑb|treʃ(ə)n/ noun the
settling of a dispute by an outside person
or persons agreed on by both sides to
submit a dispute to arbitration to refer
a question to arbitration to take a dispute
to arbitration to go to arbitration
arbitration agreement arbitration agreement /ɑb|
treʃ(ə)n ə|rimənt/ noun an agreement
by two parties to submit a dispute
to arbitration
arbitration award arbitration award /ɑb|treʃ(ə)n ə|
wɔd/ noun a ruling given by an arbitrator
arbitration board arbitration board /ɑb|treʃ(ə)n
bɔd/ noun a group which arbitrates
arbitration clause arbitration clause /ɑb|treʃ(ə)n
klɔz/ noun a written term in a contract,
usually a commercial contracts, requiring
anyone who is party to the contract to
agree to refer any contractual disputes to
arbitration
arbitrator arbitrator /ɑbtretə/ noun a person
not concerned with a dispute who is chosen
by both sides to try to settle it an industrial
arbitrator to accept or to reject
the arbitrator’s ruling
argue argue /ɑju/ verb 1. to discuss
something about which there is disagreement
They argued over or about the
price. Counsel spent hours arguing
about the precise meaning of the clause.
2. to give reasons for something Prosecuting
counsel argued that the accused
should be given exemplary sentences.
The police solicitor argued against
granting bail. (NOTE: You argue with
someone about or over something.)
argument argument /ɑjυmənt/ noun 1. the
discussion of something without agreement
They got into an argument with
the judge over the relevance of the documents
to the case. He sacked his solicitor
after an argument over costs. 2. a
speech giving reasons for something
The judge found the defence arguments
difficult to follow. Counsel presented
the argument for the prosecution. The
Court of Appeal was concerned that the
judge at first instance had delivered
judgment without proper argument.
(NOTE: can be used without the)
arise arise /ə|raz/ verb to happen as a result
of something The situation has arisen
because neither party is capable of paying
the costs of the case. The problem
arises from the difficulty in understanding
the regulations.
armed neutrality armed neutrality /ɑmd nju|
trləti/ noun the condition of a country
which is neutral during a war, but maintains
armed forces to defend itself
armourer armourer /ɑmərə/ noun a criminal
who supplies guns to other criminals
(slang)
arm’s length arm’s length /ɑmz leŋθ/ noun at
arm’s length not closely connected to
deal with someone at arm’s length to
deal as if there were no connection between
the parties, e.g. when a company
buys a service from one of its own subsidiaries
The directors were required to
deal with the receiver at arm’s length.
arraign arraign /ə|ren/ verb to make an accused
person appear in the court and read
the indictment to him or her
arraignment arraignment /ə|renmənt/ noun the
act of reading of an indictment to the accused
and hearing his or her plea
arrangement arrangement /ə|rendmənt/ noun
1. a way in which something is organised
The company secretary is making all
the arrangements for the AGM. 2. the
settling of a financial dispute, especially
by proposing a plan for repaying creditors
to come to an arrangement with
the creditors
arrears arrears /ə|rəz/ plural noun money
which has not been paid at the time when
it was due to allow the payments to fall
into arrears in arrears owing money
which should have been paid earlier
The payments are six months in arrears.
He is six weeks in arrears with his rent.
19 ASBO
arrest arrest /ə|rest/ noun an act of taking
and keeping someone in custody legally,
so that he or she can be questioned and
perhaps charged with a crime a warrant
is out for his arrest a magistrate
has signed a warrant, giving the police
the power to arrest someone for a crime
under arrest kept and held by the police
Six of the gang are in the police
station under arrest. verb 1. to hold
someone legally so as to keep him or her
in custody and charge them with a crime
Two of the strikers were arrested. The
constable stopped the car and arrested
the driver. 2. to seize a ship or its cargo
3. to stop something from continuing
arrestable offence arrestable offence /ə|restəbl ə|
fens/ noun a crime for which someone
can be arrested without a warrant, usually
an offence which carries a penalty of
at least five years’ imprisonment
arrest of judgment arrest of judgment /ə|rest əv
d dmənt/ noun a situation where a
judgment is held back because there appears
to be an error in the documentation
arrest warrant arrest warrant /ə|rest wɒrənt/ noun
a warrant signed by a magistrate which
gives the police the power to arrest someone
for a crime. citizen’s arrest
COMMENT: Any citizen may arrest a
person who is committing a serious offence,
though members of the police
force have wider powers, in particular
the power to arrest persons on suspicion
of a serious crime or in cases
where an arrest warrant has been
granted. Generally a policeman is not
entitled to arrest someone without a
warrant if the person does not know or
is not told the reason for his arrest.
arson arson /ɑs(ə)n/ noun the notifiable offence
of setting fire to a building He
was charged with arson. During the
riot there were ten cases of looting and
two of arson. The police who are investigating
the fire suspect arson. an arson
attack on a house setting fire to a
house
arsonist arsonist /ɑs(ə)nst/ noun somebody
who commits arson
article article /ɑtk(ə)l/ noun 1. a product or
thing for sale a black market in imported
articles of clothing 2. a section of a legal
agreement See article 8 of the contract.
3. articles of association, articles
of incorporation US document
which regulates the way in which a company’s
affairs are managed 4. to serve
articles to work as an articled clerk in a
solicitor’s office
81 Article 81 /ɑtk(ə)l eti w n/ noun
a provision contained in the Treaty of
Rome designed to prevent agreements
that aim to or effectively restrict, prevent
or manipulate competition in the European
Union (NOTE: Formerly known as
Article 85.)
Article 82 Article 82 /ɑtk(ə)l eti tu/ noun a
provision contained in the Treaty of
Rome designed to prevent businesses
abusing their position of dominance
within the European Union
clerk articled clerk /ɑtk(ə)ld klɑk/
noun formerly, a trainee who is bound by
a contract to work in a solicitor’s office
for some years to learn the law (NOTE:
Now called trainee solicitor.)
articles /ɑtk(ə)lz/ noun formerly,
the period during which someone is
working in a solicitor’s office to learn the
law (NOTE: Now called traineeship.)
of association articles of association /ɑtk(ə)lz
əv ə|səυsi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun a document
which regulates the way in which a company’s
affairs such as the appointment of
directors or rights of shareholders are
managed. Also called articles of incorporation
articles of impeachment articles of impeachment
/ɑtk(ə)lz əv m|pitʃmənt/ noun US
a statement of the grounds on which a
public official is to be impeached
articles of incorporation articles of incorporation
/ɑtk(ə)lz əv n|kɔpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
same as articles of association
of partnership articles of partnership /ɑtk(ə)lz
əv pɑtnəʃp/ noun a document which
sets up the legal conditions of a partnership
She is a director appointed under
the articles of the company. This procedure
is not allowed under the articles of
association of the company.
person artificial person /ɑtfʃ(ə)l
p$s(ə)n/ noun a body such as a company
which is regarded as a person in law
ASBO abbreviation Antisocial Behaviour
Order
ascendant 20
ascendant /ə|sendənt/ noun the parent
or grandparent of a person (NOTE:
The opposite, the children or grandchildren
of a person, are descendants.)
ask /ɑsk/ verb 1. to put a question to
someone Prosecuting counsel asked
the accused to explain why the can of
petrol was in his car. 2. to tell someone
to do something The police officers
asked the marchers to go home. She
asked her secretary to fetch a file from
the managing director’s office. The
customs officials asked him to open his
case. The judge asked the witness to
write the name on a piece of paper. 3.
to ask for something to say that you
want or need something He asked for
the file on 1992 debtors. Counsel asked
for more time to consult with his colleagues.
There is a man on the phone
asking for Mr Smith. to ask for bail to
be granted to ask a court to allow a prisoner
to be remanded on bail
assassin /ə|ssn/ noun someone
who murders a well-known person
assassinate /ə|ssnet/ verb to
murder a well-known person
assassination /ə|ss|neʃ(ə)n/
noun the murder of a well-known person
assault /ə|sɔlt/ verb the crime or tort
of acting in such a way that someone is
afraid he or she will be attacked and hurt
She was assaulted by two muggers.
battery noun the offence of acting intentionally
to make someone afraid that
they will be attacked and hurt He was
sent to prison for assault. The number
of cases of assault or the number of assaults
on policemen is increasing. (NOTE:
As a crime or tort, assault has no plural.
When it has a plural it means ‘cases of
assault’.)
COMMENT: Assault should be distinguished
from battery, in that assault is
the threat of violence, whereas battery
is actual violence. However, because
the two are so closely connected, the
term ‘assault’ is frequently used as a
general term for violence to a person.
‘Aggravated assault’ is assault causing
serious injury or carried out in connection
with another serious crime.
The term ‘common assault’ is frequently
used for any assault which is
not an aggravated assault.
assaulter assaulter /ə|sɔltə/ noun 1. a member
of a police hostage rescue team 2. someone
who attacks another person physically
or verbally in a violent way
assay assay /se, ə|se/ noun a test of a
precious metal such as gold or silver to
see if it is of the right quality
assay mark assay mark /se mɑk/ noun a
mark put on gold or silver items to show
that the metal is of correct quality. Also
called hallmark
assemble assemble /ə|semb(ə)l/ verb 1. to
come together or to gather The crowd
assembled in front of the police station.
2. to put something together from various
parts The police are still assembling
all the evidence.
assembly assembly /ə|sembl/ noun the action
of people meeting together in a group.
freedom of assembly, unlawful assembly
assemblyman assemblyman /ə|semblimən/ noun a
member of an assembly
of the European Community Assembly of the European Community
/ə|sembli əv θə jυərəpiən kə|
mjunti/ noun the European Parliament
assent assent /ə|sent/ noun 1. agreement to
or approval of something 2. notification
by a personal representative that part of
an estate is not needed for the administration
of the estate and can be passed to
the beneficiary named in the will (NOTE:
The assent can be given verbally or in
writing and applies to personal property
and real estate.) verb to agree to
something The executor assented to the
vesting of the property to the beneficiary.
assent procedure assent procedure /ə|sent prə|
sidə/ noun a procedure by which the
approval of the European Parliament is
necessary before legislation can be put
into law
assess assess /ə|ses/ verb to calculate the
value of something, especially for tax or
insurance purposes to assess damages
at £1,000 to assess a property for the
purposes of insurance
assessment assessment /ə|sesmənt/ noun a calculation
of value assessment of damages
assessment of property tax assessment
21 assured shorthold tenancy
assessment of costs assessment of costs /ə|sesmənt
əv kɒsts/ noun an assessment of the
costs of a legal action by the costs judge
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced taxation of costs.)
assessor assessor /ə|sesə/ noun an expert who
helps the court when a case requires specialised
technical knowledge
asset asset /set/ noun something which
belongs to company or person and which
has a specific value He has an excess of
assets over liabilities. Her assets are
only £640 as against liabilities of
£24,000.
asset value asset value /set vlju/ noun the
value of a company calculated by adding
together all its assets
assign assign /ə|san/ verb 1. to give or transfer
something to assign a right to
someone to assign shares to someone
to assign a debt to someone 2. to give
someone a piece of work to do He was
assigned the job of checking the numbers
of stolen cars. Three detectives have
been assigned to the case. noun same
as assignee
assignee assignee /sa|ni/ noun somebody
who receives something which has been
assigned
assignment assignment /ə|sanmənt/ noun 1. the
legal transfer of a property or of a right
assignment of a patent or of a copyright
assignment of a lease 2. a document by
which something is assigned 3. a particular
task to be completed We have put
six constables on that particular assignment.
assignor assignor /sa|nɔ/ noun somebody
who assigns something to someone
assigns assigns /ə|sanz/ plural noun people
to whom property has been assigned
his heirs and assigns people who have
inherited property and have had it transferred
to them
assist assist /ə|sst/ verb to help The accused
had to be assisted into the dock.
She has been assisting us with our inquiries.
Assistant Chief Constable Assistant Chief Constable /ə|
sst(ə)nt tʃif k nstəb(ə)l/ noun a
rank in the police force below Chief
Constable
assisted person assisted person /ə|sstd p$s(ə)n/
noun somebody who is receiving Legal
Aid
Assizes Assizes, Assize Courts plural noun
formerly, the Crown Court
associate associate /ə|səυsiet/ adjective
joined together with something noun
somebody who works in the same business
as someone In his testimony he
named six associates. verb to mix with
or to meet people she associated with
criminals she was frequently in the company
of criminals
associate company associate company /ə|səυsiət
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which is
partly owned or controlled by another
associated associated /ə|səυsietd/ adjective
joined to or controlled by Smith Ltd
and its associated company, Jones
Brothers.
associate director associate director /ə|səυsiət da|
rektə/ noun a director who attends
board meetings, but does not have the
full powers of a director
associated person associated person /ə|səυsietd
p$s(ə)n/ noun a concept widened by
the Family Law Act 1996, allowing any
person who falls under this category the
right to apply for a protection order.
non-molestation order, occupation
order
Associate Justice Associate Justice /ə|səυsiət
d sts/ noun US a member of the Supreme
Court who is not the Chief Justice
associate of the Crown Office associate of the Crown Office /ə|
səυsiet əv d kraυn ɒfs/ noun an official
who is responsible for the clerical
and administrative work of a court
association association /ə|səυsi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
a group of people or of companies with
the same interest trade association
employers’ association 2. (in prison) the
time when prisoners can move about and
meet other prisoners
assure assure /ə|ʃυə/ verb to have an agreement
with an insurance company that in
return for regular payment, the company
will pay compensation for injury or loss
of life the assured the person whose
interests are assured, who is entitled to
the benefit in an insurance policy
assured shorthold tenancy assured shorthold tenancy /ə|
ʃυəd ʃɔthəυld tenənsi/ noun a ten-
assured tenancy 22
ancy allowing a landlord to bypass the
usual grounds for regaining possession
of an assured tenancy. The Housing Act
1996 states that from the 28th February
1997, a landlord will no longer be required
to give notice to the tenant and as
of this date all new tenancies will automatically
be classified as assured shorthold
tenancies unless otherwise specified
in the contract.
tenancy assured tenancy /ə|ʃυəd tenənsi/
noun in England and Wales, a lease under
the Housing Act 1988 that gives a
tenant limited security of tenure and allows
a landlord a specific means of terminating
a lease
assurer /ə|ʃυərə/, assuror noun a
company which provides insurance
COMMENT: assure and assurance are
used in Britain for insurance policies
relating to something which will certainly
happen (such as death or the
end of a given period of time); for other
types of policy use insure and insurance.
asylum asylum /ə|saləm/ noun refuge in a
country granted to a person who is subject
to extradition by a foreign government
to ask for political asylum to ask
to be allowed to remain in a foreign
country because it would be dangerous
to return to the home country for political
reasons
issue at issue /ət ʃu/ issue
large at large /ət lɑd/ adjective not in
prison Three prisoners escaped – two
were recaptured, but one is still at large.
attach /ə|ttʃ/ verb 1. to fasten something
to something else I am attaching
a copy of my previous letter. Attached
is a copy of my letter of June 24th. 2. to
arrest a person or take property
attaché /ə|tʃe/ noun a person who
does specialised work in an embassy
abroad a military attaché The government
ordered the commercial attaché
to return home.
attachment /ə|ttʃmənt/ noun a
court order preventing a debtor’s property
from being sold until debts are paid
of earnings attachment of earnings /ə|
ttʃmənt əv $nŋz/ noun a legal
power to take money from a person’s salary
to pay money which is owed to the
courts
of earnings order attachment of earnings order /ə|
ttʃmənt əv $nŋz ɔdə/ noun a
court order to make an employer pay part
of an employee’s salary to the court to
pay off debts
attack /ə|tk/ verb 1. to try to hurt or
harm someone The security guard was
attacked by three men carrying guns. 2.
to criticise The newspaper attacked the
government for not spending enough
money on the police. noun 1. the act of
trying to hurt or harm someone There
has been an increase in attacks on police
or in terrorist attacks on planes. 2. criticism
The newspaper published an attack
on the government. (NOTE: You attack
someone, but make an attack on
someone.)
attacker /ə|tkə/ noun somebody who
attacks She recognised her attacker
and gave his description to the police.
attempt /ə|tempt/ noun 1. an act of
trying to do something The company
made an attempt to break into the American
market. The takeover attempt was
turned down by the board. All his attempts
to get a job have failed. 2. an act
of trying to do something illegal (NOTE:
Attempt is a crime even if the attempted
offence has not been committed.)
murder attempted murder /ə|temptd
m$də/ noun the notifiable offence of
trying to murder someone
attend /ə|tend/ verb to be present at
The witnesses were summoned to attend
the trial.
attendance /ə|tendəns/ noun the fact
of being present
centre attendance centre /ə|tendəns
sentə/ noun a place where a young person
may be sent by a court to take part in
various activities or do hard work as a
punishment. This applies to people between
the ages of 17 and 21 and is on the
condition that they have not had a custodial
sentence before.
attest /ə|test/ verb to sign a document
such as a will in the presence of a witness
who also signs the document to confirm
that the signature is genuine
23 authorised dealer
attestation attestation /te|steʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of signing a document such as a will
in the presence of a witness to show that
the signature is genuine
attestation clause attestation clause /te|steʃ(ə)n
klɔz/ noun a clause showing that the
signature of the person signing a legal
document has been witnessed (NOTE:
The attestation clause is usually written:
‘signed sealed and delivered by …
in the presence of …’.)
attorn attorn /ə|tɔn/ verb to transfer
attorney attorney /ə|t$ni/ noun 1. somebody
who is legally allowed to act on behalf of
someone else 2. US a lawyer
attorney-at-law attorney-at-law /ə|t$ni ət lɔ/ noun
formerly, a barrister
Attorney-General Attorney-General /ə|t$ni
den(ə)rəl/ noun 1. in the UK, one of
the Law Officers, a Member of Parliament,
who prosecutes for the Crown in
some court cases, advises government
departments on legal problems and decides
if major criminal offences should
be tried 2. in a US state or in the federal
government, the head of legal affairs
(NOTE: In the US Federal Government,
the Attorney-General is in charge of the
Justice Department.)
attributable attributable /ə|trbjυtəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be attributed
attribute attribute /ə|trbjut/ verb to suggest
that something came from a source remarks
attributed to the Chief Constable
audi alteram partem audi alteram partem /aυdi
lterəm pɑtəm/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘hear the other side’: a
rule in natural justice that everyone has
the right to speak in his or her own defence
and to have the case against them
explained clearly
audit audit /ɔdt/ noun 1. an examination of
the books and accounts of a company
to carry out an annual audit 2. a careful
review of the effectiveness of something
an audit of safety procedures verb 1.
to examine the books and accounts of a
company to audit the accounts The
books have not yet been audited. 2. to review
something carefully
Audit Commission Audit Commission /ɔdt kə|
mʃ(ə)n/ noun an independent body
which examines the accounts of local authorities,
ensures that money is spent legally
and wisely, and checks for possible
fraud and corruption
auditor auditor /ɔdtə/ noun somebody who
audits The AGM appoints the company’s
auditors.
audit trail audit trail /ɔdt trel/ noun a record
in the form of computer or printed documents
that shows how something happened
autarchy autarchy /ɔtɑki/ noun a situation
where a state rules itself without outside
interference and has full power over its
own affairs
autarky autarky /ɔtɑki/ noun a situation
where a state is self-sufficient and can
provide for all its needs without outside
help
authenticate authenticate /ɔ|θent|ket/ verb to
show that something is true
authenticity authenticity /ɔθen|tsti/ noun the
state of being genuine The police are
checking the authenticity of the letter.
An electronic signature confirms the authenticity
of the text.
authorisation authorisation /ɔθəra|zeʃ(ə)n/,
authorization noun 1. official permission
or power to do something Do you
have authorisation for this expenditure?
He has no authorisation to act on our
behalf. 2. a document showing that
someone has official permission to do
something He showed the bank his authorisation
to inspect the contents of the
safe.
authorise authorise /ɔθə|raz/, authorize
/ɔθəraz/ verb 1. to give official permission
for something to be done to
authorise payment of £10,000 2. to give
someone the authority to do something
to authorise someone to act on your behalf
authorised authorised /ɔθərazd/, authorized
adjective permitted
authorised capital authorised capital /ɔθərazd
kpt(ə)l/ noun the amount of capital
which a company is allowed to have, according
to its memorandum of association
authorised dealer authorised dealer /ɔθərazd
dilə/ noun a person or company such as
a bank which is allowed to buy and sell
foreign currency
authoritarian 24
authoritarian authoritarian /ɔ|θɒr|teəriən/ adjective
acting because of having power
authoritarianism authoritarianism /ɔ|θɒr|
teəriən[[dʃc]]z(ə)m/ noun a theory
that a regime must rule its people strictly
in order to be efficient
authoritarian regime authoritarian regime /ɔ|
θɒrteəriən re|im/ noun a government
which rules its people strictly and
does not allow anyone to oppose its decisions
authoritative authoritative /ɔ|θɒrtətv/ adjective
1. having the force of law Courts in
Member States cannot give authoritative
rulings on how Community law should
be interpreted. 2. based on the best reliable
information an authoritative opinion
on likely trends
authority authority /ɔ|θɒrəti/ noun 1. official
power given to someone to do something
He has no authority to act on our behalf.
She was acting on the authority of
the court. On whose authority was the
charge brought? 2. the authorities the
government, police or official organisations
with legal powers to control things
automatism automatism /ɔ|tɒmətz(ə)m/ noun a
defence to a criminal charge whereby the
accused states he or she acted involuntarily
autonomous autonomous /ɔ|tɒnəməs/ adjective
governing itself an autonomous regional
government
autonomy autonomy /ɔ|tɒnəmi/ noun self-government,
or freedom from outside control
The separatists are demanding full
autonomy for their state. The government
has granted the region a limited autonomy.
autopsy autopsy /ɔtɒpsi/ noun an examination
of a dead person to see what was the
cause of death
autrefois acquit autrefois acquit /əυtrəfw ə|ki/
phrase a French phrase meaning ‘previously
acquitted’: a plea that an accused
person has already been acquitted of the
crime with which he or she is charged
COMMENT: There is no appeal against
an acquittal, and a person who has
been acquitted of a crime cannot be
charged with the same crime again.
autrefois convict autrefois convict /əυtrəfw kɒn|
vkt/ phrase a French phrase meaning
‘previously convicted’: a plea that an accused
person has already been convicted
of the crime with which he or she is now
charged
available available /ə|veləb(ə)l/ adjective able
to be used The right of self-defence is
only available against unlawful attack.
aver aver /ə|v$/ verb to make a statement or
an allegation in pleadings (NOTE: averring
– averred)
average average /v(ə)rd/ noun 1. a
number calculated by adding together
several figures and dividing by the
number of figures added sales average
or average of sales The average for the
last three months or the last three
months’ average. on average in general
On average, £15 worth of goods are
stolen every day. 2. the sharing of the
cost of damage or loss of a ship between
the insurers and the owners adjective
1. calculated by adding together several
figures and dividing by the number of
figures added the average cost of expenses
per employee the average figures
for the last three months the average
increase in prices 2. ordinary or typical
The company’s performance has
been only average. He is an average
worker. above or below average more
or less than is usual or typical verb to
produce as an average figure Price increases
have averaged 10% per annum.
Days lost through sickness have averaged
twenty-two over the last four years.
average adjuster average adjuster /v(ə)rd ə|
d stə/ noun somebody who calculates
how much is due to the insured when he
or she makes a claim under his or her
policy
average adjustment average adjustment /v(ə)rd ə|
d stmənt/ noun a calculation of the
share of cost of damage or loss of a ship
average income per capita average income per capita
/v(ə)rd nk m pə kptə/ noun
the average income of one person
averment averment /ə|v$mənt/ noun a statement
or allegation made in pleadings
avoid avoid /ə|vɔd/ verb 1. to try not to do
something The company is trying to
avoid bankruptcy. My aim is to avoid
paying too much tax. We want to avoid
direct competition with Smith Ltd. to
avoid creditors to make sure that credi-
25 AWOL
tors cannot find you so as not to pay them
2. to make something void to avoid a
contract 3. to quash a sentence
avoidance avoidance /ə|vɔd(ə)ns/ noun 1. a
plan or deliberate policy to avoid something
or someone avoidance of an
agreement or of a contract 2. a confession
to a charge, but suggesting it should
be cancelled
award award /ə|wɔd/ noun a decision which
settles a dispute an award made by an
industrial tribunal The arbitrator’s
award was set aside on appeal. verb to
decide the amount of money to be given
to someone to award someone a salary
increase to award damages The
judge awarded costs to the defendant.
to award a contract to a company to
decide that a company will have the contract
to do work for you
AWOL /ewɒl/ abbreviation absent
without leave
B
backdate /bk|det/ verb to put an
earlier date on a cheque or an invoice
Backdate your invoice to April 1st. The
pay increase is backdated to January 1st.
background /bkraυnd/ noun 1.
the previous experience, cultural background
or family connections that someone
has The accused is from a good
background. Can you tell us something
of the girl’s family background? 2. general
facts about a situation including relevant
information about what happened
in the past He explained the background
to the claim. The court asked
for details of the background to the case.
I know the contractual situation as it
stands now, but can you fill in the background
details?
back interest back interest /bk ntrəst/ noun
interest which has not yet been paid
back orders back orders /bk ɔdəz/ noun orders
received in the past and not yet supplied
pay back pay /bk pe/ noun salary
which has not been paid
payment back payment /bk pemənt/ noun
the payment of money which is owed
rent back rent /bk rent/ noun rent which
has not been paid
backsheet backsheet /bkʃit/ noun the last
sheet of paper in a legal document which,
when folded, becomes the outside sheet
and carries the endorsement
back taxes back taxes /bk tksz/ plural
noun taxes which have not been paid
back wages back wages /bk wedz/ plural
noun wages which have not been paid to
a worker
debt bad debt /bd det/ noun money
owed which will never be paid back
baggage check baggage check /bd tʃek/ noun
an examination of passengers’ baggage
to see if it contains bombs
bail bail /bel/ noun 1. the release of an arrested
person from custody after payment
has been made to a court on condition
that the person will return to face trial
to stand bail of £3,000 for someone
(NOTE: The US term is pretrial release.)
2. payment made to a court to release
an arrested person He was granted
bail on his own recognizance of
£1,000. The police opposed bail on the
grounds that the accused might try to
leave the country. (NOTE: The US term is
pretrial release.) he was remanded
on bail of £3,000 he was released on
payment of £3,000 as a guarantee that he
would return to the court to face trial to
jump bail not to appear in court after
having been released on bail verb to
bail someone out to pay a debt on behalf
of someone She paid £3,000 to bail
him out.
bail bandit bail bandit /bel bndt/ noun an
accused person who commits a crime
while on bail awaiting trial for another
offence, or who fails to appear in court
on the date agreed
bail bond bail bond /bel bɒnd/ noun a signed
document which is given to the court as
security for payment of a judgment
bail bondsperson bail bondsperson /bel
bɒndzp$s(ə)n/ noun someone who
provides bail money or acts as surety for
an accused person
bailee bailee /be|li/ noun somebody who
receives property by way of bailment
Bailey Bailey Old Bailey
bailiff bailiff /belf/ noun 1. a person employed
by the court whose responsibility
is to see that documents such as sum-
27 bankruptcy
monses are served and that court orders
are obeyed The court ordered the bailiffs
to seize his property because he had
not paid his fine. (NOTE: The US equivalent
is a marshal.) 2. US the deputy to a
sheriff
bailment /belmənt/ noun a transfer
of goods by one person (the bailor) to another
(the bailee) who then holds them
until they have to be returned to the bailor.
The process is that of leaving a coat in
a cloakroom or at the cleaner’s.
bailor /be|lɔ/ noun somebody who
transfers property by way of bailment
decision Bakke decision /bki d|s(ə)n/
noun a US Supreme Court ruling that
made the reservation of a specific
number of places for students from minority
groups unlawful because it prevented
applicants not from those groups
from competing for the reserved places
balance /bləns/ noun balance of
mind mental state
rigging ballot-rigging /blət rŋ/ noun
an illegal attempt to manipulate the votes
in an election so that a specific candidate
or party wins
ban /bn/ noun an order which forbids
someone from doing something or which
makes an activity illegal a government
ban on the sale of weapons a ban on
the copying of computer software to
impose a ban on smoking to make an
order which forbids smoking to lift the
ban on smoking to allow people to
smoke verb to forbid something or
make it illegal The government has
banned the sale of alcohol. The sale of
pirated records has been banned.
bank /bŋk/ noun a business which
holds money for its clients, lends money
at interest, and trades generally in money
verb to deposit money into a bank or to
have an account with a bank
paper bankable paper /bŋkəb(ə)l
pepə/ noun a document which a bank
will accept as security for a loan
account bank account /bŋk ə|kaυnt/ noun
an arrangement which you make with a
bank to keep your money safely until you
want it
bank borrowings bank borrowings /bŋk
bɒrəυŋz/ plural noun loans made by
banks
bank charter bank charter /bŋk tʃɑtə/ noun an
official government document allowing
the establishment of a bank
bank draft bank draft /bŋk drɑft/ noun a
cheque payable by a bank
banker’s order banker’s order /bŋkəz ɔdə/
noun an order written by a customer asking
a bank to make a regular payment to
someone else
bank loan bank loan /bŋk ləυn/ noun money
lent by a bank
bank mandate bank mandate /bŋk mndet/
noun a written order allowing someone
to sign cheques on behalf of a company
bank note bank note /bŋk nəυt/, banknote
noun a piece of printed paper money
(NOTE: The US term is bill.)
bank reserves bank reserves /bŋk r|z$vz/ plural
noun cash and securities held by a
bank to cover deposits
bankrupt bankrupt /bŋkr pt/ adjective declared
by a court not capable of paying
debts a bankrupt property developer
He was adjudicated or declared bankrupt.
He went bankrupt after two years
in business. noun someone who has
been declared by a court to be not capable
of paying debts and whose affairs
have been put into the hands of a trustee
verb to make someone become bankrupt
The recession bankrupted my father.
COMMENT: A bankrupt cannot serve as
a Member of Parliament, a Justice of
the Peace, a director of a limited company,
and cannot sign a contract or
borrow money.
bankruptcy bankruptcy /bŋkr ptsi/ noun the
state of being bankrupt The recession
has caused thousands of bankruptcies.
(NOTE: The term bankruptcy is applied
to individuals or partners, but not to
companies. For companies, the term to
use is ‘insolvency’.) adjudication of
bankruptcy, declaration of bankruptcy
legal order making someone bankrupt
to file a petition in bankruptcy 1. to
apply to the Court to be made bankrupt
2. to ask for someone else to be made
bankrupt
Bankruptcy Court 28
Bankruptcy Court Bankruptcy Court /bŋkr ptsi
kɔt/ noun a court which deals with
bankruptcies
bankruptcy notice bankruptcy notice /bŋkr ptsi
nəυts/ noun a notice warning someone
that they face bankruptcy if they fail to
pay money which they owe
bankruptcy petition bankruptcy petition /bŋkr ptsi
pə|tʃ(ə)n/ noun an application to a
court asking for an order making someone
bankrupt
bankruptcy proceedings bankruptcy proceedings
/bŋkr ptsi prə|sidŋz/ plural noun a
court case to make someone bankrupt
bank transfer bank transfer /bŋk trnsf$/
noun the movement of money from a
bank account to an account in another
country
banning order banning order /bnŋ ɔdə/ noun a
court order to stop someone from going
to a specific place (NOTE: banning –
banned)
banns banns /bnz/ plural noun a declaration
in church that a couple intend to get
married to publish the banns of marriage
between Anne Smith and John
Jones
bar bar /bɑ/ noun the set of rails in a court
behind which the lawyers and public
stand or sit to be called to the bar to
pass examinations and fulfil specific requirements
to become a barrister prisoner
at the bar a prisoner being tried in
court verb to forbid something, or
make something illegal He was barred
from attending the meeting. The police
commissioner barred the use of firearms.
the Bar 1. the profession of barrister 2.
all barristers or lawyers
Bar Council Bar Council /bɑ kaυns(ə)l/ noun
the ruling body of English and Welsh
barristers
bareboat charter bareboat charter /beəbəυt tʃɑtə/
noun a charter of a ship where the owner
provides only the ship and not the crew,
fuel or insurance
bargain bargain /bɑn/ noun an agreement
between two people or groups to do
something verb to discuss something
with someone in order to make an improvement
for yourself
bargaining bargaining /bɑnŋ/ noun the act
of discussing something in order too
reach an agreement that everyone is happy
with. plea bargaining
bargaining position bargaining position /bɑnŋ pə|
zʃ(ə)n/ noun a statement of position by
one group during negotiations
bargaining power bargaining power /bɑnŋ paυə/
noun the relative strength of one person
or group when several people or groups
are discussing prices, wages or contracts
baron baron /brən/ noun a prisoner who
has power over other prisoners because
he or she runs various rackets in a prison
(slang)
barratry barratry /brətri/ noun 1. a criminal
offence by which the master or crew of a
ship damage the ship 2. US an offence of
starting a lawsuit with no grounds for doing
so
barrister barrister /brstə/ noun especially in
England and Wales, a lawyer who can
plead or argue a case in one of the higher
courts
COMMENT: In England and Wales, a
barrister is a member of one of the
Inns of Court; he or she has passed
examinations and spent one year in
pupillage before being called to the
bar. Barristers have right of audience
in all courts in England and Wales, that
is to say they have the right to speak in
court, but they do not have that right
exclusively. Note also that barristers
were formerly instructed only by solicitors
and never by members of the public.;
now they can take instruction from
professional people such as accountants.
Barristers are now allowed to advertise
their services. A barrister or a
group of barristers is referred to as
‘counsel’.
base base /bes/ noun 1. the lowest or first
position 2. the place where a company
has its main office or factory, or the place
where a businessperson has their office
The company has its base in London and
branches in all European countries. He
has an office in Madrid which he uses as
a base while he is travelling in Southern
Europe. verb 1. to start to calculate or
to negotiate from a position We based
our calculations on last year’s turnover.
2. to set up a company or a person in a
place a London-based sales executive
The European manager is based in our
London office. Our foreign branch is
based in the Bahamas.
29 bench warrant
base costs base costs /bes kɒsts/ noun the
general costs of a case which apply before
any percentage increase is assessed
based on based on /best ɒn/ noun calculating
from
base year base year /bes jə/ noun the first
year of an index, against which later
years’ changes are measured
basic award basic award /besk ə|wɔd/ noun a
minimum award, which is the first stage
of assessing compensation
basic rate tax basic rate tax /besk ret tks/
noun the lowest rate of income tax
basics basics /besks/ plural noun simple
and important facts to get back to basics
to start discussing the basic facts
again
basis basis /bess/ noun 1. a point or
number from which calculations are
made We have calculated the turnover
on the basis of a 6% price increase. 2.
the general facts on which something is
based We have three people working on
a freelance basis. on a short-term,
long-term basis for a short or long period
He has been appointed on a shortterm
basis.
bastard bastard /bɑstəd/ noun an illegitimate
child, born to an unmarried mother
(NOTE: The child now has some rights
to the property of its parents.)
baton baton /btɒn/ noun a large stick used
by the police for defence and to hit people
with The crowd was stopped by a
row of policemen carrying batons.
baton charge baton charge /btɒn tʃɑd/ noun
a charge by police using batons against a
mob
baton round baton round /btɒn raυnd/ noun a
thick bullet made of plastic fired from a
special gun, used by the police only in
self-defence. Also called plastic bullet
batter batter /btə/ verb to hit someone or
something hard The dead man had
been battered to death with a hammer.
Police were battering on the door of the
flat.
battered battered /btəd/ adjective frequently
beaten as a punishment or act of cruelty
battered child, battered wife a child
who is frequently beaten by one of its
parents, or a wife who is frequently beaten
by her husband
battery /bt(ə)ri/ noun the crime or
tort of using force against another person.
Compare assault
beak /bik/ noun a magistrate (slang)
bear /beə/ verb 1. (of costs) to pay
The company bore the legal costs of both
parties. 2. to bear on to refer to or have
an effect on The decision of the court
bears on future cases where immigration
procedures are disputed.
bearing bearing /beərŋ/ noun an influence or
effect to have a bearing on to refer to
or have an effect on The decision of the
court has a bearing on future cases
where immigration procedures are disputed.
beat /bit/ noun an area which a policeman
patrols regularly the constable on
the beat the ordinary policeman on foot
patrol verb to beat a ban to do something
which is going to be forbidden by
doing it rapidly before the ban is enforced
order Beddoe order /bedəυ ɔdə/ noun a
court order allowing a trustee to bring or
defend an action and to recover any resulting
costs from the trust property
behalf /b|hɑf/ noun on behalf of
acting for someone or a company solicitors
acting on behalf of the American
company I am writing on behalf of the
minority shareholders. She is acting on
my behalf.
belli casus belli
bellman /belmən/ noun a criminal
who specialises in stopping burglar
alarms and other security devices (slang)
bench /bentʃ/ noun a place where
judges or magistrates sit in court to be
up before the bench to be in a magistrates’
court, accused of a crime he is
on the bench he is a magistrate
Bencher /bentʃə/ noun one of the
senior members of an Inn of Court
of magistrates bench of magistrates /bentʃ əv
md|strets/ noun a group of magistrates
in an area
warrant bench warrant /bentʃ wɒrənt/
noun a warrant issued by a court for the
arrest of an accused person who has not
appeared to answer charges
benefactor 30
benefactor benefactor /benfktə/ noun somebody
who gives property or money to
others, especially in a will
beneficial interest beneficial interest /benfʃ(ə)l
ntrəst/ noun the interest of the beneficiary
of a property, shares or trust, which
allows someone to occupy or receive rent
from a property, while the property is
owned by a trustee
beneficial occupier beneficial occupier /benfʃ(ə)l
ɒkjυpaə/ noun somebody who occupies
a property but does not own it
beneficial owner beneficial owner /benfʃ(ə)l
əυnə/ noun the true or ultimate owner
whose interest may be concealed by a
nominee
beneficial use beneficial use /ben|fʃ(ə)l jus/
noun the right to use, occupy or receive
rent from a property which is owned by a
trustee
beneficiary beneficiary /ben|fʃəri/ noun 1.
somebody who is left property in a will
The main beneficiaries of the will are the
deceased’s family. 2. somebody whose
property is administered by a trustee
COMMENT: In a trust, the trustee is the
legal owner of the property, while the
beneficiary is the equitable owner who
receives the real benefit of the trust.
benefit benefit /benft/ noun 1. money or advantage
gained from something The estate
was left to the benefit of the owner’s
grandsons. 2. payment which is made to
someone under a national or private insurance
scheme She receives £52 a
week as unemployment benefit. The
sickness benefit is paid monthly. The
insurance office sends out benefit
cheques each week. verb to benefit
from, by something to be improved by
something, to gain more money because
of something
Benjamin order Benjamin order /bendəmn ɔdə/
noun an order from a court to a personal
representative, which directs how someone’s
estate should be distributed
bent bent /bent/ adjective corrupt, stolen or
illegal (slang) bent copper a corrupt
policeman bent job an illegal deal
bequeath bequeath /b|kwid/ verb to leave
property, but not freehold land, to someone
in a will He bequeathed his shares
to his daughter.
bequest bequest /b|kwest/ noun money or
property, but not freehold land, given to
someone in a will He made several bequests
to his staff.
COMMENT: Freehold land given in a
will is a devise.
Berne Convention Berne Convention /b$n kən|
venʃ(ə)n/ noun an international agreement
on the regulations governing copyright,
signed in Berne in 1886. copyright
COMMENT: Under the Berne Convention,
any book which is copyrighted in
a country which has signed the convention
is automatically copyrighted in
the other countries. Some countries
(notably the USA) did not sign the
Convention, and the UCC (Universal
Copyright Convention) was signed in
Geneva in 1952, under the auspices of
the United Nations, to try to bring together
all countries under a uniform
copyright agreement.
best evidence rule best evidence rule /best
evd(ə)ns rul/ noun the rule that the
best evidence possible should be produced,
so an original document is preferred
to a copy
bestiality bestiality /besti|lti/ noun buggery
with an animal
betray betray /b|tre/ verb to give away a secret
He betrayed the secret to the enemy.
to betray your country, a friend
to give away your country’s or your
friend’s secrets to an enemy
betrayal betrayal /b|treəl/ noun an act of betraying
someone or something
betrayal of trust betrayal of trust /b|treəl əv tr st/
noun an act against someone who trusts
you
betting duty betting duty /betŋ djuti/ noun a
tax levied on the activity of placing bets
on horse and dog races, etc.
BFP BFP abbreviation US bona fide purchaser
bi- bi- /ba/ prefix twice
bias bias /baəs/ noun unfairly different
treatment of a person or group as compared
with others likelihood of bias a
possibility that bias will occur because of
a connection between a member of the
court and a party in the case
biased biased /baəst/ adjective unfairly favouring
a person or group as compared
with others
31 bills payable
bigamist bigamist /bəmst/ noun somebody
who is married to two people at the same
time
bigamous bigamous /bəməs/ adjective referring
to bigamy They went through a
bigamous marriage ceremony.
bigamy bigamy /bəmi/ noun the notifiable
offence of going through a ceremony of
marriage to someone when you are still
married to someone else. Compare monogamy,
polygamy
bilateral bilateral /ba|lt(ə)rəl/ adjective (of
an agreement) between two parties or
countries The minister signed a bilateral
trade agreement.
bilateral contract bilateral contract /ba|lt(ə)rəl kən|
trkt/ noun a contract where the two
parties each have duties to the other
bilateral discharge bilateral discharge /baltər(ə)l
dstʃɑd/ noun an agreement by two
parties to bring a contract to an end by releasing
each other from their existing obligations
bilaterally bilaterally /ba|ltər(ə)li/ adverb between
two parties or countries The
agreement was reached bilaterally.
bilking bilking /bakŋ/ noun the offence of
removing goods without paying for
them, or of refusing to pay a bill
bill bill /bl/ noun 1. a written list of charges
to be paid The salesman wrote out the
bill. Does the bill include VAT? The
bill is made out to Smith Ltd. The builder
sent in his bill. He left the country
without paying his bills. to foot the bill
to pay the costs 2. a list of charges in a
restaurant Can I have the bill please?
The bill comes to £20 including service.
Does the bill include service? The
waiter has added 10% to the bill for
service. 3. a written paper promising to
pay money 4. US a piece of paper money
5. a draft of a new law to be discussed by
a legislature The house is discussing
the Noise Prevention Bill. The Finance
Bill had its second reading yesterday.
verb to present a bill to someone so that
it can be paid The builders billed him
for the repairs to his neighbour’s house.
COMMENT: In the UK, a Bill passes
through the following stages in Parliament:
First Reading, Second Reading,
Committee Stage, Report Stage
and Third Reading. The Bill goes
through these stages first in the House
of Commons and then in the House of
Lords. When all the stages have been
passed the Bill is given the Royal Assent
and becomes law as an Act of
Parliament. In the USA, a Bill is introduced
either in the House or in the
Senate, is referred to an appropriate
committee with public hearings, then
to general debate in the full House.
The Bill is debated section by section
and after being passed by both House
and Senate is engrossed and sent to
the President as a joint resolution for
signature or veto.
of attainder bill of attainder /bl əv ə|tendə/
noun formerly, a way of punishing a person
legally without holding a trial, by
passing a law to convict and sentence
him
of exchange bill of exchange /bl əv ks|
tʃend/ noun a document ordering the
person to whom it is directed to pay a
person money on demand or at a specified
date
of health bill of health /bl əv helθ/ noun a
document given to the master of a ship
showing that the ship is free of disease
of indictment bill of indictment /bl əv n|
datmənt/ noun US 1. a draft of an indictment
which is examined by the court,
and when signed becomes an indictment
2. a list of charges given to a grand jury,
asking them to indict the accused
of lading bill of lading /bl əv ledŋ/ noun a
list of goods being shipped, which the
shipper gives to the person sending the
goods to show that they have been loaded
of Rights Bill of Rights /bl əv rats/ noun US
those sections (i.e. the first ten amendments)
of the constitution of the United
States which refer to the rights and privileges
of an individual
of sale bill of sale /bl əv sel/ noun 1. a
document which the seller gives to the
buyer to show that the sale has taken
place 2. a document given to a lender by
a borrower to show that the lender owns
the property as security for the loan
for collection bills for collection /blz fə kə|
lekʃən/ noun bills where payment is
due
payable bills payable /blz peəb(ə)l/ noun
bills which a debtor will have to pay
bind 32
bind /band/ verb to make someone
obey a rule or keep a promise The company
is bound by its articles of association.
He does not consider himself
bound by the agreement which was
signed by his predecessor. High Court
judges are bound by the decisions of the
House of Lords.
binder /bandə/ noun US a temporary
acknowledgement of a contract of insurance
sent before the insurance policy is
issued (NOTE: The British English term
is cover note.)
binding /bandŋ/ adjective having
the ability to force someone to do something
This document is legally binding
or it is a legally binding document. the
agreement is binding on all parties all
parties signing it must do what is agreed
precedent binding precedent /bandŋ
presd(ə)nt/ noun a decision of a higher
court which has to be followed by a
judge in a lower court
over bind over /band əυvə/ verb 1. to
make someone promise to behave well
and not commit another offence, or to return
to court at a later date to face charges
He was bound over (to keep the peace
or to be of good behaviour) for six
months. 2. US to order a defendant to be
kept in custody while a criminal case is
being prepared
over order bind-over order /band əυvə ɔdə/
noun a court order which binds someone
over The applicant sought judicial review
to quash the bind-over order.
parent biological parent /baə|lɒdk(ə)l
peərəmt/ noun the mother or father to
whom a child is born. Compare adoptive
parent, stepparent, foster parent
birth /b$θ/ noun the occasion of being
born, or the social position relating to the
circumstances of it. concealment of
birth by birth according to where or to
what family someone was born He’s
English by birth. date and place of
birth the day of the year when someone
was born and the town where he or she
was born
certificate birth certificate /b$θ sə|tfkət/
noun a document giving details of a person’s
date and place of birth
black black /blk/ adjective to pay black
market prices to pay high prices to get
items which are not easily available
black economy black economy /blk |kɒnəmi/
noun the system by which work is paid
for in cash or goods and not declared to
the tax authorities
black letter law black letter law /blk letə lɔ/
noun emphasis on the fundamental principles
of law, as opposed to discussion of
possible changes to the legal system to
make it more perfect (informal)
black list black list /blk lst/ noun a list of
goods, people or companies which have
been blacked
blacklist blacklist /blklst/ verb to put goods,
people or a company on a black list His
firm was blacklisted by the government.
blackmail blackmail /blkmel/ noun the notifiable
offence of getting money from
someone by threatening to make public
information which he or she does not
want revealed or by threatening violence
He was charged with blackmail. They
got £25,000 from the managing director
by blackmail. She was sent to prison
for blackmail. verb to threaten someone
that you will make public information
which he or she does not want revealed
or to threaten an act of violence
unless he or she pays you money He
was blackmailed by his former secretary.
blackmailer blackmailer /blkmelə/ noun
somebody who blackmails someone
black market black market /blk mɑkt/ noun
the illegal buying and selling goods that
are not easily available or in order to
avoid taxes There is a lucrative black
market in spare parts for cars. You can
buy gold coins on the black market.
They lived well on black-market goods.
black marketeer black marketeer /blk mɑkə|tiə/
noun somebody who sells goods on the
black market
blag blag /bl/ noun a robbery by an armed
gang (slang)
blanche blanche carte blanche
blank blank /blŋk/ adjective with nothing
written noun a space on a form which
has to be completed Fill in the blanks
in block capitals.
blank cheque blank cheque /blŋk tʃek/ noun a
cheque with the amount of money and
33 bogus caller
the payee left blank, but signed by the
drawer
agreement blanket agreement /blŋkt ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement which
covers many different items
insurance policy blanket insurance policy
/blŋkt n|ʃυərəns pɒlsi/ noun a
policy covering several items
blaspheme /bls|fim/ verb to ridicule
or deny God or the Christian religion
blasphemy /blsfəmi/ noun formerly,
the crime of ridiculing or denying
God or the Christian religion in a scandalous
way
block /blɒk/ noun 1. a series of items
grouped together He bought a block of
6,000 shares. 2. a series of buildings
forming a square with streets on all sides
3. a building in a prison a cell block
a hospital block verb to stop something
taking place He used his casting vote to
block the motion. The planning committee
blocked the plan to build a motorway
through the middle of the town.
currency blocked currency /blɒkt k rənsi/
noun a currency which cannot be taken
out of a country because of exchange
controls
exemption block exemption /blɒk |
zempʃ(ə)n/ noun an exemption granted
to a large business or group of businesses
exempting them from some obligations
under competition law
relationship blood relationship /bl d r|
leʃ(ə)nʃp/ noun a relationship between
people who have a common ancestor
sample blood sample /bl d sɑmpəl/ noun
a small amount of blood taken from
someone for a blood test in order to establish
something such as the alcohol
content of the blood
test blood test /bl d test/ noun a test to
establish the paternity of a child
blotter /blɒtə/ noun US a book in
which arrests are recorded at a police station
bag blue bag /blu b/ noun the blue
bag in which a junior barrister carries his
or her gown. red bag
Blue Book Blue Book /blu bυk/ noun an official
report of a Royal Commission,
bound in blue covers
blue laws blue laws /blu lɔz/ plural noun US
laws relating to what can or cannot be
done on a Sunday
blue sky laws blue sky laws /blu ska lɔz/ plural
noun US state laws to protect investors
against fraudulent traders in securities
board meeting board meeting /bɔd mitŋ/ noun
a meeting of the directors of a company
board of directors board of directors /bɔd əv da|
rektəz/ noun a group of directors elected
by the shareholders to run a company
The bank has two representatives on
the board. He sits on the board as a
representative of the bank. Two directors
were removed from the board at the
AGM.
board of visitors board of visitors /bɔd əv vztəs/
noun in the UK, a group of people appointed
by the Home Secretary to visit
and inspect the conditions in prisons
bobby bobby /bɒbi/ noun a policeman
(informal)
bodily bodily /bɒdli/ adjective affecting
someone’s body Fortunately no bodily
harm had been caused. adverb 1. in a
way that has an effect on the body The
police lifted the protester bodily and removed
him from the street. 2. in person
She had not been bodily present when the
fight had started.
body body /bɒdi/ noun 1. the whole of a
person or animal 2. an organisation or
group of people who work together
Parliament is an elected body. The governing
body of the university has to approve
the plan to give the President a
honorary degree. 3. a large group or
amount a body of evidence body of
opinion a group of people who have the
same view about something there is a
considerable body of opinion which believes
that capital punishment should be
reintroduced
bodyguard bodyguard /bɒdiɑd/ noun somebody
who protects someone The minister
was followed by his three bodyguards.
bogus caller bogus caller /bəυəs kɔlə/ noun
someone who claims to be an official in
boilerplate 34
order to be allowed to enter a home in order
to steal from it
boilerplate boilerplate /bɔləplet/ noun US a
standard form of agreement or contract
with blank spaces to be filled in
hoax bomb hoax /bɒm həυks/ noun the
act of placing an imitation bomb in a
public place or making a phone call to report
a bomb which does not exist
fide purchaser bona fide purchaser /bəυnə fadi
p$tʃəsə/ noun a purchaser who buys
something in good faith
fides bona fides /bəυnə fadiz/, bona
fide /bəυnə fadi/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘good faith’ or ‘in good
faith’ He acted bona fide. The respondent
was not acting bona fides. a
bona fide offer an offer which is made
honestly, which can be trusted
bona vacantia bona vacantia /bəυnə və|kntiə/
noun property with no owner, or which
does not have an obvious owner, and
which usually passes to the Crown, as in
the case of the estate of a person without
living relatives dying without having
made a will
bond /bɒnd/ noun 1. a contract document
promising to repay money borrowed
by a company or by the government
government bonds or treasury
bonds 2. a contract document promising
to repay money borrowed by a person 3.
a signed legal document which binds one
or more parties to do or not to do something
goods (held) in bond goods held
by the customs until duty has been paid
entry of goods under bond bringing
goods into a country in bond to take
goods out of bond to pay duty on goods
so that they can be released by the customs
bonded bonded /bɒndd/ adjective held in
bond
bonded goods bonded goods /bɒndd υdz/ plural
noun goods which are held by the customs
under a bond until duty has been
paid
bondholder /bɒndhəυldə/ noun
somebody who holds government bonds
bondsman /bɒndzmən/, bondsperson
noun somebody who has stood
surety for another person
book book /bυk/ noun to bring someone
to book to find a suspect and charge him
with a crime to throw the book at
someone to charge someone with every
possible crime (informal ) If ever we get
the gang in the police station, we’ll
throw the book at them. verb 1. to order
or to reserve something to book a room
in a hotel or a table at a restaurant or a
ticket on a plane I booked a table for
7.45. He booked a ticket through to
Cairo. to book someone into a hotel,
onto a flight to order a room or a plane
ticket for someone 2. to charge someone
with a crime (informal) He was booked
for driving on the wrong side of the road.
book value book value /bυk vlju/ noun the
value of a company’s assets as shown in
the company accounts
boot camp boot camp /but kmp/ noun US a
camp providing a form of treatment for
young offenders where they are subjected
to harsh discipline for a short period
bootleg bootleg /butle/ adjective (of
alcohol) illegally produced and sold
bootlegger bootlegger /butleə/ noun somebody
who makes or supplies illicit alcohol
bootlegging /butleŋ/ noun 1. the
production of illicit alcohol 2. the production
of illegal records or tapes from
live concerts
borrow borrow /bɒrəυ/ verb 1. to take money
from someone for a time, possibly paying
interest for it, and repaying it at the
end of the period He borrowed £1,000
from the bank. The company had to
borrow heavily to repay its debts. They
borrowed £25,000 against the security of
the factory. 2. to steal (slang)
borrower /bɒrəυə/ noun somebody
who borrows Borrowers from the bank
pay 12% interest.
borrowing /bɒrəυŋ/ noun the action
of borrowing money The new factory
was financed by bank borrowing.
power borrowing power /bɒrəυŋ paυə/
noun the amount of money which a company
can borrow
borrowings /bɒrəυŋz/ plural noun
money borrowed The company’s borrowings
have doubled.
35 break
borstal borstal /bɔst(ə)l/ noun formerly, a
centre where a young offender was sent
for training after committing a crime
which would normally be punishable by
a prison sentence (NOTE: Now replaced
by Young Offender Institutions.)
boss boss /bɒs/ noun the head of a Mafia
family or other criminal gang
bottomry bottomry /bɒtəmri/ noun the mortgage
of a ship or cargo
bottomry bond bottomry bond /bɒtəmri bɒnd/
noun a bond which secures a ship or cargo
against a loan
bounce bounce /baυns/ verb to be returned to
the person who has tried to cash it, because
there is not enough money in the
payer’s account to pay it (informal) He
paid for the car with a cheque that
bounced.
bound bound /baυnd/ duty bound
boundary boundary /baυnd(ə)ri/, boundary
line /baυnd(ə)ri lan/ noun a line
marking the edge of a piece of land
owned by someone The boundary dispute
dragged through the courts for
years.
Boundary Commission Boundary Commission
/baυnd(ə)ri kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun a committee
which examines the area and population
of constituencies for the House of
Commons and recommends changes to
ensure that each Member of Parliament
represents approximately the same
number of people
bounty bounty /baυnti/ noun a payment
made by government to someone who
has saved lives or found treasure
box box /bɒks/ noun witness box
box file box file /bɒks fal/ noun a cardboard
box for holding documents
bracelets bracelets /bresləts/ plural noun
handcuffs (slang)
branch branch /brɑntʃ/ noun 1. a local office
of a bank or large business The bank or
the store has branches in most towns in
the south of the country. The insurance
company has closed its branches in
South America. He is the manager of
our local branch of Lloyds bank. We
have decided to open a branch office in
Chicago. The manager of our branch
in Lagos or of our Lagos branch. 2. a local
shop of a large chain of shops 3. a
part or separate section of a area of
knowledge or study such as the law The
Law of Contract and the Law of Tort are
branches of civil law. 4. Special
Branch
branded goods branded goods /brndd υdz/
plural noun goods sold under brand
names
brand name brand name /brnd nem/ noun the
name of a particular make of product
breach breach /britʃ/ noun 1. failure to carry
out the terms of an agreement They alleged
that a breach of international obligations
had been committed. in breach
of failing to do something which was
agreed, not acting according to We are
in breach of Community law. The defendant
is in breach of his statutory duty.
2. failure to obey the law The soldier
was charged with a serious breach of discipline.
COMMENT: Anyone can arrest a person
who is committing a breach of
peace; a policeman can arrest someone
who is committing a breach of the
peace without charging him.
breach of confidence breach of confidence /britʃ əv
kɒnfd(ə)ns/ noun the release of confidential
information without permission
breach of contract breach of contract /britʃ əv
kɒntrkt/ noun an act of breaking the
terms of a contract the company is in
breach of contract the company has
failed to carry out what was agreed in the
contract
breach of promise breach of promise /britʃ əv
prɒms/ noun formerly, a complaint in
court that someone had promised to marry
the claimant and then had not done so
breach of the peace breach of the peace /britʃ əv də
pis/ noun the act of creating a disturbance
which is likely to annoy or frighten
people
breach of trust breach of trust /britʃ əv tr st/
noun a failure on the part of a trustee to
act properly in regard to a trust
breach of warranty breach of warranty /britʃ əv
wɒrənti/ noun a failure to supply goods
which not meet the standards of the warranty
applied to them
break break /brek/ noun a short space of
time when you can rest The court adjourned
for a ten-minute break. verb 1.
to break the law to do something
breakages 36
which is against the law If you hit a policeman
you will be breaking the law.
He is breaking the law by parking on the
pavement. The company broke section
26 of the Companies Act. 2. The company
has broken the contract or the
agreement. to break a contract to fail
to carry out the duties of a contract The
company has broken the contract or the
agreement. to break an engagement
to do something not to do what has been
agreed
breakages breakages /brekdz/ plural noun
items that have been broken Customers
are expected to pay for breakages.
break down break down /brek daυn/ verb 1. to
stop working because of mechanical failure
The two-way radio has broken
down. What do you do when your
squad car breaks down? 2. to stop negotiations
broke down after six hours
Their marriage broke down and they separated.
3. to show all the items in a total
list We broke the crime figures down
into crimes against the person and
crimes against property. Can you break
down this invoice into spare parts and labour?
breakdown breakdown /brek|daυn/ noun 1. an
occasion of stopping work because of
mechanical failure We cannot communicate
with our squad car because of the
breakdown of the radio link. 2. a situation
in which something such as discussions
or negotiations fail or begin to fail
a breakdown in talks 3. irretrievable
breakdown of a marriage situation
where the two spouses can no longer live
together, where the marriage cannot be
saved and therefore divorce proceedings
can be started 4. the process of showing
details item by item Give me a breakdown
of the latest clear-up figures.
break in break in /brek n/ verb to go into a
building by force in order to steal Burglars
broke in through a window at the
back of the house.
break-in break-in /brek n/ noun the crime of
breaking into a house (informal ) There
have been three break-ins in our street in
one week.
breaking and entering breaking and entering /brekŋ
ənd entərŋ/ noun the crime of going
into a building by force and stealing
things He was charged with breaking
and entering. housebreaking
break into break into /brek ntə/ verb to go
into a building by force to steal things
Their house was broken into while they
were on holiday. Looters broke into the
supermarket.
break off break off /brek ɒf/ verb to stop We
broke off the discussion at midnight.
Management broke off negotiations with
the union.
break up break up /brek p/ verb 1. to split
something large into small sections
The company was broken up and separate
divisions sold off. 2. to come to an
end, or make something come to an end
The meeting broke up at 12.30. The
police broke up the protest meeting.
breathalyse breathalyse /breθəlaz/ verb to test
someone’s breath using a breathalyser
breathalyser breathalyser /breθəlazə/ noun a
device for testing the amount of alcohol
a person has drunk by testing his or her
breath
breath test breath test /breθ test/ noun a test
where a person’s breath is sampled to establish
the amount of alcohol he or she
has drunk
bribe bribe /brab/ noun money offered corruptly
to someone to get him to do something
to help you The police sergeant
was dismissed for taking bribes. verb
to give someone a bribe He bribed the
police sergeant to get the charges
dropped.
bribery bribery /brab(ə)ri/ noun the crime of
giving someone a bribe Bribery in the
security warehouse is impossible to
stamp out.
bridewell bridewell /brawel/ noun the cells in
a police station (slang)
brief brief /brif/ noun 1. details of a client’s
case, prepared by a solicitor and given to
the barrister who is going to argue the
case in court 2. a lawyer or barrister
(slang) verb to explain something to
someone in detail The superintendent
briefed the press on the progress of the
investigation. to brief a barrister to
give a barrister all the details of the case
which he or she will argue in court
briefing briefing /brifŋ/ noun an occasion
when someone is given details about
37 business
something that is going to happen All
the detectives on the case attended a
briefing given by the commander.
forward bring forward /brŋ fɔwəd/ verb to
make earlier to bring forward the date
of repayment The date of the hearing
has been brought forward to March.
in bring in /brŋ n/ verb to decide a verdict
The jury brought in a verdict of not
guilty.
up bring up /brŋ p/ verb to refer to
something for the first time The chairman
brought up the question of corruption
in the police force.
brothel /brɒθ(ə)l/ noun a house where
sexual intercourse is offered for money
bug /b / noun a small device which
can record conversations secretly and
send them to a secret radio receiver The
cleaners planted a bug under the lawyer’s
desk. Also called bugging device,
surveillance device verb to place a
secret device in a place so that conversations
can be heard and recorded secretly
The agents bugged the President’s office.
buggery /b əri/ noun a notifiable
offence of sexual intercourse with animals,
or rectal intercourse with man or
woman
device bugging device /b ŋ d|vas/
noun same as bug Police found a bugging
device under the lawyer’s desk.
permit building permit /bldŋ p$mt/
noun an official document which allows
someone to build on a piece of land
order Bullock order /bυlək ɔdə/ noun in
civil proceedings where the claimant has
succeeded in establishing a claim against
one defendant but has failed in relation to
the second defendant, an order that requires
the claimant to pay the successful
defendant’s costs but allows the money
which will come from the unsuccessful
defendant to be included
bumping /b mpŋ/ noun 1. a series
of movements of staff between jobs
which results in the final person in the
chain being made redundant 2. US a situation
where a senior employee takes the
place of a junior employee
bunco bunco /b ŋkəυ/ noun a dishonest act
of cheating someone out of money, usually
at cards (slang)
bundle bundle /b nd(ə)l/ noun trial bundle
burden of proof burden of proof /b$d(ə)n əv
pruf/ noun the duty to prove that something
which has been alleged in court is
true to discharge a burden of proof to
prove something which has been alleged
in court the burden of proof is on the
prosecution the prosecution must prove
that what it alleges is true
bureau bureau /bjυərəυ/ noun an office
which specialises in particular work
burglar burglar /b$lə/ noun a person who
steals or tries to steal goods from property,
or who enters property intending to
commit a crime
burglar alarm burglar alarm /b$lər ə|lɑm/ noun
a bell which is set to ring when someone
tries to break into a house or shop As he
put his hand through the window he set
off the burglar alarm.
burglarise burglarise, burglarize verb US to
steal goods from property (informal)
burglary burglary /b$ləri/ noun the crime of
going into a building at night, usually by
force, and stealing things He was
charged with burglary. There has been
a series of burglaries in our street.
burgle burgle /b$(ə)l/ verb to steal goods
from property The school was burgled
when the caretaker was on holiday.
burn burn /b$n/ verb to destroy by fire
The chief accountant burned the documents
before the police arrived. (NOTE:
burning – burned or burnt)
burn down burn down /b$n daυn/ verb to destroy
completely in a fire
business business /bzns/ noun 1. the work
of buying or selling on business on
commercial work 2. a commercial company
He owns a small car repair business.
She runs a business from her
home. He set up in business as an insurance
broker. 3. something that has to
be discussed or dealt with The main
business of the meeting was finished by 3
p.m. any other business an item at the
end of an agenda, where any matter can
be raised. Abbreviation AOB move the
business forward go on to the next item
on the agenda
business call 38
business call business call /bzns kɔl/ noun a
visit to talk to someone on business
business day business day /bzns de/ noun any
day except Saturdays, Sundays or bank
holidays
business expenses business expenses /bzns k|
spensz/ plural noun money spent on
running a business, not on stock or assets
business hours business hours /bzns aυəz/ plural
noun the period, usually between 9
a.m. and 5–6 p.m., when a business is
staffed and open to the public
business letter business letter /bzns letə/ noun a
letter which deals with business matters
business name business name /bzns nem/ noun
the name under which a firm or company
trades
business practices business practices /bzns
prktsz/ plural noun ways of managing
or working in business, industry or
trade
business premises business premises /bzns
premsz/ plural noun a building or set
of buildings and land used for the purpose
of carrying out a business activity
transaction business transaction /bzns trn|
zkʃən/ noun the activity or an act of
buying or selling something
bust /b st/ verb to catch and punish
someone for doing something that is illegal
bylaw /balɔ/, byelaw, by-law, byelaw
noun 1. a rule governing an aspect of
the internal running of a corporation,
club or association such as number of
meetings or election of officers 2. a rule
or law made by a local authority or public
body and not by central government
The bylaws forbid playing ball in the
public gardens. According to the local
bylaws, noise must be limited in the town
centre.
COMMENT: Bylaws must be made by
bodies which have been authorized by
Parliament before they can become legally
effective.
C
© the copyright symbol
COMMENT: The symbol adopted by the
Universal Copyright Convention in Geneva
in 1952. Publications bearing the
symbol are automatically covered by
the convention. The copyright line in a
book should give the © followed by the
name of the copyright holder and the
date.
CAB CAB abbreviation Citizens’ Advice Bureau
cadaver cadaver /kə|dvə/ noun US a dead
human body (NOTE: The British term is
corpse.)
cadet cadet /kə|det/ noun a trainee police officer
He has entered the police cadet
college. She joined the police force as
a cadet.
calendar calendar /klndə/ noun a book or
set of sheets of paper showing all the
days and months in a year a desk calendar
calendar month calendar month /klndə m nθ/
noun a whole month as on a calendar,
from the 1st to the 28th, 30th or 31st
calendar year calendar year /klndə jə/ noun
one year from the 1st January to 31st December
call call /kɔl/ noun 1. a conversation on the
telephone 2. a demand for repayment of
a loan by a lender 3. a demand by a company
to pay for shares 4. the admission
of a barrister to the bar 5. a particular
number of years a barrister has practised
at the bar he is ten years’ call he has
been practising for ten years 6. a visit
The doctor makes six calls a day. verb
1. to telephone to someone I shall call
you at your office tomorrow. 2. to admit
someone to the bar to practise as a barrister
He was called (to the bar) in 1989.
call in call in /kɔl n/ verb 1. to ask someone
to come to help The local police decided
to call in the CID to help in the murder
hunt. 2. to ask for plans to be sent to
the ministry for examination The minister
has called in the plans for the new
supermarket.
camera camera /km(ə)rə/ in camera
campaign campaign /km|pen/ noun a
planned method of working The government
has launched a campaign
against drunken drivers. verb to try to
change something by writing about it, organising
protest meetings or lobbying
Members of Parliament They are campaigning
for the abolition of the death
penalty or they are campaigning against
the death penalty. She is campaigning
for the re-introduction of the death penalty.
He is campaigning for a revision
of the Official Secrets Act.
campaigner campaigner /km|penə/ noun a
person who is working actively to support
an issue or organisation He is an
experienced political campaigner. She
is a campaigner for women’s rights.
cancel cancel /knsəl/ verb 1. to stop something
which has been agreed or planned
to cancel an appointment or a meeting
to cancel a contract 2. to cancel a
cheque to stop payment of a cheque
which you have signed
cancellandi cancellandi animus cancellandi
cancellation cancellation /knsə|leʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of stopping something which has
been agreed or planned cancellation of
an appointment cancellation of an
agreement
cancellation clause cancellation clause /knsə|
leʃ(ə)n klɔz/ noun a clause in a contract
which states the terms on which the
contract may be cancelled
candidacy candidacy /knddəsi/, candidature
/knddətʃə/ noun the state of be-
candidate 40
ing a candidate The Senator has announced
his candidacy for the Presidential
election.
candidate /knddet/ noun 1.
somebody who applies for a job There
are six candidates for the post of security
guard. We interviewed ten candidates
for the job. 2. somebody who puts themselves
forward for election Which candidate
are you voting for?
law canon law /knən lɔ/ noun law applied
by the Anglican and Roman Catholic
churches to priests (NOTE: Formerly it
was also applied to other members of
the church in cases of marriage, legitimacy
and personal property.)
capacity /kə|psti/ noun 1. the
amount of something which can be produced
or contained 2. the amount of
space that exists somewhere 3. ability
He has a particular capacity for hard
work. 4. the ability to enter into a legally
binding agreement, which is one of the
essential elements of a contract person
of full age and capacity person who is
over eighteen years of age and of sound
mind, and therefore able to enter into a
contract 5. a role or job in his capacity
as chairman acting as chairman
speaking in an official capacity speaking
officially
capax doli capax
capias /kpis/ phrase a Latin word
meaning ‘that you take’: used in phrases
to indicate that several writs have been
issued together
ad respondendum capias ad respondendum
/kpis d respɒn|dendəm/ noun a
writ for the arrest of a defendant and an
order to attend court
capita /kptə/ per capita
capital /kpt(ə)l/ noun 1. the money,
property and assets used in a business
to make political capital out of something
to use something to give you an advantage
in politics The Opposition
made a lot of capital out of the Minister’s
mistake on TV. expenditure 2. a town
or city where the government of a province
or country is situated London is
the capital of England and Washington is
the capital of the USA.
capital allowance capital allowance /kpt(əl ə|
laυəns/ noun a variable tax reduction
resulting from the expenditure on items
such as plant and machinery used in connection
with the business
capital assets capital assets /kpt(ə)l sets/
plural noun property or machinery
which a company owns and uses in its
business
capital crime capital crime /kpt(ə)l kram/
noun a crime for which the punishment
is death (NOTE: In the UK the only capital
crime is now treason.)
capital expenditure capital expenditure /kpt(ə)l k|
spendtʃə/ noun 1. money spent on assets
such as property or machinery 2. the
major costs of a council or central government,
such as schools, roads, hospitals,
etc.
capital gains capital gains /kpt(ə)l enz/ plural
noun money made by selling a fixed
asset or by selling shares at a profit
capital gains tax capital gains tax /kpt(ə)l enz
tks/ noun the tax payable where an asset
has increased in value during the period
of ownership. Abbreviation CGT
capital goods capital goods /kpt(ə)l υdz/ plural
noun machinery, buildings and raw
materials which are used in the production
of goods
capital letters capital letters /kpt(ə)l letəz/ plural
noun letters written as A, B, C, D,
etc., and not as a, b, c, d, etc. Write your
name in block capitals at the top of the
form.
capital levy capital levy /kpt(ə)l levi/ noun a
tax on the value of a person’s property
and possessions
capital loss capital loss /kpt(ə)l lɒs/ noun a
loss made by selling assets
capital punishment capital punishment /kpt(ə)l
p nʃmən(ə)t/ noun punishment of a
criminal by execution
capital transfer tax capital transfer tax /kpt(ə)l
trnsf$ tks/ noun a tax paid on the
transfer of capital or assets from one person
to another. Abbreviation CTT
Capitol Capitol /kpt(ə)l/ noun US the
building in Washington, D.C. where the
US Senate and House of Representatives
meet
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill /kpt(ə)l hl/ noun US
the hill on which the Capitol building
41 case management conference
stands, together with other important
government buildings
caption caption /kpʃən/ noun a formal
heading for an indictment, affidavit or
other court document, giving details
such as the names of the parties, the court
which is hearing the case, and relevant
reference numbers
card file card file /kɑd fal/ noun information
kept in alphabetical order on small cards
card holder card holder /kɑd həυldə/ noun a
frame which protects a card or a message
card sharper card sharper /kɑd ʃɑpə/ noun
somebody who makes a living by cheating
at cards
care care /keə/ noun 1. the act of looking after
someone The children were put in
the care of the social services department.
2. the activity of making sure that
someone is not harmed
care and control care and control /keə ən kən|trəυl/
noun responsibility for day-to-day decisions
relating to the welfare of a child
careless careless /keələs/ adjective without
paying attention to other people careless
driving driving without due care and
attention causing death by careless
driving the offence committed by an individual
who is unfit to drive as a result
drink or drugs, causing the death of another
person
care order care order /keə ɔdə/ noun a court
order placing a child under the care of a
local authority, granted when the child is
suffering or likely to suffer significant
harm if it continues to remain under its
parents care
care proceedings care proceedings /keə prə|sidŋz/
plural noun court proceedings to determine
whether a child should be made the
subject of a care order. care order
car insurance car insurance /kɑr n|ʃυərəns/
noun insuring a car, the driver and passengers
in case of accident
carriageway carriageway /krdwe/ noun a
public way where people have a right to
go in vehicles
carrier carrier /kriə/ noun a person or company
which takes goods from one place
to another
carrier’s lien carrier’s lien /kriəz liən/ noun the
right of a carrier to hold goods until he or
she has been paid for carrying them
carry /kri/ verb 1. to take from one
place to another The train was carrying
a consignment of cars. carrying offensive
weapons the offence of holding a
weapon or something such as a bottle
which could be used as a weapon 2. to
vote to approve the motion was carried
the motion was accepted after a vote
3. to be punishable by The offence carries
a maximum sentence of two years’
imprisonment.
blanche carte blanche /kɑt blɑntʃ/
phrase permission given by someone to
another person, allowing him or her to
act in any way necessary to achieve
something He has carte blanche to act
on behalf of the company or the company
has given him carte blanche to act on its
behalf.
case /kes/ noun 1. a possible crime
and its investigation by the police We
have three detectives working on the
case. The police are treating the case
as murder or are treating it as a murder
case. We had six cases of looting during
the night. 2. the case is being
heard next week the case is coming to
court 3. a set of arguments or facts put
forward by one side in legal proceedings
Defence counsel put his case. There
is a strong case against the accused.
the case rests all the arguments for one
side have been put forward no case to
answer submission by the defence (after
the prosecution has put its case) that the
case should be dismissed verb to
case a joint to look at a building carefully
before deciding how to break into it
(slang)
COMMENT: A case is referred to by the
names of the parties, the date and the
reference source where details of it
can be found: Smith v. Jones 1985 2
W.L.R. 250 This shows that the case
involved Smith as plaintiff and Jones
as defendant, it was heard in 1985,
and is reported in the second volume
of the Weekly Law Reports for that
year on page 250.
case law case law /kes lɔ/ noun law established
by precedents, that is by the decisions
of courts in earlier similar cases
management conference case management conference
/kes mndmənt kɒnf(ə)rəns/
noun a court hearing fixed when a case is
case stated 42
allocated to the fast track, when the parties
involved and their legal representatives
are asked about their preparations
for the case and the court decides on matters
such as the disclosure of documents
and expert evidence
case stated case stated /kes stetd/ noun a
statement of the facts of a case which has
been heard in a lower court such as a
Magistrates’ Court, drawn up so that a
higher court such as the High Court can
decide on an appeal She appealed by
way of case stated. The Appeal Court
dismissed the appeal by way of case stated.
case summary case summary /kes s məri/ noun
a short document of not more than 500
words prepared by a claimant to help the
court understand what the case is about
cash items cash items /kʃ atəmz/ plural
noun goods sold for cash
cash offer cash offer /kʃ ɒfə/ noun an offer to
pay in cash
cash on delivery cash on delivery /kʃ ɒn d|
lv(ə)ri/ noun payment in cash when the
goods are delivered
cash reserves cash reserves /kʃ r|z$vz/ plural
noun a company’s reserves in cash deposits
or bills kept in case of urgent need
cash settlement cash settlement /kʃ set(ə)lmənt/
noun the payment of an invoice in cash,
not by cheque
cash terms cash terms /kʃ t$mz/ plural noun
lower terms which apply if the customer
pays cash
cash transaction cash transaction /kʃ trn|
zkʃən/ noun a transaction paid for in
cash
cast cast /kɑst/ verb to cast a vote to vote
The number of votes cast in the election
was 125,458.
casting vote casting vote /kɑstŋ vəυt/ noun a
vote used by the chair in a case where the
votes for and against a proposal are equal
The chairman has a casting vote. He
used his casting vote to block the motion.
(NOTE: casting – cast – has cast)
casual casual /kuəl/ adjective not permanent
or not regular a casual employee
casual labour casual labour /kuəl lebə/ noun
people who are hired to work for a short
period
casual work casual work /kuəl w$k/ noun
work where people are hired for a short
period
casus belli casus belli /kɑzəs beli/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘case for war’: a
reason which is used to justify a declaration
of war
category category /kt(ə)ri/ noun a type of
item The theft comes into the category
of petty crime.
category A prisoner category A prisoner /kt(ə)ri e
prz(ə)nə/ noun a prisoner who is regarded
as a danger to the public and must
be closely guarded to prevent escape
category B prisoner category B prisoner /kt(ə)ri
bi prz(ə)nə/ noun a prisoner who is
less dangerous than a category A prisoner
but who still has to be guarded carefully
to prevent escape
category C prisoner category C prisoner /kt(ə)ri
si prz(ə)nə/ noun a prisoner who is
not likely to try to escape, but who cannot
be kept in an open prison
category D prisoner category D prisoner /kt(ə)ri
di prz(ə)nə/ noun a reliable prisoner
who can be kept in an open prison
causa causa donatio mortis causa
cause cause /kɔz/ noun 1. something which
makes something happen to show
cause to appear before a court to show
why an order nisi should not be made absolute
The judgment debtor was given
fourteen days in which to show cause
why the charging order should not be
made absolute. 2. legal proceedings
verb to make something happen The
recession caused hundreds of bankruptcies.
cause list cause list /kɔz lst/ noun a list of
cases which are to be heard by a court
cause of action cause of action /kɔz əv kʃən/
noun the reasons that entitle someone to
start legal proceedings
caution caution /kɔʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a warning
from a police officer, telling someone not
to repeat a minor crime The boys were
let off with a caution. 2. a warning by a
police officer to someone who is to be
charged with a crime that what he or she
says may be used as evidence in a trial
He typed his confession under caution.
3. a document lodged at the Land Registry
to prevent land or property being sold
43 certificate of judgment
without notice to the cautioner (NOTE: In
senses 2 and 3 caution can be used
without the or a: to lodge caution.)
verb 1. to warn someone that what he or
she has done is wrong and should not be
repeated The policeman cautioned the
boys after he caught them stealing fruit.
2. to warn someone who is to be charged
with a crime that what he or she says may
be used as evidence in a trial The accused
was arrested by the detectives and
cautioned.
cautioner cautioner /kɔʃ(ə)nə/ noun somebody
who lodges caution at the Land
Registry
caveat caveat /kvit/ noun a warning to
enter a caveat to warn legally that you
have an interest in a case or a grant of
probate, and that no steps can be taken
without notice to you
caveat emptor caveat emptor /kvit emptɔ/
phrase ‘let the buyer beware’: used to
show that the buyer is personally responsible
for checking that what he or she
buys is in good order
caveator caveator /kvitə/ noun somebody
who warns the court not to give probate
without asking his or her consent
CBCB abbreviation confined to barracks
CCCC abbreviation Chief Constable
CCR CCR abbreviation County Court Rules
CDCD abbreviation certificate of deposit
CDS CDS abbreviation Criminal Defence
Service
cease and desist order cease and desist order /sis ən d|
zst ɔdə/ noun US a court order telling
someone to stop doing something
cell cell /sel/ noun a small room in a prison
or police station where a criminal can be
kept locked up She was put in a small
cell for the night. He shares a cell with
two other prisoners.
cellmate cellmate /selmet/ noun somebody
who shares a prison cell with someone
else
censor censor /sensə/ noun an official whose
job is to say whether books, films or TV
programmes, etc., are acceptable and can
be published or shown to the public
The film was cut or was banned or was
passed by the censor. verb to say that a
book, film or TV programme, etc., cannot
be shown or published because it is
not considered right to do so All press
reports are censored by the government.
The news of the riots was censored.
The TV report has been censored and
only parts of it can be shown.
censorship censorship /sensəʃp/ noun the act
of censoring TV reporters complained
of government censorship. The government
has imposed strict press censorship
or censorship of the press.
censure censure /senʃə/ noun a criticism
verb to criticise
Central Criminal Court Central Criminal Court /sentrəl
krmn(ə)l kɔt/ noun the Crown Court
in central London. Also called Old Bailey
central government central government /sentrəl
v(ə)nmənt/ noun the main organisation
dealing with the affairs of the whole
country
central office central office /sentrəl ɒfs/ noun
the main office which controls all smaller
offices
centre centre /sentə/ noun an office or building
where people can go for information
and advice. Legal Aid Centre (NOTE:
The US spelling is center.)
certificate certificate /sə|tfkət/ noun an official
document which shows that something
is true
certificated bankrupt certificated bankrupt /sə|tfketd
bŋkr pt/ noun a bankrupt who has
been discharged from bankruptcy with a
certificate to show that he or she was not
at fault
certificate of approval certificate of approval /sə|tfkət
əv ə|pruv(ə)l/ noun a document showing
that an item has been officially approved
certificate of deposit certificate of deposit /sə|tfkət əv
d|pɒzt/ noun a document from a bank
showing that money has been deposited.
Abbreviation CD
certificate of incorporation certificate of incorporation /sə|
tfkət əv n|kɔpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a
certificate issued by the Registrar of
Companies showing that a company has
been officially incorporated and the date
at which it came into existence
certificate of judgment certificate of judgment /sə|tfkət
əv d dmənt/ noun an official document
showing the decision of a court
certificate of origin 44
certificate of origin certificate of origin /sə|tfkət əv
ɒrdn/ noun a document showing
where goods were made or produced
certificate of registration certificate of registration /sə|
tfkət əv red|streʃ(ə)n/ noun a
document showing that an item has been
registered
certificate of registry certificate of registry /sə|tfkət əv
redstri/ noun a document showing
that a ship has been officially registered
certificate of service certificate of service /sə|tfkət əv
s$vs/ noun a certificate by which a
court proves that a document was sent
and is deemed to have been served
certified accountant certified accountant /s$tfad ə|
kaυntənt/ noun an accountant who has
passed the professional examinations
and is a member of the Chartered Association
of Certified Accountants
certified cheque certified cheque /s$tfad tʃek/
noun a cheque which a bank says is good
and will be paid out of money put aside
from the bank account
certified copy certified copy /s$tfad kɒpi/
noun a document which is certified as
being exactly the same in content as the
original
certify certify /s$t|fa/ verb to make an official
declaration in writing I certify that
this is a true copy. The document is certified
as a true copy.
certiorari certiorari /s$tiə|rɑri/ phrase a Latin
word meaning ‘to be informed’
cessate grant cessate grant /seset rɑnt/ noun
a special grant of probate made because
of the incapacity of an executor, or a
grant made to renew a grant which has
expired
cesser cesser /sesə/ noun (of a mortgage,
charter, etc.) the ending
cession cession /seʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of giving
up property to someone, especially a
creditor
CFI CFI abbreviation Court of First Instance
CGT CGT abbreviation capital gains tax
chair chair /tʃeə/ noun the role of chairperson
presiding over a meeting to be in
the chair She was voted into the chair.
She is Chair of the Finance Committee.
This can be done by Chair’s action and
confirmed later. Mr Jones took the
chair Mr Jones presided over the meeting
to address the chair in a meeting,
to speak to the chairman and not directly
to the rest of the people at the meeting
to ask a question through the chair to
ask someone a question directly, by
speaking to him or her through the chairman
May I ask the councillor through
the chair why he did not declare his interest
in the matter? verb to preside
over a meeting The meeting was
chaired by Mrs Smith.
chairman chairman /tʃeəmən/ noun 1. a person
who is in charge of a meeting and holds
the casting vote chairman of the magistrates
or of the bench Mr Howard was
chairman or acted as chairman. Mr
Chairman, Madam Chairman way of
speaking to the chairman 2. a person
who presides over meetings of a Committee
of the House of Commons or of a
local council 3. somebody who presides
over the board meetings of a company
the chairman of the board or the company
chairman
chairman and managing director chairman and managing director
/tʃeəmən ən mndŋ da|rektə/
noun a managing director who is also
chairman of the board of directors
chairman of the justices chairman of the justices
/tʃeəmən əv d d stss/ noun the
chief magistrate in a magistrates’ court
chairmanship chairmanship /tʃeəmənʃp/ noun
the role of being a chairman the committee
met under the chairmanship of
Mr Jones Mr Jones chaired the meeting
of the committee
chairperson chairperson /tʃeəp$s(ə)n/ noun a
person who is in charge of a meeting and
holds the casting vote
chairwoman chairwoman /tʃeəwυmən/ noun a
woman who is in charge of a meeting and
holds the casting vote
challenge challenge /tʃlnd/ noun the act of
objecting to a decision and asking for it
to be set aside verb to refuse to accept
a juror or piece of evidence to challenge
a sentence passed by magistrates
by appeal to the Crown Court
challenge for cause challenge for cause /tʃlnd fə
kɔz/ noun US an objection to a proposed
juror, stating the reasons for the
objection
challenge without cause challenge without cause
/tʃlnd w|daυt kɔz/ noun US an
45 charge
objection to a proposed juror, not stating
the reasons for the objection
chamber chamber /tʃembə/ noun a room
where a committee or legislature meets
The meeting will be held in the council
chamber.
chambers chambers /tʃembəz/ plural noun 1.
the offices of a group of barristers who
work together and share the same staff
(NOTE: actually called ‘a set of chambers’)
2. the office of a judge the judge
heard the case in chambers in private
rooms, without the public being present
and not in open court
champerty champerty /tʃmpəti/ noun formerly,
financial help given to a person starting
a proceedings against a party, where
the person giving help has a share in the
damages to be recovered
Chancellor Chancellor /tʃɑns(ə)lə/ noun 1.
Lord Chancellor 2. US a judge who
presides over a court of equity
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
/tʃɑnsələ əv di d tʃi/ noun
a member of the British government with
no specific responsibilities
Chancellor of the Exchequer Chancellor of the Exchequer
/tʃɑnsələr əv di ks|tʃekə/ noun the
chief finance minister in the British government
Chancery Bar Chancery Bar /tʃɑnsəri bɑ/ noun
the group of barristers who specialise in
the Chancery Division
Chancery business Chancery business /tʃɑnsəri
bzns/ noun the range of legal cases relating
to the sale of land, mortgages,
trusts, estates, bankruptcies, partnerships,
patents and copyrights, probate,
and cases involving companies
Chancery Court Chancery Court /tʃɑnsəri kɔt/
noun formerly, the court presided over
by the Lord Chancellor, which established
case law or equity
Chancery Division Chancery Division /tʃɑnsəri d|
v(ə)n/ noun one of the three divisions
of the High Court, dealing with matters
such as wills, partnerships and companies,
taxation and bankruptcies
change of use change of use /tʃend əv jus/
noun an order allowing a property to be
used in a different way, e.g. a house to be
used as a business office, or a shop to be
used as a factory
channel channel /tʃn(ə)l/ noun the way in
which information or goods are passed
from one place to another to go
through the official channels to deal
with government officials, especially
when making a request to open up
new channels of communication to find
new ways of communicating with someone
chapter chapter /tʃptə/ noun 1. an official
term for an Act of Parliament 2. US a
section of an Act of Congress
Chapter 7 Chapter 7 /tʃptə sevən/ noun US
a section of the US Bankruptcy Reform
Act 1978 which sets out the rules for the
liquidation of an incorporated company
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 /tʃptə ten/ noun US a
section of the US Bankruptcy Reform
Act 1978, which allows a corporation to
be protected from demands made by its
creditors for a period of time, while it is
reorganised with a view to paying its
debts. The officers of the corporation
will negotiate with its creditors as to the
best way of reorganising the business.
Chapter 13 Chapter 13 /tʃptə θ$r|tin/ noun
US a section of the Bankruptcy Reform
Act 1978 which allows a business to continue
trading and to pay off its creditors
by regular monthly payments over a period
of time
character character /krktə/ noun the general
qualities of a person which make him or
her different from others he is a man of
good character he is an honest, hardworking
or decent man to give someone
a character reference to say that
someone has good qualities to introduce
character evidence to produce
witnesses to say that a person is of good
or bad character
charge charge /tʃɑd/ noun 1. money which
must be paid as the price of a service to
make no charge for delivery to make a
small charge for rental There is no
charge for service or no charge is made
for service. 2. charge on land, charge
over property a mortgage or liability on
a property which has been used as security
for a loan charge by way of legal
mortgage a way of borrowing money on
the security of a property, where the
mortgagor signs a deed which gives the
mortgagee an interest in the property 3.
chargeable 46
an official statement in a court accusing
someone of having committed a crime
He appeared in court on a charge of embezzling
or on an embezzlement charge.
The clerk of the court read out the
charges. to answer charges to plead
guilty or not guilty to a charge the
charges against him were withdrawn,
dropped the prosecution decided not to
continue with the trial to press charges
against someone to say formally that
someone has committed a crime He
was very angry when his neighbour’s son
set fire to his car, but decided not to press
charges. 4. a set of instructions given by
a judge to a jury, summing up the evidence
and giving advice on the points of
law which have to be considered verb
1. to ask someone to pay for services to
charge £5 for delivery How much does
he charge? he charges £9 an hour he
asks to be paid £9 for an hour’s work 2.
(in a court) to accuse someone formally
of having committed a crime He was
charged with embezzling his clients’
money. They were charged with murder.
(NOTE: You charge someone with a
crime.)
chargeable /tʃɑdəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be charged
chargee /tʃɑ|di/ noun somebody
who holds a charge over a property
sheet charge sheet /tʃɑd ʃit/ noun a
document listing the charges which a
magistrate will hear, listing the charges
against the accused together with details
of the crime committed
order charging order /tʃɑdŋ ɔdə/
noun a court order made in favour of a
judgment creditor granting them a
charge over a debtor’s property
trust charitable trust /tʃrtəb(ə)l
tr st/, charitable corporation US
/tʃrtəb(ə)l kɔpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a
trust which benefits the public as a
whole, by promoting education or religion,
helping the poor or doing other
useful work
Commissioners Charity Commissioners /tʃrt
kə|mʃ(ə)nəz/ plural noun a UK body
which governs charities and sees that
they follow the law and use their funds
for the purposes intended
charter charter /tʃɑtə/ noun 1. a document
from the Crown establishing a town, a
corporation, a university or a company 2.
the hire of transport for a special purpose
on charter to hired by a boat on
charter to Mr Smith
chartered chartered /tʃɑtəd/ adjective 1. (of a
company) set up by royal charter and not
registered as a company 2. chartered
ship, bus, plane ship or bus or plane
which has been hired for a special purpose
Chartered Accountant Chartered Accountant /tʃɑtəd ə|
kaυntənt/ noun an accountant who has
passed the professional examinations
and is a member of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants
charterer charterer /tʃɑtərə/ noun a person
who hires a ship, plane or train for a special
purpose
chartering chartering /tʃɑtərŋ/ noun the act of
hiring a ship, plane or train for a special
purpose
charterparty charterparty /tʃɑtəpɑti/ noun a
contract where the owner of a ship charters
it to someone for carrying goods
chattel mortgage chattel mortgage /tʃt(ə)l
mɔd/ noun US a mortgage using
personal property as security
chattels personal chattels personal /tʃt(ə)lz
p$s(ə)n(ə)l/ noun any property that is
not real property
chattels real chattels real /tʃt(ə)lz rəl/ noun
leaseholds
cheap labour cheap labour /tʃip lebə/ noun
workers who do not earn much money
cheap money cheap money /tʃip m ni/ noun
money which can be borrowed at a low
rate of interest
check check /tʃek/ noun 1. a sudden stop to
put a check on the sale of firearms to
stop some firearms being sold 2. an investigation
or examination a routine
check of the fire equipment The auditors
carried out checks on the petty cash
book. verb 1. to stop or delay something
to check the entry of contraband
into the country 2. to examine or to investigate
to check that an invoice is
correct to check and sign for goods
he checked the computer printout
against the invoices he examined the
47 chose
printout and the invoices to see if the figures
were the same
check sample check sample /tʃek sɑmp(ə)l/
noun a sample to be used to see if a consignment
is acceptable
cheque cheque /tʃek/, check US /tʃek/ noun
1. an order to a bank to pay money from
your account to the person whose name
is written on it 2. to endorse a cheque
to sign a cheque on the back to make it
payable to someone else to make out a
cheque to someone to write out a cheque
to someone to pay by cheque to pay by
writing a cheque, and not by using cash
or a credit card to pay a cheque into
your account to deposit a cheque to
bounce a cheque to refuse to pay a
cheque because there is not enough money
in the account to pay it (informal )
the bank referred the cheque to drawer
the bank returned the cheque to person
who wrote it because there was not
enough money in the account to pay it
to sign a cheque to sign on the front of a
cheque to show that you authorise the
bank to pay the money from your account
to stop a cheque to ask a bank
not to pay a cheque which you have written
cheque account cheque account /tʃek ə|kaυnt/
noun a bank account which allows the
customer to write cheques
chief chief /tʃif/ adjective in chief in person
Chief Constable Chief Constable /tʃif
k nstəb(ə)l/ noun the person in charge
of a police force
Chief Inspector Chief Inspector /tʃif n|spektə/
noun a rank in the police force above Inspector
or Superintendent
Chief Inspector of Prisons Chief Inspector of Prisons /tʃif
n|spektə əv przənz/ noun a government
official who is the head of the Inspectorate
of Prisons, and whose job is to
inspect prisons to see that they are being
run correctly and efficiently
Chief Justice Chief Justice /tʃif d sts/ noun
1. US a senior judge in a court 2. the presiding
justice of the US Supreme Court
child child /tʃald/ noun a person under the
age of 18
COMMENT: In Great Britain a child
does not have full legal status until the
age of eighteen. A contract is not binding
on a child, and a child cannot own
land, cannot make a will, cannot vote,
cannot drive a car (under the age of
seventeen). A child cannot marry before
the age of sixteen, and can only
marry between the ages of 16 and 18
with written permission of his or her
parents. A child who is less than ten
years old is not considered capable of
committing a crime; a child between
ten and fourteen years of age may be
considered capable of committing a
crime if there is evidence of malice or
knowledge, and so children of these
ages can in certain circumstances be
convicted. In criminal law the term
‘child’ is used for children between the
ages of 10 and 14; for children between
14 and 17, the term ‘young person’
is used; all children are termed ‘juveniles’.
child benefit child benefit /tʃald benft/ noun
money paid by the state to the person
who is responsible for a child under 16
years of age, or 19 if the child is in fulltime
education
child destruction child destruction /tʃald d|
str kʃən/ noun the notifiable offence
of killing an unborn child capable of being
born alive
child in care child in care /tʃald n keə/ noun a
child who is the subject of a care order
and is therefore in the care of the local
social services department
stealing child stealing /tʃald stilŋ/ noun
US the notifiable offence of taking away
a child from its parents or guardian
child support child support /tʃald sə|pɔt/ noun
US money paid as part of a divorce settlement,
to help maintain a child of divorced
parents
Support Agency Child Support Agency /tʃald sə|
pɔt edənsi/ noun an agency of the
Department for Work and Pensions, created
by the Child Support Act 1991,
which has responsibility for the assessment,
review, collection and enforcement
of maintenance for children, which
was previously supervised by the courts.
Abbreviation CSA
chose chose /tʃəυz/ French word meaning
‘item’ or ‘thing’ chose in action a personal
right which can be enforced or
claimed as if it were property (such as a
patent, copyright, debt or cheque)
chose in possession a physical thing
Christmas Day 48
which can be owned such as a piece of
furniture
Christmas Day Christmas Day /krsməs de/ noun
25th December, one of the four quarter
days when rent is payable on land
CID CID abbreviation Criminal Investigation
department
circuit circuit /s$kt/ noun one of six divisions
of England and Wales for legal purposes
He is a judge on the Welsh Circuit.
COMMENT: The six circuits are: Northern,
North-Eastern, Midland and Oxford,
Wales and Chester, South-Eastern,
and Western.
circuit judge circuit judge /s$kt d d/ noun a
judge in the Crown Court or a County
Court
circular letter circular letter /s$kjυlə letə/ noun
a letter sent to many people
circulation circulation /s$kjυ|leʃ(ə)n/ noun
to put money into circulation to issue
new notes to business and the public
circumstances circumstances /s$kəmstnsz/
plural noun the situation as it is when
something happens The police inspector
described the circumstances leading
to the riot. extenuating circumstances
circumstantial circumstantial /s$kəm|stnʃ(ə)l/
adjective allowing someone to infer facts
circumstantial evidence circumstantial evidence
/s$kəmstnʃ(ə)l evd(ə)ns/ noun
evidence which suggests that something
must have happened, but does not give
firm proof of it
citation citation /sa|teʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. an official
request asking someone to appear in
court (NOTE: used mainly in the Scottish
and American courts) 2. the quoting of
a legal case, authority or precedent 3. a
set of words used in giving someone an
award or honour, explaining why the
award is being made
citation clause citation clause /sa|teʃ(ə)n klɔz/
noun a clause in a Bill which gives the
short title by which it should be known
when it becomes an Act
cite cite /sat/ verb 1. to summon someone
to appear in court 2. to refer to something
The judge cited several previous cases
in his summing up. 3. to refer to an Act
of Parliament using the short title This
Act may be cited as the Electronic Communications
Act 1999.
citizen /stz(ə)n/ noun 1. somebody
who lives in a city 2. somebody who has
the nationality of a specific country He
is a French citizen by birth.
Advice Bureau Citizens’ Advice Bureau /stzənz
əd|vas bjυərəυ/ noun an office where
people can go to get free advice on legal
and administrative problems. Abbreviation
CAB
arrest citizen’s arrest /stz(ə)nz ə|rest/
noun a right of a private person to arrest
without a warrant someone suspected of
committing a crime
Citizen’s Charter Citizen’s Charter /stzənz tʃɑtə/
noun a promise by the government that
people must be fairly dealt with, in particular
by government departments and
state-controlled bodies
citizenship /stz(ə)nʃp/ noun the
right of being a citizen of a country The
Treaty has established European citizenship
for everyone who is a citizen of the
Member State of the EU.
COMMENT: A person has British citizenship
if he is born in the UK and his
father or mother is a British citizen, or
if his father or mother has settled in the
UK, or if he is adopted in the UK by a
British citizen; British citizenship can
also be granted to wives of British citizens.
civic civic /svk/ adjective referring to a
city or the official business of running a
city Their civic pride showed in the
beautiful gardens to be found everywhere
in the city.
centre civic centre /svk sentə/ noun the
main offices of a city council
civic dignitaries civic dignitaries /svk
dnt(ə)riz/ plural noun the mayor and
other senior officials of a city or town
civil civil /sv(ə)l/ adjective 1. referring to
the rights and duties of private persons or
corporate bodies, as opposed to criminal,
military or ecclesiastical bodies 2. referring
to the public in general
action civil action /sv(ə)l kʃən/ noun a
court case brought by a person or a company
(the claimant) against someone
who is alleged to have done them wrong
(the defendant)
49 claim form
civil court civil court /sv(ə)l kɔt/ noun a court
where civil actions are heard
civil disobedience civil disobedience /sv(ə)l dsə|
bidiəns/ noun US the activity of disobeying
the orders of the civil authorities
such as the police as an act of protest
The group planned a campaign of civil
disobedience as a protest against restrictions
on immigrants.
civil disorder civil disorder /sv(ə)l ds|ɔdə/
noun US riots or fighting in public places
civilian civilian /sə|vliən/ adjective referring
to people who are not in the armed forces
Civilian rule was restored after several
years of military dictatorship. The military
leaders called general elections
and gave way to a democratically elected
civilian government. noun someone
who is not a member of the armed forces
The head of the military junta has appointed
several civilians to the Cabinet.
civil law civil law /sv(ə)l lɔ/ noun laws relating
to people’s rights and to agreements
between individuals. Compare criminal
law
civil liberties civil liberties /sv(ə)l lbətiz/ plural
noun freedom for people to work or
write or speak as they want, providing
they keep within the law
Civil List Civil List /sv(ə)l lst/ noun money
appropriated from the Consolidated
Fund for paying the Royal Family and
their expenses
Civil Procedure Rules Civil Procedure Rules /sv(ə)l prə|
sidə rulz/ plural noun rules setting
out how civil cases are to be brought to
court and heard. Abbreviation CPR
civil rights civil rights /sv(ə)l rats/ plural
noun rights and privileges of each individual
according to the law
civil strife civil strife /sv(ə)l straf/ noun trouble
occurring when groups of people
fight each other, usually over matters of
principle
Civil Trial Centre Civil Trial Centre /sv(ə)l traəl
sentə/ noun a court which deals with
multi-track claims
CJCJ abbreviation Chief Justice
claim claim /klem/ noun 1. an assertion of a
legal right 2. a document used in the
County Court to start a legal action
claim for personal injuries a claim
where the claimant claims damages for
disease or physical or mental disablement
3. a statement that someone has a
right to property held by another person
4. a request for money that you believe
you should have an insurance claim
a wage claim 5. no claims bonus reduction
of premiums to be paid because
no claims have been made against the insurance
policy to put in a claim to ask
the insurance company officially to pay
for damage or loss She put in a claim
for repairs to the car. to settle a claim
to agree to pay what is asked for verb
1. to state a grievance in court 2. to ask
for money He claimed £100,000 damages
against the cleaning firm. She
claimed for repairs to the car against her
insurance. 3. to say that you have a right
to property held by someone else He is
claiming possession of the house. No
one claimed the umbrella found in my office.
4. to state that something is a fact
He claims he never received the goods.
She claims that the shares are her property.
5. to attack someone in prison
(slang) 6. to arrest someone (slang)
claimant /klemənt/ noun 1. a person
who claims something 2. somebody who
makes a claim against someone in the
civil courts. Compare defendant (NOTE:
Since the introduction of the new Civil
Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced plaintiff.)
back claim back /klem bk/ verb to ask
for money to be paid back
form claim form /klem fɔm/ noun 1. a
form which has to be completed when
making an insurance claim He filled in
the claim form and sent it to the insurance
company. 2. a form issued by a
court when requested by a claimant, containing
the particulars of claim and a
statement of value. Production Centre
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the
new Civil Procedure Rules in April
1999, this term has replaced the writ of
summons.)
COMMENT: The claim form must be
served on the defendant within four
months of being issued. If a claim form
has been issued but not served, the
defendant can ask for it to be served,
and if the claimant does not do so, the
claim may be dismissed.
class 50
class class /klɑs/ verb to put something into
a category The magazine was classed
as an obscene publication.
COMMENT: In the UK the population is
classified into social classes for statistical
purposes. These are: Class A:
higher managers, administrators and
professionals; Class B: intermediate
managers, administrators and professionals;
Class C1: supervisors, clerical
workers and junior managers;
Class C2: skilled manual workers;
Class D: semi-skilled or unskilled
manual workers; Class E: pensioners,
casual workers, long-term unemployed.
class action class action /klɑs kʃən/ noun US
a legal action brought on behalf of a
group of people
Class A drug Class A drug /klɑs e dr / noun a
strong and dangerous drug such as cocaine,
heroin, crack, or LSD
Class B drug Class B drug /klɑs bi dr / noun
a drug such as the amphetamines, cannabis
or codeine
Class C drug Class C drug /klɑs si dr / noun
a drug which is related to the amphetamines,
e.g. benzphetamine
Class F charge Class F charge /klɑs ef tʃɑd/
noun a charge on a property registered
by a spouse who is not the owner, claiming
a right to live in the property
class gift class gift /klɑs ft/ noun US a gift
to a defined group of people
classified information classified information /klsfad
nfə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun information
which is secret and can be told only to
specified people
classify classify /klsfa/ verb 1. to put into
groups or categories 2. to make information
secret
clause clause /klɔz/ noun a section of a contract
or of a constitution There are ten
clauses in the contract. According to
clause six, payment will not be due until
next year.
claw back claw back /klɔ bk/ verb 1. to take
back money which has been allocated
Income tax claws back 25% of pensions
paid out by the government. 2. (of the Inland
Revenue) to take back tax relief
which was previously granted Of the
£1m allocated to the development of the
system, the government clawed back
£100,000 in taxes.
clawback clawback /klɔbk/ noun 1. money
taken back 2. the loss of tax relief previously
granted
clean hands clean hands /klin hnds/ plural
noun the plaintiff or claimant must
have clean hands the claimant cannot
claim successfully if his or her motives
or actions are dishonest, or if his or her
own obligations to the defendant have
not been discharged
clear clear /klə/ adjective 1. easily understood
He made it clear that he wanted
the manager to resign. There was no
clear evidence or clear proof that he was
in the house at the time of the murder. 2.
to have a clear title to something to
have a right to something with no limitations
or charges 3. three clear days a
period of time, calculated without including
the first day when the period
starts and the last day when it finishes,
that includes three full days Allow
three clear days for the cheque to be paid
into your account. verb 1. to clear
goods through the customs to have all
documentation passed by the customs so
that goods can leave the country 2. to
clear 10%, $5,000 on the deal to make
10% or $5,000 clear profit we cleared
only our expenses the sales revenue paid
only for the costs and expenses without
making any profit 3. to clear a cheque
to pass a cheque through the banking
system, so that the money is transferred
from the payer’s account to another account
The cheque took ten days to clear
or the bank took ten days to clear the
cheque. 4. to clear someone of charges
to find that someone is not guilty of
the charges against him or her He was
cleared of all charges or he was cleared
on all counts. 5. to clear a debt to pay
all of a debt
clearance certificate clearance certificate /klərəns sə|
tfkət/ noun a document which shows
that goods have been passed by customs
clearing clearing /klərŋ/ noun 1. clearing
of goods through the customs the passing
of goods through customs 2. clearing
of a debt the payment of all of a debt
clearing bank clearing bank /klərŋ bŋk/ noun a
bank which clears cheques by transferring
money from the payer’s account to
another account
51 closing time
clearing house clearing house /klərŋ haυs/ noun
a central office where clearing banks exchange
cheques
clear profit clear profit /klə prɒft/ noun the
profit made after all expenses have been
paid We made $6,000 clear profit on
the sale.
clear up clear up /klər p/ verb to discover
who has committed a crime and arrest
them Half the crimes committed are
never cleared up.
COMMENT: Clear up can be divided
into two categories: primary clear up,
when a crime is solved by arresting the
suspect, and secondary clear up,
where a person charged with one
crime then confesses to another which
had not previously been solved.
clear-up rate clear-up rate /klə p ret/ noun the
number of crimes solved, as a percentage
of all crimes committed
clemency clemency /klemənsi/ noun pardon or
mercy As an act of clemency, the president
granted an amnesty to all political
prisoners.
clerical clerical /klerk(ə)l/ adjective related
to the type of work done in an office
clerical error clerical error /klerk(ə)l erə/ noun a
mistake made in an office
clerical staff clerical staff /klerk(ə)l stɑf/ noun
the staff of an office
clerical work clerical work /klerk(ə)l w$k/ noun
paperwork done in an office
clerical worker clerical worker /klerk(ə)l w$kə/
noun somebody who works in an office
clerk clerk /klɑk/ noun somebody who
works in an office accounts clerk
sales clerk wages clerk
clerk of works clerk of works /klɑk əv w$ks/
noun an official who superintends the
construction of a building
clerkship clerkship /kl$kʃp/ noun US the
time when a student lawyer is working in
the office of a lawyer before being admitted
to the bar (NOTE: The British term is
traineeship.)
click-wrap agreement click-wrap agreement /klk rp ə|
rimənt/ noun a contract entered into
when purchasing an item on the Internet,
where no paper documentation exists
and the agreement to purchase is made
by clicking on the appropriate button
client client /klaənt/ noun 1. a person who
pays for a service carried out by a professional
person such as an accountant or a
solicitor 2. somebody who is represented
by a lawyer The solicitor paid the fine
on behalf of his client.
clientele clientele /kliɒn|tel/ noun all the clients
of a business such as a shop, restaurant
or hotel
close close /kləυz/ adjective close to very
near, almost The company was close to
bankruptcy. We are close to solving the
crime. verb to close the accounts to
come to the end of an accounting period
and make up the profit and loss account
to close an account 1. to stop supplying
a customer on credit 2. to take all
the money out of a bank account and stop
the account
close company close company /kləυs k mp(ə)ni/,
close corporation US /kləυz kɔpə|
reʃ(ə)n/, closed corporation /kləυzd
kɔpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a privately owned
company where the public may own a
small number of shares
close down close down /kləυz daυn/ verb to
shut a shop or factory for a long period or
for ever The company is closing down
its London office.
closed session closed session /kləυzd seʃ(ə)n/
noun a meeting which is not open to the
public or to journalists The town council
met in closed session to discuss staff
problems in the Education Department.
The public gallery was cleared when
the meeting went into closed session.
close protection officer close protection officer /kləυs
prə|tekʃ(ə)n ɒfsə/ noun someone
who is employed to protect a celebrity or
public figure from attack
closing closing /kləυzŋ/ adjective coming at
the end of something
closing speeches closing speeches /kləυsŋ
spitʃəz/ plural noun final speeches for
and against a motion in a debate, or for
prosecution and defence at the end of a
trial
closing stock closing stock /kləυzŋ stɒk/ noun
the value of stock at the end of an accounting
period
closing time closing time /kləυzŋ tam/ noun
the time when a shop or office stops
work
closure 52
closure closure /kləυə/ noun 1. the act of
closing 2. (in the House of Commons)
the ending of a debate
COMMENT: When an MP wishes to end
the debate on a motion, he says ‘I
move that the question be now put’
and the Speaker immediately puts the
motion to the vote.
closure motion closure motion /kləoə məυʃ(ə)n/
noun a proposal to end a debate
CLS CLS abbreviation Community Legal
Service
clue clue /klu/ noun something which helps
someone solve a crime The police have
searched the room for clues. The police
have several clues to the identity of the
murdered.
CoCo abbreviation company J. Smith &
Co Ltd
co- co- /kəυ/ prefix working or acting together
c/o c/o abbreviation care of
co-creditor co-creditor /kəυ kredtə/ noun
somebody who is a creditor of the same
company as you are
c.o.d. c.o.d. abbreviation US cash on delivery
code code /kəυd/ noun 1. an official set of
laws or regulations. Highway Code,
penal code 2. the set of laws of a country
the Louisiana Code US the laws of
the state of Louisiana 3. a set of semi-official
rules 4. a system of signs, numbers
or letters which mean something The
spy sent his message in code. verb to
write a message using secret signs We
received coded instructions from our
agent in New York.
co-decision procedure co-decision procedure /kəυ d|
s(ə)n prə|sidə/ noun (in the EU) a
procedure by which the Commission
sends proposed legislation to both the
Council of the European Union and the
European Parliament for approval
co-defendant co-defendant /kəυ d|fendənt/
noun somebody who appears in a case
with another defendant
Code Napoleon Code Napoleon /kəυd nə|pəυliən/
noun the civil laws of France, introduced
by Napoleon
code of conduct code of conduct /kəυd əv
kɒnd kt/ noun a set of rules of behaviour
by which a group of people work
code of practice code of practice /kəυd əv
prkts/ noun 1. rules to be followed
when applying a law the Code of Practice
on Picketing has been issued by the
Secretary of State 2. a set of rules drawn
up by an association which the members
must follow in their work
codicil codicil /kəυdsl/ noun a document
executed in the same way as a will, making
additions or changes to an existing
will
codification codification /kəυdf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. the act of bringing all laws together
into a formal legal code 2. the act of
bringing together all statutes and case
law relating to a specific issue, to make a
single Act of Parliament. consolidation
codify codify /kəυdfa/ verb to put different
laws together to form a code
coding coding /kəυdŋ/ noun the act of
putting a code on something to identify
or classify it the coding of invoices
co-director co-director /kəυ da|rektə/ noun a
person who is a director of the same
company as another person
coercion coercion /kəυ|$ʃ(ə)n/ noun the use
of force to make someone commit a
crime or do some act
cohabit cohabit /kəυ|hbt/ verb (of a man
and a woman) to live together as husband
and wife
cohabitant cohabitant /kəυ|hbtənt/ noun
same as cohabiter
cohabitation cohabitation /kəυ|hb|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the practice of living together as
husband and wife whether legally married
or not
cohabiter cohabiter /kəυ|hbtə/, cohabitee
/kəυ|hb|ti/ noun a person who lives
with another as husband or wife but is
not legally married
co-heir co-heir /kəυ eə/ noun somebody who
is an heir with others
co-insurance co-insurance /kəυ n|ʃυərəns/
noun insurance where the risk is shared
among several insurers
collaborative divorce collaborative divorce /kə|
lb(ə)rətv d|vɔs/ noun a divorce of
which the terms are agreed by both
spouses and their solicitors before presenting
the final agreement to a judge
without a trial
53 commercial lawyer
collateral collateral /kə|lt(ə)rəl/ noun security
used to provide a guarantee for a loan
collateral security adjective providing
security for a loan
collateral contract collateral contract /kə|lt(ə)rəl
kɒntrkt/ noun a contract which induces
a person to enter into a more important
contract
collateral issue collateral issue /kə|lt(ə)rəl ʃu/
noun an issue which arises from a plea in
a criminal court
collation collation /kə|leʃ(ə)n/ noun the comparison
of a copy with the original to see
if it is perfect
collect collect /kə|lekt/ verb 1. to make someone
pay money which is owed to collect
a debt to go and make someone pay
a debt 2. to take goods away from a place
We have to collect the stock from the
warehouse. Can you collect my letters
from the typing pool? letters are collected
twice a day the post office employees
take them from the letter box to
the post office so that they can be sent off
collection collection /kə|lekʃən/ noun 1. the activity
of making someone pay money
which is owed 2. the act of fetching
goods The stock is in the warehouse
awaiting collection. to hand something
in for collection to leave something
for someone to come and collect 3.
the taking of letters from a letter box or
mail room to the post office to be sent off
There are six collections a day from the
letter box.
collection charges collection charges /kə|lekʃən
tʃɑdz/ plural noun charges which
have to be paid for collecting something
collections collections /kə|lekʃənz/ plural noun
money which has been collected
collective collective /kə|lektv/ adjective working
together
collective ownership collective ownership /kə|lektv
əυnəʃp/ noun ownership of a business
by the employees who work in it
collective responsibility collective responsibility /kə|
lektv r|spɒns|blti/ noun a doctrine
that all members of a group are responsible
together for the actions of that group
collector collector /kə|lektə/ noun somebody
who makes people pay money which is
owed collector of taxes or tax collector
debt collector
collusion collusion /kə|lu(ə)n/ noun illicit cooperation
between people in order to
cheat another party or to defraud another
party of a right He was suspected of
collusion with the owner of the property.
to act in collusion with to co-operate
with someone in a way that is not allowed
in order to cheat or defraud another
party They had acted in collusion
with a former employee.
collusive action collusive action /kə|lusv kʃən/
noun an action which is taken in collusion
with another party
comity comity /kɒmti/ noun US the custom
by which courts in one state defer to the
jurisdiction of courts in other states or to
federal courts
comity of nations comity of nations /kɒmti əv
neʃ(ə)nz/ noun the custom whereby
the courts of one country acknowledge
and apply the laws of another country
command command /kə|mɑnd/ noun an order
by Royal Command by order of the
Queen or King
commander commander /kə|mɑndə/ noun a
high rank in the Metropolitan Police
force, equivalent to Assistant Chief Constable
commencement commencement /kə|mensmənt/
noun the beginning commencement
of proceedings the start of proceedings
in a County Court date of commencement
the date when an Act of Parliament
takes effect
comment comment /kɒment/ noun a remark
giving a spoken or written opinion The
judge made a comment on the evidence
presented by the defence. The newspaper
has some short comments about the
trial.
commentary commentary /kɒmənt(ə)ri/ noun 1.
a textbook which comments on the law
2. brief notes which comment on the
main points of a judgment
Commercial Court Commercial Court /kə|m$ʃ(ə)l
kɔt/ noun a court in the Queen’s Bench
Division which hears cases relating to
business disputes
commercial law commercial law /kə|m$ʃ(ə)l lɔ/
noun law regarding the conduct of businesses
commercial lawyer commercial lawyer /kə|m$ʃ(ə)l
lɔjə/ noun US someone who specialis-
commercial premises 54
es in company law or who advises companies
on legal problems
commercial premises commercial premises /kə|m$ʃ(ə)l
premisz/ plural noun same as business
premises
commission commission /kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a
group of people officially appointed to
examine or be in charge of something
The government has appointed a commission
of inquiry to look into the problems
of prison overcrowding. He is the
chairman of the government commission
on football violence. Law Commission,
Royal Commission 2. a request
to someone such as an artist or architect
to do a piece of work for which they will
be paid 3. a payment, usually a percentage
of turnover, made to an agent She
has an agent’s commission of 15% of
sales. 4. an official position of being an
officer in the army 5. the act of committing
a crime
commission agent commission agent /kə|mʃ(ə)n
edənt/ noun an agent who is paid by
commission, not by fee
commissioner commissioner /kə|mʃ(ə)nə/ noun a
person who has an official commission
commissioner for oaths commissioner for oaths /kə|
mʃ(ə)nə fər əυds/ noun a solicitor
appointed by the Lord Chancellor to administer
affidavits which may be used in
court
commissioner of police commissioner of police /kə|
mʃ(ə)nər əv pə|lis/ noun the highest
rank in a police force
Commissioners of Inland Revenue Commissioners of Inland Revenue
/kə|mʃ(ə)nəz əv nlənd
revənju/ noun the Board of Inland
Revenue
Commission for Racial Equality Commission for Racial Equality
/kə|mʃ(ə)n fə reʃ(ə)l |kwɒlti/ noun
in the UK, an official committee set up to
deal with issues relating to equal treatment
of ethnic groups. Abbreviation
CRE
Commission of the European Community Commission of the European
Community noun the main executive
body of the EC, one of the four bodies
which form the basis of the European
Community, made up of members from
each state
COMMENT: The Commission is formed
of 20 members or Commissioners who
are appointed by the governments of
the Member States. The larger Member
States (France, Germany, Italy,
Spain and the UK) have two Commissioners
each and the other smaller
countries appoint one each. Each
Commissioner is appointed for a fiveyear
renewable term, and all the appointments
end together, so the Commission
is either changed or renewed
every five years. Member States cannot
dismiss the Commission, but can
refuse to renew the term of appointment.
The European Parliament can
force the entire Commission to resign,
but cannot dismiss an individual Commissioner.
The European Court of Justice
can force a Commissioner to retire
on grounds of misconduct. The Commission
is headed by the President of
the European Commission, with two
Vice-Presidents. The Commissioners
are not supposed to be the representatives
of their respective governments
but must take the interests of the Community
as a whole into account. Each
commissioner has his or her own private
office or Cabinet, headed by a
Chef de Cabinet. The Commission has
23 departments called Directorates
General, each headed by a Director-
General, the Directorates General are
subdivided into Directorates, and
these are subdivided into Divisions.
Each Directorate General is responsible
to one of the Commissioners. The
Commission represents all the Member
States in negotiations with other
parties, for example in trade negotiations
with the USA. The Commission
proposes laws for the European Community,
and the Council of Ministers
makes decisions accordingly. The
Commission can make proposals regarding
some legal matters and some
matters concerning the internal security
of Member States, but its main role
is that of a watchdog, seeing that treaty
obligations are carried out by Member
States.
commit /kə|mt/ verb 1. to send someone
to prison or to a court He was committed
for trial in the Central Criminal
Court. The magistrates committed her
for trial at the Crown Court. 2. to carry
out a crime The gang committed six
robberies before they were caught.
(NOTE: committing – committed)
commitment /kə|mtmənt/ noun an
order for sending someone to prison
commitments /kə|mtmənts/ plural
noun things which have to be done fi-
55 common ownership
nancial commitments debts which have
to be paid to honour your commitments
to do what you are obliged to do
committal committal /kə|mt(ə)l/ noun the act of
sending someone to a court or to prison
committal for trial the act of sending
someone to be tried in a higher court following
committal proceedings in a magistrates’
court committal for sentence
the act of sending someone who has been
convicted in a magistrates court to be
sentenced in a higher court
committal order committal order /kə|mt(ə)l ɔdə/
noun an order sending someone to prison
for a contempt of court offence such
as perjury
committal proceedings committal proceedings /kə|
mt(ə)l prə|sidŋz/ plural noun the
preliminary hearing of a case in a magistrates’
court, to decide if it is serious
enough to be tried before a jury in a higher
court
committal warrant committal warrant /kə|mt(ə)l
wɒrənt/ noun an order sending someone
to serve a prison sentence
committee committee /kə|mti/ noun 1. an official
group of people who organise or
plan for a larger group to be a member
of a committee or to sit on a committee
He was elected to the Finance Committee
The new plans have to be approved
by the committee members. She is attending
a committee meeting. He is the
chairman of the Planning Committee.
She is the secretary of the Housing Committee.
to chair a committee to be the
chairman of a committee 2. a section of
a legislature which considers bills passed
to it by the main chamber 3. a person to
whom something such as the charge of
someone who is incapable of looking after
himself or herself is officially given
Committee of Privileges Committee of Privileges /kə|mti
əv prvldz/ noun a special committee
of the House of Commons which examines
cases of breach of privilege
Committee of the Parliamentary Commission Committee of the Parliamentary
Commission /kə|mti əv də pɑlə|
ment(ə)ri kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun a committee
which examines reports by the Ombudsman
Committee of Ways and Means Committee of Ways and Means
/kə|mti əv wez ən minz/ noun a
committee of the whole House of Commons
which examines a Supply Bill
Stage Committee Stage /kə|mti sted/
noun one of the stages in the discussion
of a Bill, where each clause is examined
in detail The Bill is at Committee Stage
and will not become law for several
months.
common /kɒmən/ adjective 1. which
happens very often Putting the headed
paper into the photocopier upside down
is a common mistake. Being caught by
the customs is very common these days.
2. referring to or belonging to several
different people or to everyone 3. in
common together or jointly. tenancy
in common
ancestor common ancestor /kɒmən
nsestə/ noun a person from whom
two or more people are descended
assault common assault /kɒmən ə|sɔlt/
noun the crime or tort of acting in such a
way that another person is afraid he or
she will be attacked and hurt
carrier common carrier /kɒmən kriə/
noun a firm which carries goods or passengers,
which cannot usually refuse to
do so, and which can be used by anyone
land common land /kɒmən lnd/ noun
an area of land to which the public has
access for walking
law common law /kɒmən lɔ/ noun 1. a
law established on the basis of decisions
by the courts, rather than by statute 2. a
general system of laws which formerly
were the only laws existing in England,
but which in some cases have been superseded
by statute (NOTE: You say at
common law when referring to something
happening according to the principles
of common law.)
law common-law /kɒmən lɔ/ adjective
according to the old unwritten system of
law common-law marriage situation
where two people live together as husband
and wife without being married
common-law spouse, wife somebody
who has lived or is living with another as
husband or wife, although they have not
been legally married
ownership common ownership /kɒmən
əυnəʃp/ noun ownership of a company
common position 56
or of a property by a group of people who
each own a part
common position common position /kɒmən pə|
zʃ(ə)n/ noun a position taken by the
Council of the European Union on proposed
legislation, which is then passed to
the European Parliament for approval. It
can be adopted or rejected by the Parliament,
and the Parliament may propose
changes to the proposed common position.
common pricing common pricing /kɒmən prasŋ/
noun the illegal fixing of prices by several
businesses so that they all charge the
same price
Commons Commons /kɒmənz/ plural noun
same as House of Commons The
Commons voted against the Bill. The
majority of the Commons are in favour of
law reform.
common seal common seal /kɒmən sil/ noun a
metal stamp which every company must
possess, used to stamp documents with
the name of the company to show they
have been approved officially to attach
the company’s seal to a document
Common Serjeant Common Serjeant /kɒmən
sɑdənt/ noun a senior barrister who
sits as a judge in the City of London and
acts as adviser to the City of London
Corporation
commorientes commorientes /kəυ|mɒri|entiz/
plural noun people who die at the same
time, e.g. a husband and wife who both
die in the same accident
COMMENT: In such cases, the law assumes
that the younger person has
died after the older one; this rule also
applies to testators and beneficiaries
who die at the same time.
commune commune /kɒmjun/ noun a group
of people who live and work together,
and share their possessions
communicate communicate /kə|mjun|ket/ verb
to pass information to someone The
members of the jury must not communicate
with the witnesses.
communication communication /kə|mjun|
keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the passing of information
between different people to enter
into communication with someone
to start discussing something with someone,
usually in writing We have entered
into communication with the relevant
government department. 2. an official
message We have had a communication
from the local tax inspector.
communications communications /kə|mjun|
keʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun the ways people
use to give information or express their
thoughts and feelings to each other After
the flood all communications with the
outside world were broken.
community community /kə|mjunti/ noun 1. a
group of people living or working in the
same place the local business community
the business people living and working
in the area 2. same as European
Community the Community finance
ministers the finance ministers of all the
countries of the European Community
Community act Community act /kə|mjunti kt/
noun a legal act of the European Union
which has the force of law
community charge community charge /kə|mjunti
tʃɑd/ noun a local tax levied on each
eligible taxpayer. Also known as poll
tax
community home community home /kə|mjunti
həυm/ noun a house which belongs to a
local authority, where children in care
can live
Community Legal Service Community Legal Service /kə|
mjunəti li(ə)l s$vs/ noun a system
that consolidates previous features
of the legal aid scheme, which it replaced
in April 2000, in a re-structured form,
outlining strict financial criteria for eligibility.
It is administered by the Legal
Services Commission who ensure that
public funds are made available to those
individuals in need of it most. Legal assistance
is broken down into six differing
levels of assistance: (1) legal help (2)
help at court; (3) investigative help; (4)
full representation (5) support funding;
(6) specific directions.
Community legislation Community legislation /kə|
mjunti led|sleʃ(ə)n/, Community
law noun 1. regulations or directives issued
by the EC Council of Ministers or
the EC Commission 2. laws created by
the European Community which are
binding on Member States and their citizens
community policing community policing /kə|mjunti
pə|lisŋ/ noun a way of policing a section
of a town, where the members of the
57 compellability
local community and the local police
force act together to prevent crime and
disorder, with policemen on foot patrol
rather than in patrol cars
community property community property /kə|mjunti
prɒpəti/ noun in the USA, Canada,
France and many other countries, a situation
where a husband and wife jointly
own any property which they acquire
during the course of their marriage.
Compare separate property
community service community service /kə|mjunti
s$vs/ noun work that someone has to
do in their spare time as punishment for
some offences instead of going to prison
community service order community service order /kə|
mjunti s$vs ɔdə/ noun a punishment
where a convicted person is sentenced
to do unpaid work in the local
community. Abbreviation CSO
community support officer community support officer /kə|
mjunti sə|pɔt ɒfsə/ noun Police
Community Support Officer
commutation commutation /kɒmjυ|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the reduction of a punishment to
one that is less severe
commute commute /kə|mjut/ verb 1. to travel
to work from home each day He commutes
from the country to his office in the
centre of town. 2. to change a right into
cash 3. to reduce a harsh sentence to a
lesser one The death sentence was
commuted to life imprisonment.
compact compact /kɒmpkt/ noun an agreement
Companies Act Companies Act /k mp(ə)niz kt/
noun in the UK, an Act which states the
legal limits within which a company may
do business
Companies House Companies House /k mpəniz
haυs/ noun in the UK, an office which
keeps details of incorporated companies
companies’ register companies’ register /k mpəniz
redstə/ noun a list of companies
showing their directors and registered
addresses, and statutory information kept
at Companies House for public inspection
company company /k mp(ə)ni/ noun 1. a
group of people organised to buy, sell or
provide a service 2. a group of people organised
to buy or sell or provide a service
which has been legally incorporated, and
so is a legal entity separate from its individual
members a tractor or aircraft
or chocolate company a company
which makes tractors or aircraft or chocolate
a company of good standing a
very reputable company to put a company
into liquidation to close a company
by selling its assets to pay its creditors
to set up a company to start a company
legally 3. companies’ register, register
of companies list of companies
showing details of their directors and
registered addresses 4. an organisation in
the City of London which does mainly
charitable work and is derived from one
of the former trade associations the
Drapers’ Company the Grocers’ Company
company director company director /k mp(ə)ni da|
rektə/ noun a person appointed by the
shareholders to run a company
company flat company flat /k mp(ə)ni flt/
noun a flat owned by a company and
used by members of staff from time to
time (NOTE: The US term is apartment.)
company law company law /k mp(ə)ni lɔ/ noun
law relating to the way companies may
operate
company member company member /k mp(ə)ni
membə/ noun a shareholder in a company
company promoter company promoter /k mp(ə)ni
prə|məυtə/ noun a person who organises
the setting up of a new company
company rules company rules /k mp(ə)ni rulz/,
company rules and regulations
/k mp(ə)ni rulz ən rejυ|leʃ(ə)nz/
plural noun the general way of working
in a company
company secretary company secretary /k mp(ə)ni
sekrt(ə)ri/ noun somebody who is responsible
for a company’s legal and financial
affairs
comparative law comparative law /kəm|prətv lɔ/
noun a study which compares the legal
systems of different countries
compel compel /kəm|pel/ verb to force someone
to do something The Act compels
all drivers to have adequate insurance.
(NOTE: compelling – compelled)
compellability compellability /kəm|pelə|blti/
noun the fact of being compellable
compellable 58
compellable /kəm|peləb(ə)l/ adjective
able to be forced to do something
a compellable witness
compensate /kɒmpənset/ verb to
pay for damage done to compensate a
manager for loss of commission
compensation /kɒmpən|seʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. payment made by someone to
cover the cost of damage or hardship
which he or she has caused Unlimited
compensation may be awarded in the
Crown Court. compensation for damage
payment for damage done compensation
for loss of office payment to a
director who is asked to leave a company
before his or her contract ends compensation
for loss of earnings payment
to someone who has stopped earning
money or who is not able to earn money
2. US a payment made to someone for
work which has been done
fund compensation fund /kɒmpən|
seʃ(ə)n f nd/ noun a special fund set
up by the Law Society to compensate clients
for loss suffered because of the actions
of solicitors
order compensation order /kɒmpən|
seʃ(ə)n ɔdə/ noun an order made by
a criminal court which forces a criminal
to pay compensation to his or her victim
package compensation package /kɒmpən|
seʃ(ə)n pkd/ noun the salary, pension
and other benefits offered with a job
damages compensatory damages
/kɒmpənset(ə)ri dmdz/ plural
noun damages which compensate for
loss or harm suffered
compete /kəm|pit/ verb to compete
with someone or with a company
to try to do better than another person or
another company
competence /kɒmpt(ə)ns/, competency
/kɒmpt(ə)nsi/ noun 1. the
ability to do something effectively 2. the
fact of being able to give evidence (NOTE:
Anyone is able to give evidence, except
the sovereign, persons who are mentally
ill, and spouses when the other
spouse is being prosecuted.) 3. the
case falls within the competence of the
court the court is legally able to deal
with the case
competent competent /kɒmpt(ə)nt/ adjective
1. able to do something She is a competent
secretary or a competent manager.
2. efficient 3. legally able to do something
Most people are competent to
give evidence. the court is not competent
to deal with this case the court is
not legally able to deal with the case
competition competition /kɒmpə|tʃ(ə)n/ noun
the process of attempting to do better and
be more successful than another company
competitor competitor /kəm|pettə/ noun a person
or company which competes Two
German firms are our main competitors.
The contract of employment forbids
members of staff from leaving to go to
work for competitors.
complainant complainant /kəm|plenənt/ noun
somebody who makes a complaint or
who starts proceedings against someone
complaint complaint /kəm|plent/ noun 1. a
statement that you feel something is
wrong When making a complaint, always
quote the reference number. She
sent her letter of complaint to the managing
director. to make or lodge a complaint
against someone to write and
send an official complaint to someone’s
superior 2. a document signed to start
proceedings in a Magistrates’ Court 3. a
statement of the case made by the claimant
at the beginning of a civil action
complaints procedure complaints procedure /kəm|
plents prə|sidə/ noun an agreed
way of presenting complaints formally,
e.g. from an employee to the management
of a company
complete complete /kəm|plit/ adjective whole,
with nothing missing The order is complete
and ready for sending. The order
should be delivered only if it is complete.
verb 1. to finish The factory completed
the order in two weeks. How long
will it take you to complete the job? 2.
to complete a conveyance to convey a
property to a purchaser, when the purchaser
pays the purchase price and the
vendor hands over the signed conveyance
and the deeds of the property
completion completion /kəm|pliʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the act of finishing something 2. the last
stage in the sale of a property when the
solicitors for the two parties meet, when
59 computer language
the purchaser pays and the vendor passes
the conveyance and the deeds to the purchaser
completion date completion date /kəm|pliʃ(ə)n
det/ noun the date when something will
be finished
completion statement completion statement /kəm|
pliʃ(ə)n stetmənt/ noun a statement
of account from a solicitor to a client
showing all the costs of the sale or purchase
of a property
compliance compliance /kəm|plaəns/ noun
willingness to do what is ordered The
documents have been drawn up in compliance
with the provisions of the Act.
compliant compliant /kəm|plaənt/ adjective
agreeing with something not compliant
with not in agreement with The
settlement is not compliant with the earlier
order of the court.
compliments slip compliments slip /kɒmplmənts
slp/ noun a piece of paper with the
name of a company printed on it, sent
with documents, gifts, etc., instead of a
letter
comply comply /kəm|pla/ verb to comply
with to obey The company has complied
with the court order. She refused
to comply with the injunction.
composition composition /kɒmpə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun
an agreement between a debtor and creditors
to settle a debt immediately by repaying
only part of it
compos mentis compos mentis /kɒmpɒs ments/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘of sound
mind’ or ‘sane’
compound compound /kəm|paυnd/ verb 1. to
agree with creditors to settle a debt by
paying part of what is owed 2. to compound
an offence to agree (in return for
payment) not to prosecute someone who
has committed an offence
comprehensive comprehensive /kɒmpr|hensv/
adjective including everything
comprehensive insurance comprehensive insurance
/kɒmprhensv n|ʃυərəns/ noun insurance
which covers you against a large
number of possible risks
comprehensive policy comprehensive policy
/kɒmprhensv pɒlsi/ noun an insurance
policy which covers risks of any
kind, with no exclusions
compromise compromise /kɒmprəmaz/ noun
an agreement between two sides, where
each side gives way a little in order to
reach a settlement After some discussion
a compromise solution was reached.
verb 1. to reach an agreement by giving
way a little He asked £15 for it, I offered
£7 and we compromised on £10. 2.
to involve someone in something which
makes his or her reputation less good
The minister was compromised in the
bribery case.
comptroller comptroller /kən|trəυlə/ noun the
person in charge, especially referring to
accounts
Comptroller and Auditor-General Comptroller and Auditor-General
/kən|trəυlə ən ɔdtə den(ə)rəl/
noun an official whose duty is to examine
the accounts of ministries and government
departments and who heads the
National Audit Office
compulsory compulsory /kəm|p lsəri/ adjective
being forced or ordered
compulsory liquidation compulsory liquidation /kəm|
p lsəri lkw|deʃ(ə)n/ noun liquidation
which is ordered by a court
compulsory purchase compulsory purchase /kəm|
p lsəri p$tʃs/ noun the buying of a
property by the local council or the government
even if the owner does not want
to sell
compulsory purchase order compulsory purchase order /kəm|
p lsəri p$tʃs ɔdə/ noun an official
order from a local authority or from the
government ordering an owner to sell his
or her property
compulsory winding up order compulsory winding up order
/kəm|p lsəri wandŋ p ɔdə/ noun
an order from a court saying that a company
must be wound up (stop trading)
computer error computer error /kəm|pjutər erə/
noun a mistake made by a computer
computer fraud computer fraud /kəm|pjutə frɔd/
noun fraud committed by using data
stored on computer
computerise computerise /kəm|pjutəraz/,
computerize verb to change from a
manual system to one using computers
The police criminal records have been
completely computerised.
computer language computer language /kəm|pjutə
lŋwd/ noun a system of signs, let-
computer program 60
ters and words used to instruct a computer
program computer program /kəm|pjutə
prəυrm/ noun a set of instructions to
a computer, telling it to do a particular
piece of work
time computer time /kəm|pjutə tam/
noun the time when a computer is being
used (paid for at an hourly rate)
con /kɒn/ noun 1. a trick done to try to
get money from someone (informal )
Trying to get us to pay him for ten hours’
overtime was just a con. 2. same as convict
(slang) 3. same as conviction
(slang) verb to trick someone to try to
get money (informal ) They conned the
bank into lending them £25,000 with no
security. He conned the finance company
out of £100,000. (NOTE: conning –
conned. Note also you con someone
into doing something.)
conceal /kən|sil/ verb to hide She
was accused of concealing information.
The accused had a gun concealed under
his coat.
concealment concealment /kən|silmənt/ noun
the act hiding something for criminal
purposes concealment of assets the act
of hiding assets so that creditors do not
know they exist concealment of birth
a notifiable offence of hiding the fact that
a child has been born
concede concede /kən|sid/ verb to admit that
an opposing party is right Counsel conceded
that his client owed the money.
The witness conceded under questioning
that he had never been near the house.
to concede defeat to admit that you have
lost
concern /kən|s$n/ noun a business or
company his business is a going concern
the company is working (and making
a profit) sold as a going concern
sold as an actively trading company
verb to deal with, to be connected with
The court is not concerned with the value
of the items stolen. The report does not
concern itself with the impartiality of the
judge. He has been asked to give evidence
to the commission of inquiry concerning
the breakdown of law and order.
The contract was drawn up with the
agreement of all parties concerned.
party concert party /kɒnsət pɑti/ noun
an arrangement by which several people
or companies act together in secret to
take over a company
concession /kən|seʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the right to use someone else’s property
for business purposes 2. the right to be
the only seller of a product in a place
She runs a jewellery concession in a department
store. 3. an allowance 4. an act
of accepting defeat
concessionaire /kən|seʃə|neə/
noun somebody who has the right to be
the only seller of a product in a place
conciliation /kən|sli|eʃ(ə)n/ noun
the activity of bringing together the parties
in a dispute so that the dispute can be
settled
Service Conciliation Service /kən|sli|
eʃ(ə)n s$vs/ noun same as Advisory
Conciliation and Arbitration Service
conclude /kən|klud/ verb 1. to complete
successfully to conclude an
agreement with someone 2. to believe
from evidence The police concluded
that the thief had got into the building
through the main entrance.
conclusion /kən|klu(ə)n/ noun 1.
an opinion which is reached after careful
thought and examination of the evidence
The police have come to the conclusion
or have reached the conclusion that the
bomb was set off by radio control. 2.
conclusion of fact US a statement of a
decision by a judge, based on facts
conclusion of law a statement of a decision
by a judge, based on rules of law 3.
the final completion the conclusion of
the defence counsel’s address in conclusion
finally, at the end In conclusion,
the judge thanked the jury for their
long and patient service.
conclusive /kən|klusv/ adjective
proving something The fingerprints on
the gun were conclusive evidence that
the accused was guilty.
conclusively /kən|klusvli/ adverb
in a way which proves a fact The evidence
of the eye witness proved conclusively
that the accused was in the town at
the time the robbery was committed.
61 conditional will
concordat concordat /kən|kɔdt/ noun agreement
between the Roman Catholic
Church and a government, which allows
the Church specific rights and privileges
concur concur /kən|k$/ verb to agree Smith
LJ dismissed the appeal, Jones and
White LJJ concurring.
concurrence concurrence /kən|k rəns/ noun
agreement between different people In
concurrence with the other judges, Smith
LJ dismissed the appeal.
concurrent concurrent /kən|k rənt/ adjective
taking place at the same time. consecutive
concurrently concurrently /kən|k rəntli/ adverb
taking place at the same time He was
sentenced to two periods of two years in
prison, the sentences to run concurrently.
consecutively
concurrent power concurrent power /kən|k rənt
paυə/ noun a power which is held concurrently
by a Member State and by the
community, where the Member State can
exercise the power up to the point at
which the community exercises its
rights. If the community acts, the power
becomes exclusive to the community and
the Member State can no longer act.
concurrent sentence concurrent sentence /kən|k rənt
sentəns/ noun a sentence which takes
place at the same time as another He
was given two concurrent jail sentences
of six months.
condemn condemn /kən|dem/ verb 1. to sentence
someone to be punished The
prisoners were condemned to death. 2. to
say that a dwelling is not fit for people to
live in
condemnation condemnation /kɒndem|neʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the act of sentencing of someone
to a particular severe punishment 2. the
forfeit of a piece of property when it has
been legally seized
condemned cell condemned cell /kən|demd sel/
noun US a cell where a prisoner is kept
who has been sentenced to death
condition condition /kən|dʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a
term of a contract or duty which has to be
carried out as part of a contract, or something
which has to be agreed before a
contract becomes valid on condition
that provided that They were granted
the lease on condition that they paid the
legal costs. 2. a general state item sold
in good condition What was the condition
of the car when it was sold?
conditional /kən|dʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective
only able to happen if something else
happens first to give a conditional acceptance
to accept, provided that specific
things happen or terms apply the offer
is conditional on the board’s acceptance
the offer will only go through
if the board accepts it he made a conditional
offer he offered to buy, provided
that specific terms applied
discharge conditional discharge /kən|
dʃ(ə)n(ə)l ds|tʃɑd/ noun an act of
allowing an offender to be set free without
any immediate punishment on condition
that he or she does not commit an offence
during the following period
fee conditional fee /kən|dʃ(ə)n(ə)l fi/
noun a fee which is paid only if the case
is won. Also called contingent fee,
success fee
COMMENT: Conditional fee agreements
originally covered a limited
range of cases, but are now applied to
insolvency, defamation, civil liberties,
intellectual property, employment and
many other areas of action. These
agreements allow clients to agree with
their lawyers that the lawyers will not
receive all or part of the usual fees or
expenses if the case is lost; if the case
is won, on the other hand, the client
agrees to pay an extra fee in addition
to the normal fee. Insurance policies
are available to people contemplating
legal action to cover the costs of the
other party and the client’s own fees if
the case is lost.
fee agreement conditional fee agreement /kən|
dʃ(ə)n(ə)l fi ə|rimənt/ noun an
agreement between a client and their representation
that the legal fees will only
be paid if the case is successful. Also
known as no win no fee
conditionally /kən|dʃ(ə)n(ə)li/ adverb
provided some things take place
to accept an offer conditionally to accept
provided some conditions are fulfilled
will conditional will /kən|dʃ(ə)n(ə)l
wl/ noun a will which takes effect when
the person dies, but only if specific conditions
apply
condition precedent 62
condition precedent condition precedent /kən|dʃ(ə)n
presd(ə)nt/ noun a condition which
says that a right will not be granted until
something is done
conditions of employment conditions of employment /kən|
dʃ(ə)nz əv m|plɔmənt/ plural noun
the terms of a contract of employment,
which must be supplied in writing to an
employee within two months of the start
of employment
conditions of sale conditions of sale /kən|dʃ(ə)nz əv
sel/ plural noun a list of the terms such
as discounts and credit terms under
which a sale takes place
condition subsequent condition subsequent /kən|
dʃ(ə)n s bskwənt/ noun a condition
which says that a contract will be modified
or annulled if something is not done
condominium condominium /kɒndə|mniəm/
noun US a system of ownership, where a
person owns an individual apartment in a
building, together with a share of the
land and common parts such as stairs and
roof
condonation condonation /kɒndə|neʃ(ə)n/ noun
the forgiving by one spouse of an act, especially
adultery, of the other
condone condone /kən|dəυn/ verb to fail to
criticise bad or criminal behaviour The
court cannot condone your treatment of
your children.
conducive conducive /kən|djusv/ adjective
likely to lead to or produce The threat
of legal action is not conducive to an
easy solution to the dispute.
conduct conduct /kən|d kt/ noun a way of behaving
She was arrested for disorderly
conduct in the street. conduct conducive
to a breach of the peace a way of
behaving, using rude or threatening language
in speech or writing, which seems
likely to cause a breach of the peace
verb to carry out an activity to conduct
discussions or negotiations The chairman
conducted the proceedings very efficiently.
confederation confederation /kən|fedə|reʃ(ə)n/,
confederacy /kən|fed(ə)rəsi/ noun a
group of organisations working together
for common aims a loose confederation
of local businesses
confer confer /kən|f$/ verb 1. to give power
or responsibility to someone the discretionary
powers conferred on the tribunal
by statute 2. to discuss The Chief
Constable conferred with the Superintendent
in charge of the case.
conference conference /kɒnf(ə)rəns/ noun a
meeting of a group of people to discuss
something The Police Federation is
holding its annual conference this week.
The Labour Party Annual Conference
was held in Brighton this year. He presented
a motion to the conference. The
conference passed a motion in favour of
unilateral nuclear disarmament.
conference agenda conference agenda /kɒnf(ə)rəns ə|
dendə/ noun the business which is to
be discussed at a conference
conference papers conference papers /kɒnf(ə)rəns
pepəs/ plural noun copies of lectures
given at a conference, printed and published
after the conference has ended
conference proceedings conference proceedings
/kɒnf(ə)rəns prə|sidŋz/ plural noun
written report of what has been discussed
at a conference
conference table conference table /kɒnf(ə)rəns
teb(ə)l/ noun a table around which
people sit to negotiate
confess confess /kən|fes/ verb to admit that
you have committed a crime After six
hours’ questioning by the police the accused
man confessed.
confession confession /kən|feʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a
statement by a defendant that they have
committed a crime The police sergeant
asked him to sign his confession. 2. a
document in which you admit that you
have committed a crime The accused
typed his own confession statement.
The confession was not admitted in
court, because the accused claimed it
had been extorted.
confession and avoidance confession and avoidance /kən|
feʃ(ə)n ən ə|vɔd(ə)ns/ noun an admission
by a party of the allegations
made against him or her, but at the same
time bringing forward new pleadings
which make the allegations void
confidence confidence /kɒnfd(ə)ns/ noun 1.
feeling sure about something or having
trust in someone The sales teams do
not have much confidence in their manager.
The board has total confidence in
the managing director. 2. the ability to
63 conformance
trust someone with a secret in confidence
in secret I will show you the report
in confidence.
trick confidence trick /kɒnfd(ə)ns
trk/, confidence game US
/kɒnfd(ə)ns em/ noun a business
deal where someone gains another person’s
confidence and then tricks him or
her
trickster confidence trickster /kɒnfd(ə)ns
trkstə/, confidence man US
/kɒnfd(ə)ns mn/ noun somebody
who carries out confidence tricks on people
confidence vote confidence vote /kɒnfd(ə)ns
vəυt/ noun a vote to show that a person
or group is or is not trusted He proposed
a vote of confidence in the government.
The chairman resigned after the
motion of no confidence was passed at
the AGM.
confidential /kɒnf|denʃəl/ adjective
secret between two persons or a
small group of people the letter was
marked ‘Private and Confidential’
confidential information confidential information
/kɒnfdenʃəl nfə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun information
which is secret, and which
must not be passed on to other people
He was accused of passing on confidential
information. The knowledge which
an employee has of the working of the
firm for which he works can be seen to be
confidential information which he must
not pass on to another firm.
confidentiality confidentiality /kɒnfdenʃi|lti/
noun an understanding between two or
more parties that specified information
remains secret
confidential report confidential report /kɒnfdenʃəl r|
pɔt/ noun a secret document which
must not be shown to other than a few
named persons
confine confine /kən|fan/ verb to keep a criminal
in a room or restricted area
to barracks confined to barracks /kən|fand tə
brəks/ adjective (of a soldier) sentenced
to stay in the barracks for a set period
of time and not to go outside. Abbreviation
CB
confinement /kən|fanmənt/ noun
the situation of being kept in a place
without being free to leave, especially as
a punishment
confirm /kən|f$m/ verb to say that
something is certain or is correct The
Court of Appeal has confirmed the
judge’s decision. His secretary phoned
to confirm the hotel room or the ticket or
the agreement or the booking. to confirm
someone in a job to say that someone
is now permanently in a particular
job
confiscate /kɒnfsket/ verb to take
away private property into the possession
of the state The court ordered the drugs
to be confiscated.
confiscation /kɒnfs|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of confiscating
conflict noun /kɒnflkt/ disagreement
to be in or come into conflict with to
disagree with someone over something
verb /kən|flkt/ not to agree The evidence
of the wife conflicts with that of
her husband. The UK legislation conflicts
with the directives of the EC.
evidence conflicting evidence /kɒnflktŋ
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence from different
witnesses which does not agree The
jury has to decide who to believe among
a mass of conflicting evidence.
of interest conflict of interest /kɒnflkt əv
ntrəst/, conflict of interests
/kɒnflkt əv ntrəsts/ noun a situation
where a person may profit personally
from decisions which he or she takes in
their official capacity, or may not be able
to act independently because of connections
with other people or organisations
of laws conflict of laws /kɒnflkt əv lɔz/
noun a section in a country’s statutes
which deals with disputes between that
country’s laws and those of another
country
conform /kən|fɔm/ verb to act in accordance
with something The proposed
Bill conforms to the recommendations of
the Royal Commission.
conformance /kən|fɔməns/ noun
behaviour in accordance with a rule in
conformance with the directives of the
Commission He was criticised for nonconformance
with the regulations.
conformity 64
conformity conformity /kən|fɔmti/ noun in
conformity with agreeing with He has
acted in conformity with the regulations.
Congress Congress /kɒŋres/ noun US the
elected federal legislative body in many
countries, especially in the USA where it
is formed of the House of Representatives
and the Senate The President is
counting on a Democrat majority in
Congress. He was first elected to Congress
in 1988. At a joint session of Congress,
the President called for support
for his plan. (NOTE: often used without
the except when referring to a particular
legislature: The US Congress met in
emergency session; The Republicans
had a majority in both houses of the
1974 Congress.)
Congressional Congressional /kən|reʃ(ə)n(ə)l/
adjective US referring to Congress a
Congressional subcommittee
conjugal conjugal /kɒndυ(ə)l/ adjective referring
to marriage
conjugal rights conjugal rights /kɒndυ(ə)l
rats/ plural noun rights of a husband
and wife in relation to each other
conman conman /kɒnmn/ noun same as
confidence trickster (informal)
connected persons connected persons /kə|nektd
p$s(ə)ns/ plural noun people who are
closely related to, or have a close business
association with, a company director
connection connection /kə|nekʃən/ noun something
which joins one person or thing to
another Is there a connection between
the loss of the documents and the death
of the lawyer? in connection with referring
to the police want to interview
the man in connection with burglaries
committed last November
connivance connivance /kə|navəns/ noun the
act of not reporting a crime that you
know is being or is about to be committed
With the connivance of the customs
officers, he managed to bring the goods
into the country.
connive connive /kə|nav/ verb to connive at
something to shut one’s eyes to wrongdoing,
to know that a crime is being committed,
but not to report it
consecutive consecutive /kən|sekjυtv/ adjective
following. concurrent consecutive
sentences two or more sentences
which follow one after the other
consecutively consecutively /kə|sekjυtvli/ adverb
following He was sentenced to
two periods of two years in jail, the sentences
to run consecutively. concurrently
consensual consensual /kən|sensjυəl/ adjective
happening by agreement
consensual acts consensual acts /kən|sensjυəl
kts/ plural noun sexual acts which
both parties agree should take place
consensus consensus /kən|sensəs/ noun general
agreement There was a consensus
between all parties as to the next steps to
be taken. In the absence of a consensus,
no decisions could be reached.
consensus ad idem consensus ad idem /kən|sensəs
d adem/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘agreement to this same thing’: a real
agreement to a contract by both parties
consent consent /kən|sent/ noun agreement
or permission that something should
happen He borrowed the car without
the owner’s consent. age of consent
sixteen years old, when a girl can agree
to have sexual intercourse verb to
agree that something should be done
The judge consented to the request of the
prosecution counsel.
consent judgment consent judgment /kən|sent
d dmənt/ noun an agreement of the
parties in a lawsuit to a judgment which
then becomes the settlement
consent order consent order /kən|sent ɔdə/ noun
a court order that someone must not do
something without the agreement of another
party
consequential consequential /kɒns|kwenʃəl/ adjective
following as a result of
consequential damages consequential damages
/kɒnskwenʃəl dmdz/ plural
noun damages suffered as a consequence
of using a piece of equipment, software,
etc., e.g. the stoppage of business activities
because of computer or software
failure
consequent on consequent on /kɒnskwənt ɒn/,
upon / |pɒn/ adjective following as a
result of The manufacturer is not liable
for injuries consequent on the use of this
apparatus.
65 constitution
consider consider /kən|sdə/ verb 1. to think
seriously about something to consider
the terms of a contract to examine and
discuss if the terms are acceptable the
judge asked the jury to consider their
verdict he asked the jury to discuss the
evidence they had heard and decide if the
accused was guilty or not 2. to believe
He is considered to be one of the leading
divorce lawyers. The law on libel is
considered too lenient.
consideration consideration /kən|sdə|reʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. serious thought We are giving
consideration to moving the head office
to Scotland. to take something into
consideration to think about something
when deciding what to do Having taken
the age of the accused into consideration,
the court has decided to give him a
suspended sentence. to ask for other
offences to be taken into consideration
to confess to other offences after being
accused or convicted of one offence, so
that the sentence can cover all of them
The accused admitted six other offences,
and asked for them to be taken into consideration.
2. the price, in money, goods,
or some other reward, paid by one person
in exchange for another person promising
to do something, which is an essential
element in the formation of a contract
for a small consideration for a small
fee or payment
consign consign /kən|san/ verb to consign
goods to someone to send goods to
someone for him to use or to sell for you
consignation consignation /kɒnsa|neʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of consigning
consignee consignee /kɒnsa|ni/ noun somebody
who receives goods from someone
for his or her own use or to sell for the
person who sends them
consignment /kən|sanmənt/ noun
the sending of goods to someone who
will hold them for you and sell them on
your behalf goods on consignment
goods kept for another company to be
sold on their behalf for a commission
consignment note consignment note /kən|sanmənt
nəυt/ noun a note saying that goods have
been sent
consignor consignor /kən|sanə/ noun somebody
who consigns goods to someone
COMMENT: The goods remain the
property of the consignor until the consignee
sells them.
consistent consistent /kən|sstənt/ adjective
agreeing with and not contradicting
something The sentence is consistent
with government policy on the treatment
of young offenders.
consolidate consolidate /kən|sɒl|det/ verb 1. to
bring several Acts of Parliament together
into one act The judge ordered the actions
to be consolidated. 2. to hear several
sets of proceedings together
Consolidated Fund Consolidated Fund /kən|sɒldetd
f nd/ noun a fund of money formed of
all taxes and other government revenues.
Exchequer
consolidated shipment consolidated shipment /kən|
sɒldetd ʃpmənt/ noun goods from
different companies grouped together
into a single shipment
Consolidating Act Consolidating Act /kən|sɒldetŋ
kt/ noun an Act of Parliament which
brings together several previous Acts
which relate to the same subject. codification
consolidation consolidation /kən|sɒl|deʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the act of bringing together various
Acts of Parliament which deal with
one subject into one single Act 2. a procedure
whereby several sets of proceedings
are heard together by the court
consortium consortium /kən|sɔtiəm/ noun 1. a
group of different companies which
work together on one project 2. the right
of a husband and wife to the love and
support of the other
conspiracy conspiracy /kən|sprəsi/ noun a plan
made with another person or other people
to commit a crime or tort (NOTE:
Conspiracy to commit a crime is itself a
crime.)
conspire conspire /kən|spaə/ verb to agree
with another person or other people to
commit a crime or tort
constitute constitute /kɒnst|tjut/ verb to
make or to form The documents constitute
primary evidence. This Act constitutes
a major change in government policy.
Conduct tending to interfere with
the course of justice constitutes contempt
of court.
constitution constitution /kɒnst|tjuʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the set of laws, usually written
constitutional 66
down, under which a country is ruled
The freedom of the individual is guaranteed
by the country’s constitution. The
new president asked the assembly to
draft a new constitution. 2. the written
rules of a society, association or club
Under the society’s constitution, the
chairman is elected for a two-year period.
Payments to officers of the association
are not allowed by the constitution.
COMMENT: Most countries have written
constitutions, usually drafted by lawyers,
which can be amended by an Act
of the country’s legislative body. The
United States constitution was drawn
up by Thomas Jefferson after the
country became independent, and has
numerous amendments (the first ten
amendments being the Bill of Rights).
Great Britain is unusual in that it has
no written constitution, and relies on
precedent and the body of laws
passed over the years to act as a safeguard
of the rights of the citizens and
the legality of government.
constitutional constitutional /kɒnst|tjuʃ(ə)nəl/
adjective 1. referring to a country’s constitution
Censorship of the press is not
constitutional. 2. according to a constitution
The re-election of the chairman for
a second term is not constitutional. unconstitutional
constitutional law constitutional law /kɒnst|
tjuʃ(ə)n(ə)l lɔ/ noun the set of laws
relating to government and its function
under which a country is ruled
constitutional lawyer constitutional lawyer
/kɒnsttjuʃ(ə)n(ə)l lɔjə/ noun a
lawyer who specialises in drafting or interpreting
constitutions
constitutional right constitutional right /kɒnst|
tjuʃ(ə)n(ə)l rat/ noun a right which is
guaranteed by the constitution of a country
construction construction /kən|str kʃən/ noun
an interpretation of the meaning of
words to put a construction on words
to suggest a meaning for words which is
not immediately obvious
construction company construction company /kən|
str kʃ(ə)n k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company
which specialises in building
constructive constructive /kən|str ktv/ adjective
helping in the making of something
She made some constructive suggestions
for improving employer-employee
relations. We had a constructive proposal
from a shipping company in Italy.
constructive dismissal constructive dismissal /kən|
str ktv ds|ms(ə)l/ noun a situation
when a worker leaves his or her job voluntarily,
but because of unreasonable
pressure from the management
constructive knowledge constructive knowledge /kən|
str ktv nɒld/ noun knowledge of a
fact or matter which the law says a person
has available to them, whether or not
that person actually has it
constructive notice constructive notice /kən|str ktv
nəυts/ noun knowledge which the law
says a person has of something, whether
or not the person actually has it, because
the information is available if reasonable
inquiry is made
constructive total loss constructive total loss /kən|
str ktv təυt(ə)l lɒs/ noun a loss
where the item insured has been thrown
away as it is likely to be irreplaceable
constructive trust constructive trust /kən|str ktv
tr st/ noun trust arising by reason of a
person’s behaviour
construe construe /kən|stru/ verb to interpret
the meaning of words or of a document
The court construed the words to mean
that there was a contract between the
parties. Written opinion is not admissible
as evidence for the purposes of construing
a deed of settlement.
consult consult /kən|s lt/ verb to ask an expert
for advice He consulted his solicitor
about the letter.
consultancy consultancy /kən|s ltənsi/ noun the
act of giving specialist advice a consultancy
firm He offers a consultancy
service.
consultant consultant /kən|s ltənt/ noun a specialist
who gives advice engineering
consultant management consultant
tax consultant
consultation consultation /kɒnsəl|teʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. a meeting with someone who can give
specialist advice 2. a meeting between a
client and a professional adviser such as
a solicitor or QC
consultation document consultation document /kɒnsəl|
teʃ(ə)n dɒkjυmənt/ noun a paper
which is issued by a government department
to people who are asked to com-
67 context
ment and make suggestions for improvement
consultative consultative /kən|s ltətv/ adjective
being asked to give advice the report of
a consultative body She is acting in a
consultative capacity.
consultative document consultative document /kən|
s ltətv dɒkjυmənt/ noun same as
consultation document
consulting consulting /kən|s ltŋ/ adjective person
who gives specialist advice consulting
engineer
consumer consumer /kən|sjumə/ noun a person
or company which buys and uses
goods and services Gas consumers are
protesting at the increase in prices. The
factory is a heavy consumer of water.
consumer council consumer council /kən|sjumə
kaυns(ə)l/ noun a group representing
the interests of consumers
consumer credit consumer credit /kən|sjumə
kredt/ noun the provision of loans by
finance companies to help people buy
goods
consumer goods consumer goods /kən|sjumə
υdz/ plural noun goods bought by the
general public and not by businesses
consumer legislation consumer legislation /kən|sjumə
led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun law which gives
rights to people who buy goods or who
pay for services
consumer protection consumer protection /kən|sjumə
prə|tekʃən/ noun the activity of protecting
consumers from unfair or illegal
business practices
consummation consummation /kɒnsə|meʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of having sexual intercourse
for the first time after the marriage ceremony
contact contact /kɒntkt/ noun 1. a person
you know who can give you help such as
finding work or advice and information
He has many contacts in the city. Who
is your contact in the Ministry? 2. the act
of getting in touch with someone I
have lost contact with them I do not
communicate with them any longer he
put me in contact with a good lawyer
he told me how to get in touch with a
good lawyer
contact order contact order /kɒntkt ɔdə/ noun
a court order allowing a parent to see a
child where the child is in the care of
someone else, such as the other parent in
the case of a divorced couple. Former
name access order
contemnor contemnor /kən|temnə/ noun somebody
who commits a contempt of court
contempt contempt /kən|tempt/ noun the act of
showing a lack of respect to a court or
Parliament to be in contempt to have
shown disrespect to a court, especially
by disobeying a court order to purge
one’s contempt to apologise, to do
something to show that you are sorry for
the lack of respect shown
contempt of court contempt of court /kən|tempt əv
kɔt/ noun the act of showing a lack of
respect to a court, by bad behaviour in
court or by refusing to carry out a court
order At common law, conduct tending
to interfere with the course of justice in
particular legal proceedings constitutes
criminal contempt.
content content /kɒntent/ noun the subject
matter of a letter or other document the
content of the letter the real meaning of
the letter
contentious contentious /kən|tenʃəs/ adjective,
noun (of legal business) where there is a
dispute
contents contents /kɒntents/ plural noun
things contained in something The contents
of the bottle poured out onto the
floor. The customs officials inspected
the contents of the box. the contents of
the envelope the things in the envelope
contest contest /kən|test/ noun a situation in
which people or groups try to gain an advantage
verb 1. to argue that a decision
or a ruling is wrong I wish to contest
the statement made by the witness. 2. to
compete to be successful in something
such as an election
contested takeover contested takeover /kən|testd
tekəυvə/ noun a takeover where the
directors of the company being bought
do not recommend the bid and try to fight
it
context context /kɒntekst/ noun 1. other
words which surround a word or phrase
The words can only be understood in
the context of the phrase in which they
occur. the words were quoted out of
context the words were quoted without
the rest of the surrounding text, so as to
contingency 68
give them a different meaning 2. the general
situation in which something happens
The action of the police has to be
seen in the context of the riots against the
government.
contingency contingency /kən|tndənsi/ noun a
possible state of emergency when decisions
will have to be taken quickly
contingency fund contingency fund /kən|tndənsi
f nd/ noun money set aside in case it is
needed urgently
contingency plan contingency plan /kən|tndənsi
pln/ noun a plan which will be put into
action if something happens which is expected
to happen
contingent expenses contingent expenses /kən|
tndənt k|spensz/ plural noun expenses
which will be incurred only if
something happens
contingent fee contingent fee /kən|tndənt fi/
noun US a fee paid to a legal practitioner
which is a proportion of the damages recovered
in the case
contingent interest contingent interest /kən|tndənt
ntrəst/ noun US an interest in property
which may or may not exist in the future
contingent policy contingent policy /kən|tndənt
pɒlsi/ noun a policy which pays out
only if something happens, e.g. if the
person named in the policy dies before
the person who is to benefit from it
contingent remainder contingent remainder /kən|
tndənt r|mendə/ noun a remainder
which is contingent upon something
happening in the future
contra contra /kɒntrə/ prefix against, opposite,
or contrasting
contract contract /kən|trkt/ noun 1. a legal
agreement between two or more parties
to draw up a contract to draft a contract
to sign a contract the contract
is binding on both parties both parties
signing the contract must do what is
agreed by private contract by private
legal agreement under contract bound
by the terms of a contract The firm is
under contract to deliver the goods by
November. to void a contract to make
a contract invalid 2. contract for services
an agreement for the supply of a
service or goods contract for the supply
of spare parts to enter into a contract
to supply spare parts to sign a contract
for #10,000 worth of spare parts to put
work out to contract to decide that
work should be done by another company
on a contract, rather than employing
members of staff to do it to award a
contract to a company, to place a contract
with a company to decide that a
company shall have the contract to do
work for you to tender for a contract
to put forward an estimate of cost for
work to be carried out under contract
the company is in breach of contract
the company has failed to do what was
agreed in the contract 3. an agreement to
kill someone for a payment (slang)
there is a contract out for him someone
has offered money for him to be killed
verb to agree to do something on the basis
of a contract to contract to supply
spare parts or to contract for the supply
of spare parts the supply of spare
parts was contracted out to Smith Ltd
Smith Ltd was given the contract for supplying
spare parts to contract out of
an agreement to withdraw from an
agreement with written permission of the
other party
COMMENT: A contract is an agreement
between two or more parties to create
legal obligations between them. Some
contracts are made ‘under seal’, i.e.
they are signed and sealed by the parties;
most contracts are made orally or
in writing. The essential elements of a
contract are: (a) that an offer made by
one party should be accepted by the
other; (b) consideration; (c) the intention
to create legal relations. The
terms of a contract may be express or
implied. A breach of contract by one
party entitles the other party to sue for
damages or in some cases to seek
specific performance.
contracting party contracting party /kən|trktŋ
pɑti/ noun the person or company that
signs a contract
contract killer contract killer /kɒntrkt klə/
noun somebody who will kill someone if
paid to do so
contract law contract law /kɒntrkt lɔ/ noun
law relating to agreements
contract note contract note /kɒntrkt nəυt/
noun a note showing that shares have
been bought or sold but not yet paid for
contract of employment contract of employment
/kɒntrkt əv m|plɔmənt/, contract
69 contributory causes
of service noun a contract between an
employer and an employee showing all
the conditions of work
contractor contractor /kən|trktə/ noun a person
who enters into a contract, especially
a person or company that does work according
to a written agreement
contractual contractual /kən|trktʃυəl/ adjective
according to a contract to fulfil
your contractual obligations to do what
you have agreed to do in a contract he
is under no contractual obligation to
buy he has signed no agreement to buy
contractual liability contractual liability /kən|trktʃuəl
laə|blti/ noun a legal responsibility
for something as stated in a contract
contractually contractually /kən|trktjuəli/ adverb
according to a contract The company
is contractually bound to pay his
expenses.
contract under seal contract under seal /kɒntrkt
ndə sil/ noun a contract which has
been signed and legally approved with
the seal of the company or the person entering
into it. Compare simple contract
contract work contract work /kɒntrkt w$k/
noun work done according to a written
agreement
contradict contradict /kɒntrə|dkt/ verb 1. to
say exactly the opposite of something
The witness contradicted himself several
times. 2. to disagree in various details
with another statement, story or report,
so that both cannot be true The statement
contradicts the report in the newspapers.
contradiction contradiction /kɒntrə|dkʃən/ noun
a statement which contradicts The witness’
evidence was a mass of contradictions.
There is a contradiction between
the Minister’s statement in the House of
Commons and the reports published in
the newspapers.
contradictory contradictory /kɒntrə|dkt(ə)ri/
adjective not agreeing a mass of contradictory
evidence
contra entry contra entry /kɒntrə entri/ noun an
entry made in the opposite side of an account
to make an earlier entry worthless,
i.e. a debit against a credit
contra proferentem contra proferentem /kɒntrə prɒfə|
rentem/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘against the one making the point’: rule
that an ambiguity in a document is construed
against the party who drafted it
contrary contrary /kɒntrəri/ noun the opposite
Information suggests that the contrary
is true. on the contrary used for emphasising
an opposite statement Counsel
was not annoyed with the witness –
on the contrary, she praised him. quite
the contrary used for emphasising an
opposite statement I don’t dislike his
manner of working -quite the contrary –
I think it’s very effective. to the contrary
suggesting that the opposite is true or
should happen You should continue to
do it this way, unless you receive instructions
to the contrary.
contravene contravene /kɒntrə|vin/ verb to do
something that is not allowed by rules or
regulations The workshop has contravened
the employment regulations. The
fire department can close a restaurant if
it contravenes the safety regulations.
contravention contravention /kɒntrə|venʃən/
noun the act of breaking a regulation in
contravention of contravening, going
against The restaurant is in contravention
of the safety regulations. The management
of the cinema locked the fire exits
in contravention of the fire regulations.
contribute contribute /kən|trbjut/ verb to
contribute to to help something The
public response to the request for information
contributed to the capture of the
gang.
contribution contribution /kɒntr|bjuʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. money paid to add to a sum 2. (in
civil cases) the right of someone to get
money from a third party to cover the
amount which he or she personally has to
pay
contributor of capital contributor of capital /kən|
trbjυtər əv kpt(ə)l/ noun somebody
who contributes capital to a company
contributory contributory /kən|trbjυt(ə)ri/ noun
a shareholder who is liable in respect of
partly paid shares to a company being
wound up
contributory causes contributory causes /kən|
trbjυt(ə)ri kɔzz/ plural noun causes
which help something to take place
The report listed bad community rela-
contributory factor 70
tions as one of the contributory causes to
the riot.
factor contributory factor /kən|
trbjυt(ə)ri fktə/ noun something
which contributes to a result
negligence contributory negligence /kən|
trbjυt(ə)ri neldəns/ noun negligence
partly caused by the claimant and
partly by the defendant, resulting in harm
done to the claimant
trick con trick /kɒn trk/ noun same as
confidence trick (informal)
control /kən|trəυl/ noun the fact of
keeping someone or something in order
or being able to direct them The company
is under the control of three shareholders.
The family lost control of its
business. to gain control of a business
to buy more than 50% of the shares so
that you can direct the business to lose
control of a business to find that you
have less than 50% of the shares in a
company, and so are not longer able to
direct it verb 1. to have the power to
decide what should happen to someone
or something 2. to make sure that something
is restricted or kept at the correct
level The government is fighting to
control inflation or to control the rise in
the cost of living.
controlled /kən|trəυld/ adjective 1.
limited by law controlled chemicals 2.
carried out in a way that will give accurate
results and information controlled
trials 3. able to show no emotion when
you are angry or upset There were tears
in her eyes as she replied but her voice
was controlled.
drug controlled drug /kən|trəυld dr /,
controlled substance /kən|trəυld
s bstəns/ noun a drug or other substance
which is restricted by law and of
which possession may be an offence
controlling /kən|trəυlŋ/ adjective
to have a controlling interest in a company
to own more than 50% of the
shares so that you can direct how the
company is run
systems control systems /kən|trəυl
sstəmz/ plural noun systems used to
check that a computer system is working
correctly
control test control test /kən|trəυl test/ noun a
test to decide if someone is an employee
or is self-employed, used for purposes of
tax assessment
convene convene /kən|vin/ verb to ask people
to come together to convene a meeting
of shareholders
convenience convenience /kən|viniəns/ noun
at your earliest convenience as soon as
you find it possible ship sailing under
a flag of convenience ship flying the flag
of a country which may have no ships of
its own but allows ships of other countries
to be registered in its ports
convenor convenor /kən|vinə/ noun a person
who calls other people together for a
meeting
convention convention /kən|venʃən/ noun 1. a
way in which something is usually done,
accepted as the normal way to do it It
is the convention for American lawyers
to designate themselves ‘Esquire’. 2. a
meeting or series of meetings held to discuss
and decide important matters 3. an
international treaty the Geneva Convention
on Human Rights The three
countries are all signatories of the convention.
conversion conversion /kən|v$ʃ(ə)n/ noun the
tort of dealing with a person’s property in
a way which is not consistent with that
person’s rights over it
conversion of funds conversion of funds /kən|v$ʃ(ə)n
əv f ndz/ noun the use of money which
does not belong to you for a purpose for
which it is not supposed to be used
convert convert /kən|v$t/ verb 1. to change
property into another form such as cash
2. to convert funds to one’s own use
to use someone else’s money for yourself
convey convey /kən|ve/ verb 1. to carry
goods from one place to another 2. to
convey a property to a purchaser to
pass the ownership of the property to the
purchaser
conveyance conveyance /kən|veəns/ noun a legal
document which transfers the ownership
of land from the seller to the buyer
conveyancer conveyancer /kən|veənsə/ noun
somebody who draws up a conveyance
conveyancing conveyancing /kən|veənsŋ/ noun
1. drawing up the document which legally
transfers a property from a seller to a
71 copy
buyer 2. law and procedure relating to
the purchase and sale of property
convict convict /kən|vkt/ noun somebody
who is kept in prison as a punishment for
a crime verb to convict someone of
a crime to find that someone is guilty of
a crime He was convicted of manslaughter
and sent to prison.
convicted criminal convicted criminal /kən|vktd
krmn(ə)l/ noun a criminal who has
been found guilty and sentenced
conviction conviction /kən|vkʃən/ noun 1. the
feeling of being sure that something is
true It is his conviction that the claimant
has brought the case maliciously. 2.
a decision that a person accused of a
crime is guilty He has had ten convictions
for burglary. spent conviction.
Compare sentence
convict settlement convict settlement /kən|vkt
set(ə)lmənt/ noun US a prison camp
where convicts are sent
cooling off period cooling off period /kulŋ ɒf
pəriəd/, cooling time US /kulŋ
tam/ noun 1. during an industrial dispute,
a period when negotiations have to
be carried on and no action can be taken
by either side 2. a period when a person
is allowed to think about something
which he or she has agreed to buy on
hire-purchase and possibly return the
item
co-operation procedure co-operation procedure /kəυ ɒpə|
reʃ(ə)n prə|sidə/ noun (in the EU) a
procedure introduced by the Single European
Act which gives the European
Parliament a more important role than
before in considering European legislation.
common position
COMMENT: Originally the co-operation
procedure was restricted to measures
concerning the internal market (free
movement of people within the union,
no discrimination on grounds of nationality,
harmonisation of health and
safety in the workplace, etc.). It is now
also used in connection with European
transport policy, training, environmental
issues, etc. The co-operation procedure
implies that at the end of a discussion
period the Council will adopt a
common position which must then
be approved by the European Parliament.
co-operative co-operative /kəυ|ɒp(ə)rətv/ noun
a business run by a group of workers who
are the owners and who share the profits
industrial co-operative to set up a
workers’ co-operative
co-opt co-opt /kəυ ɒpt/ verb to co-opt
someone onto a committee to ask someone
to join a committee without being
elected
co-owner co-owner /kəυ əυnə/ noun somebody
who owns something jointly with
another person or persons The two sisters
are co-owners of the property.
co-ownership co-ownership /kəυ əυnəʃp/ noun
1. an arrangement where two or more
persons own a property 2. an arrangement
where partners or employees have
shares in a company
cop cop /kɒp/ noun 1. a policeman
(informal) 2. an arrest (informal ) it’s a
fair cop you have caught me verb 1. to
catch or arrest someone (slang) 2. to get
or to receive something (slang) to cop
a plea to plead guilty to a lesser charge
and so hope the court will give a shorter
sentence to save the time of a full trial
co-partner co-partner /kəυ pɑtnə/ noun somebody
who is a partner in a business with
another person
co-partnership co-partnership /kəυ pɑtnəʃp/
noun an arrangement where partners or
employees have shares in the company
copper copper /kɒpə/ noun a policeman
(informal)
copper-bottomed copper-bottomed /kɒpə bɒtəmd/
adjective (of a guarantee or promise)
able to be completely trusted
co-property co-property /kəυ prɒpəti/ noun
ownership of property by two or more
people together
co-proprietor co-proprietor /kəυ prə|praətə/
noun somebody who owns a property
with another person or several other people
copy copy /kɒp/ noun 1. a document which
looks the same as another 2. anything
which copies information in a document,
by whatever means, including electronic
copies, recordings, etc. an illegal copy
3. any document verb 1. to make a second
item which is like the first He copied
the company report at night and took
it home. 2. to make something which is
similar to something else She simply
copied the design from another fashion
copyright 72
designer. He is successful because he
copies good ideas from other businesses.
copyright /kɒpirat/ noun an author’s
legal right to publish his or her own work
and not to have it copied, which lasts 50
years after the author’s death under the
Berne Convention, or a similar right of
an artist, film maker or musician work
which is out of copyright work by a
writer, etc., who has been dead for fifty
years, and which anyone can publish
work still in copyright work by a living
writer, or by a writer who has not been
dead for fifty years verb to confirm the
copyright of a written work by printing a
copyright notice and publishing the work
adjective covered by the laws of copyright
It is illegal to take copies of a copyright
work.
COMMENT: Copyright exists in original
written works, in works of art and
works of music; it covers films, broadcasts,
recordings, etc.; it also covers
the layout of books, newspapers and
magazines. Copyright only exists if the
work is created by a person who is
qualified to hold a copyright, and is
published in a country which is qualified
to hold a copyright. There is no
copyright in ideas, items of news, historical
events, items of information, or
in titles of artistic works. When a copyright
is established, the owner of the
copyright can copy his work himself,
sell copies of it to the public, perform
his work or exhibit it in public, broadcast
his work, or adapt it in some way.
No other person has the right to do any
of these things. Copyright lasts for 50
years after the author’s death according
to the Berne Convention, and for
25 years according to the Universal
Copyright Convention. In the USA,
copyright is for 50 years after the
death of an author for books published
after January 1st, 1978. For books
published before that date, the original
copyright was for 28 years after the
death of the author, and this can be extended
for a further 28 year period up
to a maximum of 75 years. In 1995, the
European Union adopted a copyright
term of 70 years after the death of the
author. The copyright holder has the
right to refuse or to grant permission to
copy copyright material, though under
the Paris agreement of 1971, the original
publishers (representing the author
or copyright holder) must, under
certain circumstances, grant licences
to reprint copyright material. The copyright
notice has to include the symbol
©, the name of the copyright holder
and the date of the copyright (which is
usually the date of first publication).
The notice must be printed in the book
and usually appears on the reverse of
the title page. A copyright notice is
also printed on other forms of printed
material such as posters.
Copyright Act Copyright Act /kɒpi|rat kt/ noun
an Act of Parliament such as the Copyright
Acts 1911, 1956 or 1988 making
copyright legal and controlling the copying
of copyright material
copyright deposit copyright deposit /kɒpirat d|
pɒzt/ noun the act of placing a copy of
a published work in a copyright library,
usually the main national library, which
is part of the formal process of copyrighting
printed material
copyrighted copyrighted /kɒpiratd/ adjective
protected by a valid copyright
copyright holder copyright holder /kɒpirat
həυldə/ noun somebody who owns the
copyright in a work
copyright law copyright law /kɒpirat lɔ/ noun
law dealing with the protection of copyright
copyright notice copyright notice /kɒpirat nəυts/
noun a note in a book showing who owns
the copyright and the date of ownership
cordon cordon /kɔd(ə)n/ noun a police
cordon barriers and policemen put
round an area to prevent anyone getting
near it verb to cordon off to put barriers
and policemen round (an area) so
that no one can get near it The street
was cordoned off after the bomb was discovered.
co-respondent co-respondent /kəυ r|spɒndənt/
noun a party to divorce proceedings who
has committed adultery with another
person (NOTE: Do not confuse with correspondent.)
coroner coroner /kɒrənə/ noun a public official,
either a doctor or a lawyer, who investigates
sudden violent deaths
COMMENT: Coroners investigate
deaths which are violent or unexpected,
deaths which may be murder or
manslaughter, deaths of prisoners and
deaths involving the police.
coroner’s court coroner’s court /kɒrənəz kɔt/
noun a court presided over by a coroner
73 corruption
coroner’s inquest coroner’s inquest /kɒrənəz
nkwest/ noun an inquest carried out by
a coroner into a death, or into a case of
treasure trove
corporal punishment corporal punishment /kɔp(ə)rəl
p nʃmənt/ noun the physical punishment
of someone by beating him or her
corporate corporate /kɔp(ə)rət/ adjective referring
to a company
corporate killing corporate killing /kɔp(ə)rət klŋ/
noun a proposed criminal offence under
which companies and similar organisations
would be held responsible for any
deaths occurring as a result of the company’s
negligence
corporate manslaughter corporate manslaughter
/kɔp(ə)rət mnslɔtə/ noun the killing
of someone by a limited company, as
in a fatal train accident where the railway
company is held responsible
corporate name corporate name /kɔp(ə)rət nem/
noun the name of a large corporation
corporate personality corporate personality /kɔp(ə)rət
p$sə|nlti/ noun the legal status of a
company, so that it can be treated as a
person
planning corporate planning /kɔp(ə)rət
plnŋ/ noun the activity of planning
the future work of a whole company
profits corporate profits /kɔp(ə)rət
prɒfts/ noun the profits of a corporation
corporation /kɔpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. a legal body such as a limited company
or town council which has been incorporated
2. US a company which is incorporated
in the United States 3. any large
company
corporeal hereditaments corporeal hereditaments /kɔ|
pɔriəl her|dtəmənts/ plural noun
rights of property which physically exists,
e.g. houses or furniture
corpse /kɔps/ noun the body of a dead
person (NOTE: The US term is cadaver.)
corpus corpus /kɔpəs/ noun a body of laws.
habeas corpus (NOTE: The plural is
corpora.)
corpus delicti corpus delicti /kɔpəs d|lkta/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘the body
of the crime’: the real proof that a crime
has been committed
corpus legis corpus legis /kɔpəs leds/ phrase
a Latin phrase meaning ‘body of laws’:
books containing Roman civil law
correctional institution correctional institution /kə|
rekʃn(ə)l nst|tjuʃ(ə)n/ noun US a
prison
corrective corrective /kə|rektv/ adjective treating
someone in such a way that he or she
improves their behaviour or attitude He
was sent to the detention centre for corrective
training.
correspondent correspondent /kɒr|spɒndənt/
noun 1. somebody who writes letters 2.
a journalist who writes articles for a
newspaper on specialist subjects The
Times’ legal correspondent a court
correspondent journalist who reports on
the activities of a king or queen and the
royal family a lobby correspondent
journalist from a newspaper who is part
of the lobby which gets private briefings
from government ministers
corrigendum corrigendum /kɒr|endəm/ noun
an item which has been corrected (NOTE:
The plural is corrigenda.)
corroborate corroborate /kə|rɒbəret/ verb to
prove evidence which has already been
given The witness corroborated the accused’s
alibi, saying that at the time of
the murder she had seen him in Brighton.
corroboration corroboration /kə|rɒbə|reʃ(ə)n/
noun evidence which confirms and supports
other evidence The witness was
unable to provide corroboration of what
he had told the police.
corroborative corroborative /kə|rɒbərətv/ adjective
adding support to something such as
a statement or evidence The letter provides
corroborative evidence, showing
that the accused did know that the victim
lived alone.
corrupt corrupt /kə|r pt/ adjective willing to
take bribes verb to corrupt someone’s
morals to make someone behave
in a way which goes against the normal
standard of behaviour
corruption corruption /kə|r pʃən/ noun dishonest
behaviour such as paying or accepting
money or giving a favour to make
sure that something is done The government
is keen to stamp out corruption
in the police force. Bribery and corruption
are difficult to control.
corruptly 74
corruptly /kə|r ptli/ adverb in a corrupt
way He corruptly offered the officer
money to get the charges dropped.
Nostra Cosa Nostra /kəυzə nɒstrə/ noun
same as Mafia
cosponsor /kəυ|spɒnsə/ noun
somebody who sponsors something with
someone else the three cosponsors of
the bill
cost /kɒst/ noun 1. the amount of money
which has to be paid for something
Computer costs are falling each year.
We cannot afford the cost of two telephone
lines. to cover costs to produce
enough money in sales to pay for the
costs of production 2. to pay costs to
pay the costs of a court case verb 1. to
have a price How much does the machine
cost? Rent of the room will cost
£50 a day. 2. to cost something to calculate
how much money will be needed
to make or do something
of living cost of living /kɒst əv lvŋ/ noun
money which has to be paid for essential
items such as food, accommodation or
heating
of-living allowance cost-of-living allowance /kɒst əv
lvŋ ə|laυəns/ noun an addition to a
standard salary to cover increases in the
cost of living
of-living increase cost-of-living increase /kɒst əv
lvŋ nkris/ noun an increase in salary
to allow it to keep up with the increased
cost of living
of-living index cost-of-living index /kɒst əv lvŋ
ndeks/ noun a way of measuring the
cost of living which is shown as a percentage
increase on the figure for the
previous year
costs /kɒsts/ plural noun the expenses
involved in a court case, including the
fees, expenses and charges levied by the
court itself, which can be awarded by the
judge to the party which wins, so that the
losing side pays the expenses of both
sides The judge awarded costs to the
defendant. Costs of the case will be
borne by the prosecution. The court
awarded the claimant £2,000 in damages,
with costs.
draftsman costs draftsman /kɒsts
drɑftsmən/ noun someone who draws
up a bill of costs for assessment by the
costs judge
costs judge costs judge /kɒsts d d/ noun an
official of the Supreme Court who assesses
the costs of a court action (NOTE:
Since the introduction of the new Civil
Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has in some cases replaced Taxing
Master.)
costs order costs order /kɒsts ɔdə/ noun a
court order requiring someone to pay
costs
coterminous coterminous /kəυ|t$mnəs/ adjective
referring to two things which end at
the same time The leases are coterminous.
council council /kaυnsəl/ noun 1. an official
group chosen to run something or to advise
on a problem 2. same as Privy
Council
Council of Ministers Council of Ministers /kaυns(ə)l əv
mnstəz/ noun Council of the European
Union
Council of the European Union Council of the European Union
/kaυns(ə)l əv də jυərəpiən junjən/
noun one of the four bodies which form
the basis of the European Community
(NOTE: not to be confused with the European
Council. Formerly the Council
of the European Union was called the
Council of Ministers and it is still
sometimes called this.)
COMMENT: The Council does not have
fixed members, but the Member
States are each represented by the
relevant government minister. The
Council is headed by a President, and
the Presidency rotates among the
Member States in alphabetical order,
each serving for a six-month period. In
practice this means that each Member
State can control the agenda of the
Council, and therefore that of the European
Union, for a period of six
months, and can try to get as many of
its proposals put into legislation as it
can during that period. When meeting
to discuss general matters the Council
is formed of the foreign ministers of the
Member States, but when it discusses
specialised problems it is formed of
the relevant government ministers: so
when discussing agriculture, for example,
it is formed of the Agriculture Ministers
of the Member States.
counsel counsel /kaυnsəl/ noun a barrister or
barristers acting for one of the parties in
75 County Court Rules
a legal action defence counsel prosecution
counsel The claimant appeared
in court with his solicitor and two counsel.
counsellor /kaυnsələ/ noun 1. a
trained person who gives advice or help
They went to see a marriage guidance
counsellor. 2. US a legal practitioner
who advises a person in a case
advice counsel’s advice /kaυnsəlz əd|
vas/ noun a barrister’s written advice
about a case We sent the documents to
the police on the advice of the solicitor or
we took the solicitor’s advice and sent
the documents to the police.
opinion counsel’s opinion /kaυnsəlz ə|
pnjən/ noun same as counsel’s advice
count /kaυnt/ noun a separate charge
against an accused person read out in
court in the indictment He was found
guilty on all four counts.
counter /kaυntə/ noun a long flat surface
in a shop for displaying and selling
goods over the counter legally
goods sold over the counter retail sales
of goods in shops under the counter
illegally under-the-counter sales
black market sales adjective, adverb
opposite, or with an opposite effect
counter- /kaυntə/ prefix opposing
counterclaim /kaυntəklam/ noun
1. in a court, a claim by a defendant
against whom a claimant is bringing a
claim. The counterclaim is included in
the same proceedings and statement of
case as the original claim. Also called
Part 20 claim 2. a claim for damages
made in reply to a previous claim Jones
claimed £25,000 in damages against
Smith, and Smith entered a counterclaim
of £50,000 for loss of office. verb to put
in a counterclaim Jones claimed
£25,000 in damages and Smith counterclaimed
£50,000 for loss of office.
counterfeit /kaυntəft/ adjective
(especially of money or objects of value)
false or imitation He was charged
with passing counterfeit notes in shops.
She was selling counterfeit Rolex watches.
verb to make imitation money or
other objects of value
counterfeiting counterfeiting /kaυntə|ftŋ/ noun
the crime of making imitation money or
other objects of value
counter-intelligence counter-intelligence /kaυntə n|
teldəns/ noun an organisation of secret
agents whose job is to work against
the secret agents of another country
The offices were bugged by counter-intelligence
agents.
countermand countermand /kaυntə|mɑnd/ verb
to countermand an order to say that
an order must not be carried out
counteroffer counteroffer /kaυntər|ɒfə/ noun an
offer made in reply to another offer
counterpart counterpart /kaυntəpɑt/ noun 1. a
copy of a lease 2. somebody who has a
similar job in another company John is
my counterpart in Smith’s he has a
similar post at Smith’s as I have here
counter-promise counter-promise /kaυntə prɒms/
noun a promise made in reply to a promise
countersign countersign /kaυntəsan/ verb to
sign a document which has already been
signed by someone else The payment
has to be countersigned by the mortgagor.
counter to counter to /kaυntə tə/ noun against,
opposite The decision of the court runs
counter to the advice of the clerk to the
justices.
country of origin country of origin /k ntri əv
ɒrdn/ noun a country where someone
was born or from where someone
has come, or where goods were produced
There is a space on the form for ’country
of origin’.
County Court County Court /kaυnti kɔt/ noun
one of the types of court in England and
Wales which hears local civil cases
COMMENT: There are about 270 County
Courts in England and Wales.
County Courts are presided over by either
district judges or circuit judges.
They deal mainly with claims regarding
money, but also deal with family
matters, bankruptcies and claims concerning
land. A district judge will hear
most civil cases up to a value of
£50,000, and circuit judge will deal
with more serious cases.
County Court Rules County Court Rules /kaυnti kɔt
rulz/ noun a book of procedural rules
for County Courts. Abbreviation CCR
coup 76
coup coup /ku/, coup d’état /ku de|t/
noun a rapid change of government
which removes one government by force
and replaces it by another After the
coup, groups of students attacked the police
stations.
COMMENT: A coup is usually carried
out by a small number of people, who
already have some power (such as
army officers), while a revolution is a
general uprising of a large number of
ordinary people. A coup changes the
members of a government, but a revolution
changes the whole social system.
court court /kɔt/ noun 1. a place where a trial
is held to take someone to court to
start legal proceedings against someone
in court present during a trial The defendant
was in court for three hours. in
open court in a courtroom with members
of the public present a settlement
was reached out of court, the two parties
reached an out-of-court settlement
the dispute was settled between the two
parties privately without continuing the
court case 2. Criminal Court, Civil
Court a court where criminal or civil
cases are heard 3. the judges or magistrates
in a court The court will retire for
thirty minutes.
COMMENT: In England and Wales the
main courts are: the Magistrates’
Court: trying minor criminal offences
such as petty crime; adoption; affiliation;
maintenance and domestic violence;
licensing; the County Court:
most civil actions up to a value of
£50,000; the High Court: most civil
claims where the value exceeds
£50,000; the Crown Court: major
crime; the Court of Appeal: appeals
from lower courts, such as the High
Court; the House of Lords: the highest
court of appeal in the country; the
Privy Council: appeals on certain
matters from England and Wales, and
appeals from certain Commonwealth
countries; the European Court of
Justice: appeals where EU legislation
is involved. Other courts include employment
tribunals: employment disputes;
courts-martial: military matters.
court action court action /kɔt kʃən/ noun a
civil case in a law court where a person
files a claim against another person
(NOTE: In general, action has now been
replaced by claim.)
court case court case /kɔt kes/ noun same as
court action
courthouse courthouse /kɔthaυs/ noun especially
US a building in which trials take
place There was police cordon round
the courthouse.
court-martial court-martial /kɔt mɑʃ(ə)l/ noun
1. a court which tries someone serving in
the armed forces for offences against
military discipline He was found guilty
by the court-martial and sentenced to
imprisonment. 2. the trial of someone
serving in the armed forces by the armed
forces authorities The court-martial
was held in the army headquarters.
(NOTE: The plural is courts-martial.)
verb to try someone who is serving in the
armed forces (NOTE: court-martialled)
Court of Appeal Court of Appeal /kɔt əv ə|pil/,
Court of Appeals /kɔt əv/ noun a civil
or criminal court to which a person may
go to ask for an award or a sentence to be
changed. Also called Appeal Court
COMMENT: In the majority of cases in
English law, decisions of lower courts
and of the High Court can be appealed
to the Court of Appeal. The Court of
Appeal is divided into the Civil Division
and the Criminal Division. The Civil Division
hears appeals from the County
Court and the High Court; the Criminal
Division hears appeals from the Crown
Court. From the Court of Appeal, appeal
lies to the House of Lords. When
the remedies available under English
law are exhausted, it is in some cases
possible to appeal to the European
Court of Justice. For many countries,
especially Commonwealth countries,
appeals from the highest court of
these countries may be heard by the
Privy Council.
court officer court officer /kɔt ɒfsə/ noun a
member of the staff of a court, especially
a County Court
court of first instance court of first instance /kɔt əv
f$st nstəns/ noun a court where a
case is heard first
COMMENT: The CFI hears cases concerning
the staff of the EU, cases concerning
the coal and steel industries
and cases regarding competition. The
court is formed of 15 judges, and its
judgements can be appealed to the
ECJ.
Court of First Instance Court of First Instance /kɔt əv
f$st nstəns/ noun a court set up under
77 cover
the Single European Act, formed of 15
judges, whose judgments can be appealed
to the European Court of Justice.
Abbreviation CFI
COMMENT: The Court of First Instance
initially heard only cases concerning
the staff of the EU, cases concerning
the coal and steel industries and cases
regarding competition. As a result of
provisions of the Treaty of European
Union, the CFI now has all of the European
Court’s jurisdiction except for Article
234 references and cases involving
infringement proceedings against
Member States.
Court of Justice of the European Communities Court of Justice of the European
Communities noun European
Court of Justice
court of last resort court of last resort /kɔt əv lɑst r|
zɔt/ noun US the highest court from
which no appeals can be made
court of law court of law /kɔt əv lɔ/ noun same
as court The law courts are in the centre
of the town. She works in the law
courts as an usher.
Court of Protection Court of Protection /kɔt əv prə|
tekʃ(ə)n/ noun a court appointed to
protect the interests of people who are incapable
of dealing with their own affairs,
such as patients who are mentally ill
Court of Session Court of Session /kɔt əv seʃ(ə)n/
noun the highest civil court in Scotland
court order court order /kɔt ɔdə/ noun a legal
order made by a court, telling someone
to do or not to do something The court
made an order for maintenance or made
a maintenance order. He refused to
obey the court order and was sent to prison
for contempt.
court or tribunal court or tribunal /kɔt ɔ tra|
bjun(ə)l/ noun any body which has official
status and which has the power to
give binding rulings on legal rights and
obligation, although it may not have the
actual title of ‘court’ (NOTE: The Deputy
High Bailiff’s Court in the Isle of Man
and the Dutch Appeals Committee for
General Medicine have each been held
to be a ‘court or tribunal’ according to
European Union law.)
courtroom courtroom /kɔtrum/ noun a room
where a judge presides over a trial
covenant covenant /k vənənt/ noun an agreement
or undertaking to do something or
not to do something, contained in a deed
or contract He signed a covenant
against underletting the premises. verb
to agree to pay a sum of money each year
by contract to covenant to pay £10 per
annum to a charity
COMMENT: Examples of restrictive
covenants could be a clause in a contract
of employment which prevents
the employee from going to work for a
competitor, or a clause in a contract for
the sale of a property which prevents
the purchaser from altering the building.
There is a tax advantage to the recipient
of covenanted money; a charity
pays no tax, so it can reclaim tax at the
standard rate on the money covenanted
to it.
covenant marriage covenant marriage /k vənənt
mrd/ noun in the USA, a form of
marriage contract with stricter than usual
conditions for couples wishing to marry
or get divorced, including counselling
before marriage and a two-year separation
before a divorce
covenant to repair covenant to repair /k vənənt tə r|
peə/ noun an agreement by a landlord
or tenant to keep a rented property in
good repair
cover cover /k və/ noun 1. to operate
without adequate cover without being
protected by insurance to ask for additional
cover to ask the insurance company
to increase the amount for which you
are insured 2. to send something under
separate cover in a separate envelope
to send a document under plain
cover in an ordinary envelope with no
company name printed on it verb 1. to
include and deal with something The
agreement covers all agencies. The
newspapers have covered the murder trial.
The fraud case has been covered by
the consumer protection legislation. 2.
to cover a risk to be protected by insurance
against a risk to be fully covered
to have insurance against all risks 3. US
to purchase goods from another supplier
to replace those which have not been delivered
according to contract 4. to have
enough money to pay the damage was
covered by the insurance the insurance
company paid for the damage to cover
a position to have enough money to pay
for a forward purchase 5. to ask for security
against a loan which you are making
6. to earn enough money to pay for costs,
coverage 78
expenses, etc. We do not make enough
sales to cover the expense of running the
shop. We hope to reach the point soon
when sales will cover all costs.
coverage coverage /k v(ə)rd/ noun 1.
press coverage 2. US protection guaranteed
by insurance Do you have coverage
against fire damage?
covering letter covering letter /k vərŋ letə/, covering
note noun a letter or note sent
with documents to say why you are sending
them
cover note cover note /k və nəυt/ noun a letter
from an insurance company giving basic
details of an insurance policy and confirming
that the policy exists
covert covert /kəυvət, k vət/ adjective secret
covert action covert action /kəυvət kʃən/ noun
an action which is carried out secretly
coverture coverture /k vətʃυə/ noun (of a
woman) a state of being married
CPR CPR abbreviation Civil Procedure
Rules
CPS CPS abbreviation Crown Prosecution
Service
cracksman cracksman /krksmən/ noun a
criminal who specialises in breaking
safes (slang)
credere credere /kredəri/ del credere
agent
credit credit /kredt/ verb to note money received
in an account
credit account credit account /kredt ə|kaυnt/
noun an account which a customer has
with a shop which allows them to buy
goods and pay for them later
credit agency credit agency /kredt edənsi/
noun a company which reports on the
ability of customers to pay their debts
and shows whether they should be allowed
credit
credit balance credit balance /kredt bləns/
noun the balance on an account showing
that more money is owed or has been
paid by someone than is due or has been
received by them
credit bank credit bank /kredt bŋk/ noun a
bank which lends money
credit card credit card /kredt kɑd/ noun a
plastic card which allows the owner to
buy goods without paying for them immediately
credit card holder credit card holder /kredt kɑd
həυldə/ noun somebody who has a
credit card
credit facilities credit facilities /kredt fə|sltiz/
plural noun arrangement with a bank or
supplier to have credit so as to buy goods
credit limit credit limit /kredt lmt/ noun a
fixed amount of money which is the most
a client can owe
credit note credit note /kredt nəυt/ noun a note
showing that money is owed to a customer
creditor creditor /kredtə/ noun somebody
who is owed money. secured creditor,
unsecured creditor
creditors’ meeting creditors’ meeting /kredtəz
mitŋ/ noun a meeting of all persons to
whom a company in receivership owes
money
credit rating credit rating /kredt retŋ/ noun
the amount which a credit agency feels a
customer should be allowed to borrow
credit transfer credit transfer /kredt trnsf$/
noun the movement of money from one
account to another
crime crime /kram/ noun 1. an act which is
against the law and which is punishable
by law There has been a 50% increase
in crimes of violence. 2. illegal acts in
general crime is on the increase
There has been an increase in violent
crime.
COMMENT: A crime is an illegal act
which may result in prosecution and
punishment by the state if the accused
is convicted. Generally, in order to be
convicted of a crime, the accused
must be shown to have committed an
unlawful act (actus reus) with a criminal
state of mind (mens rea). The
main types of crime are: 1. crimes
against the person: murder; manslaughter;
assault, battery, wounding;
grievous bodily harm; abduction; 2.
crimes against property: theft; robbery;
burglary; obtaining property or
services or pecuniary advantage by
deception; blackmail; handling stolen
goods; going equipped to steal; criminal
damage; possessing something
with intent to damage or destroy property;
forgery; 3. sexual offences:
rape; buggery; bigamy; indecency; 4.
political offences: treason; terrorism;
sedition; breach of the Official Secrets
79 criminal responsibility
Act; 5. offences against justice: assisting
an offender; conspiracy; perjury;
contempt of court; perverting the
course of justice; 6. public order offences:
obstruction of the police; unlawful
assembly; obscenity; possessing
weapons; misuse of drugs; breach
of the peace; 7. road traffic offences:
careless or reckless driving; drunken
driving; driving without a licence or insurance.
Most minor crime is tried before
the Magistrates’ Courts; more serious
crime is tried at the Crown Court
which has greater powers to sentence
offenders. Most crimes are prosecuted
by the police or the Crown Prosecutors,
though private prosecutions
brought by individuals are possible.
crime rate crime rate /kram ret/ noun the
number of crimes committed in a specific
period, shown as a percentage of the
total population
crime scene crime scene /kram sin/ noun the
place where a crime has been committed
crime scene tape crime scene tape /kram sin tep/
noun tape that is used to cordon off an
area and warn people of a crime scene
(NOTE: The British term is incident
tape.)
crime wave crime wave /kram wev/ noun a
sudden increase in crime
criminal criminal /krmn(ə)l/ adjective 1. illegal
Misappropriation of funds is a
criminal act. 2. referring to crime the
criminal population all people who
have committed crimes noun a person
who has committed a crime or who often
commits crimes The police have contacted
known criminals to get leads on
the gangland murder. a hardened
criminal a person who has committed
many crimes
criminal action criminal action /krmn(ə)l kʃən/
noun a case brought usually by the state
against someone who is charged with a
crime
criminal bankruptcy criminal bankruptcy /krmn(ə)l
bŋkr ptsi/ noun bankruptcy of a
criminal in the Crown Court as a result of
crimes of which he or she has been convicted
criminal bankruptcy order criminal bankruptcy order
/krmn(ə)l bŋkr ptsi ɔdə/ noun
an order made against someone who has
been convicted in the Crown Court of an
offence which has resulted in damage
above a specific sum to other identified
parties
criminal court criminal court /krmn(ə)l kɔt/
noun a court such as a Crown Court
which deals with criminal cases
criminal damage criminal damage /krmn(ə)l
dmd/ noun the notifiable offence of
causing serious damage
Criminal Defence Service Criminal Defence Service
/krmn(ə)l d|fens s$vs/ noun the
British government service which provides
legal advice and assistance in each
community to people with very little
money who are suspected of criminal offences
or are facing criminal proceedings.
Abbreviation CDS
COMMENT: The service replaces part
of the Legal Aid scheme (the Community
Legal Service deals with civil and
family cases).
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Criminal Injuries Compensation
Board /krmn(ə)l ndəriz
kɒmpən|seʃ(ə)n bɔd/ noun a committee
which administers the awarding
of compensation to victims of crime
Criminal Investigation department Criminal Investigation department
/krmn(ə)l n|vest|eʃ(ə)n d|
pɑtmənt/ noun a section of the British
police which investigates serious crimes.
Abbreviation CID
criminal law criminal law /krmn(ə)l lɔ/ noun
law relating to acts committed against
the laws of the land and which are punishable
by the state
criminal libel criminal libel /krmn(ə)l lab(ə)l/
noun a serious libel which might cause a
breach of the peace
criminal negligence criminal negligence /krmn(ə)l
neldəns/ noun the offence of acting
recklessly with the result that harm is
done to other people
criminal offence criminal offence /krmn(ə)l ə|
fens/ noun an action which is against
the law
criminal record criminal record /krmn(ə)l
rekɔd/ noun a note of previous crimes
for which someone has been convicted
The accused had no criminal record.
He has a criminal record going back to
the time when he was still at school.
criminal responsibility criminal responsibility
/krmn(ə)l r|spɒns|blti/ noun the
fact of being responsible for a crime that
has been committed (NOTE: The age of
criminology 80
criminal responsibility is ten years. Children
under ten years old cannot be
charged with a crime.)
criminology criminology /krm|nɒlədi/ noun
the academic study of crime
criterion criterion /kra|təriən/ noun the
standard by which something can be
judged Using the criterion of the ratio
of cases solved to cases reported, the police
force is becoming more efficient.
(NOTE: The plural is criteria.)
criticise criticise /krtsaz/, criticize verb to
say that someone or something is bad or
wrong The procedures were severely
criticised as being discriminatory.
(NOTE: criticised – criticising)
criticism criticism /krtsz(ə)m/ noun 1. a
comment If you have any constructive
criticisms to make, I shall be glad to hear
them. 2. an unfavourable comment or series
of comments There was a lot of
criticism of the proposed changes. My
detailed criticisms relate to section 3 of
the report.
crook crook /krυk/ noun a person who has
committed a crime, especially a crime involving
deceit (slang)
cross cross /krɒs/ verb to cross a cheque
to write two lines across a cheque to
show that it has to be paid into a bank
crossed cheque crossed cheque /krɒst tʃek/ noun
a cheque with two lines across it showing
that it can only be deposited at a bank
and not exchanged for cash
cross-examination cross-examination /krɒs zm|
neʃ(ə)n/ noun the questioning of a witness
called by the opposing side in a
case. Opposite evidence in chief
(NOTE: The opposite is evidence in
chief.)
cross-examine cross-examine /krɒs |zmn/
verb to question witnesses called by the
other side in a case, in the hope that you
can discredit or weaken their evidence
cross holdings cross holdings /krɒs həυldŋz/
plural noun situation where two companies
own shares in each other in order to
stop each from being taken over The
two companies have protected themselves
from takeover by a system of cross
holdings.
cross off cross off /krɒs ɒf/ verb to remove
something from a list He crossed my
name off his list. You can cross him off
our mailing list.
cross out cross out /krɒs aυt/ verb to put a
line through something which has been
written She crossed out £250 and put in
£500.
Crown Crown /kraυn/ noun the Crown the
King or Queen as representing the State
Mr Smith is appearing for the Crown.
The Crown submitted that the maximum
sentence should be applied in this
case. The Crown case or the case for
the Crown was that the defendants were
guilty of espionage.
Crown copyright Crown copyright /kraυn kɒpirat/
noun copyright in government publications
Crown Court Crown Court /kraυn kɔt/ noun a
court, above the level of the magistrates’
courts, which is based on the six circuits
in England and Wales and which hears
criminal cases
COMMENT: A Crown Court is formed of
a circuit judge and jury, and hears major
criminal cases.
Crown Lands Crown Lands /kraυn lɑndz/ plural
noun land or property belonging to the
King or Queen
Crown privilege Crown privilege /kraυn prvld/
noun the right of the Crown or the government
not to have to produce documents
to a court by reason of the interest
of the state
Crown Prosecution Service Crown Prosecution Service
/kraυn prɒs|kjuʃ(ə)n s$vs/ noun
a government department, headed by the
Director of Public Prosecutions, which is
responsible for the conduct of all criminal
cases instituted by the police in England
and Wales, except for those prosecuted
by the Serious Fraud Office. Abbreviation
CPS
Crown prosecutor Crown prosecutor /kraυn
prɒskjutə/ noun an official of the
Crown Prosecution Service who is responsible
for prosecuting criminals in
one of 13 areas in England Wales
cruelty cruelty /kruəlti/ noun 1. behaviour
which causes pain or injury to a person
or animal 2. cruel behaviour towards a
spouse
cryptographic cryptographic /krptə|rfk/ adjective
referring to cryptography
81 customs barrier
cryptography cryptography /krp|tɒrəfi/ noun
the science of codes which allow ordinary
text to be encrypted so that it cannot
be read without a key
cryptography support service cryptography support service
/krptɒrəfi sə|pɔt s$vs/ noun a
service which helps senders or receivers
of encrypted electronic messages to read
those messages
CS gas CS gas /si es s/ noun gas given
off by solid crystals of C6H4(Cl)CH,
used by police as a method of crowd control
CSO CSO abbreviation community service
order
CTT CTT abbreviation capital transfer tax
culpability culpability /k lpə|blti/ noun the
fact of being culpable
culpable culpable /k lpəb(ə)l/ adjective being
likely to attract blame
culpable homicide culpable homicide /k lpəb(ə)l
hɒmsad/ noun US murder or manslaughter
culpable negligence culpable negligence /k lpəb(ə)l
neldəns/ noun US negligence
which is so bad that it amounts to an offence
culprit culprit /k lprt/ noun somebody who
is responsible for a crime or for something
which has gone wrong
curiam curiam per curiam
currency currency /k rəns/ noun money in
coins and notes which is used in a particular
country
current account current account /k rənt ə|kaυnt/
noun an ordinary account in a bank into
which money can be deposited and on
which cheques can be drawn
current assets current assets /k rənt sets/ plural
noun assets used by a company in its
ordinary work, e.g. materials, finished
goods, cash
current liabilities current liabilities /k rənt laə|
bltiz/ plural noun debts which a company
has to pay within the next accounting
period
curriculum vitae curriculum vitae /kə|rkjυləm
vita/ noun a summary of a person’s
life story showing details of education
and work experience Candidates
should send a letter of application with a
curriculum vitae to the administrative office.
Abbreviation CV (NOTE: The US
term is résumé.)
curtilage curtilage /k$tld/ noun land round
a house
custodial establishment custodial establishment /k |
stəυdiəl |stblʃmənt/ noun a prison
or other institution where criminals are
kept
custodial sentence custodial sentence /k |stəυdiəl
sentəns/ noun a sentence which involves
sending someone to prison
custodian custodian /k |stəυdiən/ noun somebody
who protects, guards or looks after
something or someone
custody custody /k stədi/ noun 1. the condition
of being kept in prison or in a cell
in police custody held by the police, but
not actually arrested, while helping the
police with their inquiries The young
men were kept in police custody overnight.
2. the legal right of a parent to
keep and bring up a child after a divorce
Custody of the children was awarded to
the mother. The court granted the
mother custody of both children. 3. the
control and care of something by someone
The files are in the custody of my
lawyer or in my lawyer’s custody.
custom custom /k stəm/ noun 1. unwritten
rules which lay down how things are usually
done and have been done for a long
time It is the custom that everyone
stands up when the magistrates enter the
courtroom. Also called customary law
the customs of the trade general way
of working in a trade 2. the use of a shop
by regular shoppers to lose someone’s
custom to do something which makes a
regular customer go to another shop
customs customs /k stəmz/ plural noun 1.
same as Customs and Excise to go
through customs to pass through the
area of a port or airport where customs
officials examine goods 2. office of this
department at a port or airport
Customs and Excise Customs and Excise /k stəmz ən
eksaz/ noun a government department
which deals with VAT and with taxes on
imports and on taxable products such as
alcohol produced in the country
customs barrier customs barrier /k stəmz briə/
noun the existence of customs duty intended
to prevent imports
customs clearance 82
customs clearance customs clearance /k stəmz
klərəns/ noun the act of clearing goods
through customs
customs declaration customs declaration /k stəmz
deklə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a statement declaring
goods brought into a country on
which customs duty may be paid
customs duty customs duty /k stəmz djuti/
noun a tax on goods imported into a
country
customs examination customs examination /k stəmz
|zmneʃ(ə)n/ noun the examination
of goods or baggage by customs officials
customs formalities customs formalities /k stəmz fɔ|
mltiz/ plural noun declaration of
goods by the shipper and examination of
them by the customs
customs officer customs officer /k stəmz ɒfsə/,
customs official noun somebody
working for the customs
customs seal customs seal /k stəmz sil/ noun a
seal attached by customs officers to a box
to show that the contents have passed
through the customs
customs tariffs customs tariffs /k stəmz trfs/
plural noun tax to be paid for importing
or exporting goods
union customs union /k stəmz junjən/
noun an agreement between several
countries that goods can travel between
them without paying duty, while goods
from other countries have to pay special
duties
in on cut in on /k t n ɒn/ verb to cut
someone in on to offer someone part of
the profits of a deal
CV /si vi/ abbreviation curriculum
vitae Please apply in writing, enclosing
a current CV.
cyberlaw /sabəlɔ/ noun law dealing
with use of the Internet, especially commercial
law relating to commercial transactions,
copyright law on information, or
defamation law regarding statements
made public
près cy-près /si pre/ adjective, adverb
as near as possible
près doctrine cy-près doctrine /si pre
dɒktrn/ noun a rule that if a charity
cannot apply its funds to the purposes for
which they were intended, a court can
apply the funds to a purpose which is as
close as possible to the original intention
D
DADA abbreviation US district attorney
dabs dabs /dbz/ plural noun fingerprints
(slang)
Dáil Dáil /dɔl/, Dáil Éireann /dɔl
eər(ə)n/ noun the lower house of the
parliament in the Republic of Ireland
The Foreign Minister reported on the
meeting to the Dáil. (NOTE: The members
of the Dáil are called Teachta
Dala (TD).)
damage damage /dmd/ noun harm done to
things to suffer damage to be harmed
to cause damage to harm something
causing criminal damage notifiable offence
where serious damage is caused
verb to harm The storm damaged the
cargo. Stock which has been damaged
by water. He alleged that the newspaper
article was damaging to the company’s
reputation.
damaged damaged /dmdd/ adjective having
suffered damage or which has been
harmed
damage feasant damage feasant /dmd fizənt/
noun a situation where the animals of
one person damage the property of another
person
damages damages /dmdz/ plural noun 1.
money claimed by a claimant from a defendant
as compensation for harm done
to claim £1,000 in damages 2. money
awarded by a court as compensation to a
claimant to be liable for or in damages
to pay £25,000 in damages to bring
an action for damages against someone
to take someone to court and claim
damages
danger danger /dendə/ noun 1. the possibility
of being harmed or killed There
is danger to the employees in using old
machinery. 2. likelihood or possibility
there is no danger of the case being
heard early it is not likely that the case
will be heard early in danger of being
easily able to happen He is in danger to
being in contempt of court.
dangerous dangerous /dendərəs/ adjective
being possibly harmful dangerous animals
animals, such as some breeds of
dog and some wild animals, which may
attack people and have to be kept under
strict conditions, or for which a licence
has to be held dangerous job a job
where employees may be killed or hurt
dangerous weapon a device or weapon
which can hurt someone
dangerous driving dangerous driving /dendərəs
dravŋ/ noun formerly, an offence of
driving dangerously (NOTE: Now called
‘reckless driving’.) causing death by
dangerous driving the offence committed
by a driver causing the death of another
person
dark /dɑk/ adjective not being used for
hearings, trials, or other proceedings
data protection data protection /detə prə|tekʃən/
noun protecting information such as
records of individuals stored in a computer
from being copied or used wrongly
(NOTE: data is usually singular: the data
is easily available)
of commencement date of commencement /det əv
kə|mensmənt/ noun the date when an
Act of Parliament takes effect
stamp date stamp /det stmp/ noun a
stamp with rubber figures which can be
changed, used for marking the date on
documents
day training centre day training centre /de trenŋ
sentə/ noun a centre where young offenders
attend courses as a condition of
being on probation
DC abbreviation detective constable
DCC 84
DCC DCC abbreviation Deputy Chief Constable
dead dead /ded/ adjective 1. not alive Six
people were dead as a result of the accident.
We inherited the house from my
dead grandfather. 2. not working
dead account dead account /ded ə|kaυnt/ noun
an account which is no longer used
dead letter dead letter /ded letə/ noun US a
regulation which is no longer valid
This law has become a dead letter.
dead loss dead loss /ded lɒs/ noun US a complete
loss The car was written off as a
dead loss.
dealings dealings /dilŋz/ plural noun to
have dealings with someone to do business
with someone
death /deθ/ noun the act of dying or the
state of being dead to put someone to
death to execute someone
benefit death benefit /deθ benft/ noun
money paid to the family of someone
who dies in an accident at work
certificate death certificate /deθ sə|tfkət/
noun an official certificate signed by a
doctor, stating that a person has died and
giving details of the person
death grant death grant /deθ rɑnt/ noun US a
government grant to the family of a person
who has died, which is supposed to
contribute to the funeral expenses
in service death in service /deθ n s$vs/
noun insurance benefit or pension paid
when someone dies while employed by a
company
death penalty death penalty /deθ pen(ə)lti/ noun
a sentence ordering a criminal to be executed
debate debate /d|bet/ noun a discussion
about a subject, especially a formal discussion
leading to a vote The Bill
passed its Second Reading after a short
debate. The debate continued until 3
a.m. verb to discuss a subject, especially
in a formal way that leads to a vote
debenture debenture /d|bentʃə/ noun a document
whereby a company acknowledges
it owes a debt and gives the company’s
assets as security debenture register,
register of debentures list of debenture
holders of a company
debenture bond debenture bond /d|bentʃə bɒnd/
noun a certificate showing that a debenture
has been issued
debenture capital debenture capital /d|bentʃə
kpt(ə)l/ noun capital borrowed by a
company using its fixed assets as security
debenture holder debenture holder /d|bentʃə
həυldə/ noun somebody who holds a
debenture for money lent
debenture issue debenture issue /d|bentʃə ʃu/
noun borrowing money against the security
of the company’s assets
debit debit /debt/ verb to debit an account
to charge an account with a cost
His account was debited with the sum of
£25.
debit and credit debit and credit /debt ən kredt/
noun the money that a company owes
and which it is entitled to receive
debit balance debit balance /debt bləns/ noun
the balance in an account showing that
more money is owed to or has been received
by someone than is owed or has
been paid by them
debit note debit note /debt nəυt/ noun a note
showing that a customer owes money
debt debt /det/ noun money owed for goods
or services The company stopped trading
with debts of over £1 million. to be
in debt to owe money to get into debt
to start to borrow more money than you
can pay back to be out of debt not to
owe money any more to pay back a
debt to pay all the money owed to pay
off a debt to finish paying money owed
to service a debt to pay interest on a
debt
debt collection debt collection /det kə|lekʃən/
noun the act of collecting money which
is owed
debt collection agency debt collection agency /det kə|
lekʃən edənsi/ noun a company
which collects debts for other companies
for a commission
debt collector debt collector /det kə|lektə/ noun
somebody who collects debts
debt factor debt factor /det fktə/ noun a person
who buys debts at a discount and enforces
them for himself, or a person who
enforces debts for a commission
debtor debtor /detə/ noun somebody who
owes money
85 decontrol
decease decease /d|sis/ noun death (formal )
On his decease all his property will go
to his widow.
deceased deceased /d|sist/ adjective (of people)
recently dead The deceased left all
his property to his widow. She inherited
the estate of a deceased aunt. noun a
person who has died recently, or people
who have died recently
deceit deceit /d|sit/ noun dishonest behaviour
intended to trick someone into paying
money or doing something He built
up a career based on lies and deceit over
several years.
deception deception /d|sepʃən/ noun an act of
tricking someone into believing or doing
something He obtained her key by deception.
obtaining a pecuniary advantage
by deception the offence of deceiving
someone so as to derive a financial
benefit obtaining property by
deception the offence of tricking someone
into handing over possession of
property
decide decide /d|sad/ verb 1. to give a judgment
in a civil case The judge decided
in favour of the claimant. 2. to make up
your mind to do something We have decided
to take our neighbours to court.
The tribunal decided against awarding
any damages.
decided case decided case /d|sadd kes/ noun
a case where a court has made a decision
and that decision then becomes a precedent
decidendi decidendi ratio decidendi
deciding factor deciding factor /d|sadŋ fktə/
noun the most important factor which influences
a decision
decision decision /d|s(ə)n/ noun 1. a judgment
in a civil court the decision of the
House of Lords is final there is no appeal
against a decision of the House of
Lords 2. the process of deciding to do
something to come to a decision or to
reach a decision 3. decisions (in the
EU) legally binding acts of the European
Community which apply to individual
Member States of the EU or to groups of
people or individual citizens of those
states
decision maker decision maker /d|s(ə)n mekə/
noun somebody who has to decide
decision making decision making /d|s(ə)n
mekŋ/ noun the act of coming to a decision
the decision-making processes
the ways in which decisions are reached
decisis decisis stare decisis
declaration declaration /deklə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun an
official statement
declaration of association declaration of association
/dekləreʃ(ə)n əv ə|səυsi|eʃ(ə)n/
noun a statement in the articles of association
of a company, saying that the
members have agreed to form the company
and buy shares in it
declaration of compliance declaration of compliance
/dekləreʃ(ə)n əv kəm|plaəns/ noun
a declaration made by a person forming
a limited company, that the requirements
of the Companies’ Act have been met
declaration of income declaration of income
/dekləreʃ(ə)n əv nk m/ noun a
statement declaring income to the tax office
declaratory judgment declaratory judgment /d|
klrət(ə)ri d dmənt/ noun a judgment
where a court states what the legal
position of the various parties is
declare declare /d|kleə/ verb to make an official
statement to declare someone
bankrupt to declare a dividend of 10%
to declare goods to customs to state
that you are importing goods which are
liable to duty to declare an interest to
state in public that you own shares in a
company being investigated, that you are
related to someone who can benefit from
your contacts, etc.
declared declared /d|kleəd/ adjective having
been made public or officially stated
declared value declared value /d|kleəd vlju/
noun the value of goods entered on a
customs declaration
declassification declassification /di|klsf|
keʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of making something
no longer secret
declassify declassify /di|klsfa/ verb to make
a secret document or piece of information
available to the public The government
papers relating to the war have recently
been declassified.
decontrol decontrol /dikən|trəυl/ verb to stop
or remove controls from something to
decontrol the price of petrol to stop
decree 86
controlling the price of petrol so that a
free market price can be reached
decree decree /d|kri/ noun 1. an order made
by a head of state or government which is
not approved by a parliament to govern
by decree to rule a country by issuing
orders without having them debated
and voted in a parliament 2. an order
made by a court verb to make an order
The President decreed that June 1st
(his birthday) should be a National Holiday.
decree absolute decree absolute /d|kri bsəlut/
noun an order from a court which ends a
marriage finally
decree nisi decree nisi /d|kri nasa/ noun an
order from a court which ends a marriage
subject to a decree absolute at a later
time
decriminalise decriminalise /di|krmnəlaz/, decriminalize
verb to make the possession
or use of something no longer a crime
There are plans to decriminalise some
soft drugs.
decrypt decrypt /di|krpt/ verb to read an encrypted
text by using a special key
decryption decryption /di|krpʃ(ə)n/ noun the
action of reading encrypted text using a
special key
deducing title deducing title /d|djusŋ tat(ə)l/
noun the act of a vendor proving a valid
right to the property being sold
deduction deduction /d|d kʃən/ noun 1. a conclusion
which is reached by observing
something By deduction, the detective
came to the conclusion that the dead person
had not been murdered. 2. the removal
of money from a total, or money
removed from a total Net salary is salary
after deduction of tax and social security
contributions. deduction from
salary, salary deduction, deduction at
source money which a company removes
from a salary to give to the government
as tax, national insurance contributions,
fines etc.
deed deed /did/ noun a legal document
which has been signed and delivered by
the person making it in the presence of
two witnesses
deed of arrangement deed of arrangement /did əv ə|
rendmənt/ noun an agreement made
between a debtor and his or her creditors
whereby the creditors accept an agreed
sum in settlement of their claim rather
than make the debtor bankrupt
deed of assignment deed of assignment /did əv ə|
sanmənt/ noun an agreement which
legally transfers a property from a debtor
to a creditor
deed of covenant deed of covenant /did əv
k vənənt/ noun an officially signed
agreement to do something such as to
pay someone a sum of money each year
deed of partnership deed of partnership /did əv
pɑtnəʃp/ noun an agreement which
sets up a partnership
deed of transfer deed of transfer /did əv trnsf$/
noun an agreement which transfers the
ownership of shares
deed poll deed poll /did pəυl/ noun a written
legal instrument to which there is only
one party, e.g. the validation of a change
of name to change one’s name by
deed poll to sign a legal document by
which you change your name
deem deem /dim/ verb to believe or to consider
The judge deemed it necessary to
order the court to be cleared. If no payment
is made, the party shall be deemed
to have defaulted.
deeming provision deeming provision /dimŋ prə|
v(ə)n/ noun a service of documents
which is assumed to have taken place,
e.g. if using first-class post, service is
deemed to have taken place on the second
day after the documents were posted
de facto de facto /de fktəυ/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning taken as a matter of fact,
even though the legal status may not be
certain He is the de facto owner of the
property. The de facto government has
been recognised.
de facto authority de facto authority /de fktəυ ɔ|
θɒrti/ noun the authority or rule of a
country by a group because it is actually
ruling
defalcation defalcation /difl|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the illegal use of money by someone who
is not the owner but who has been trusted
to look after it
defamation of character defamation of character
/defəmeʃ(ə)n əv krktə/ noun the
act of injuring someone’s reputation by
maliciously saying or writing things
about him or her
87 defendant
statement defamatory statement /d|
fmət(ə)ri stetmənt/ noun an untrue
statement which is capable of lowering
the reputation of the stated individual in
the eyes of right-thinking people in the
community
defame /d|fem/ verb to say or write
things about the character of someone so
as to damage his or her reputation
default /d|fɔlt/ noun a failure to do
something which is required by law, such
as a failure to carry out the terms of a
contract, especially a failure to pay back
a debt in default of payment if no payment
is made to be in default not to do
or not to have done something which is
required by law the company is in default
the company has failed to carry out
the terms of the contract by default because
no one else will act he was elected
by default he was elected because all
the other candidates withdrew, because
there were no other candidates verb to
fail to carry out the terms of a contract,
especially to fail to pay back a debt to
default on payments not to make payments
which are due under the terms of a
contract
action default action /d|fɔlt kʃən/ noun
a County Court action to get back money
owed
defaulter /d|fɒltə/ noun somebody
who defaults
default summons default summons /d|fɔlt
s mənz/ noun a County Court summons
to someone to pay what is owed
defeasance /d|fiz(ə)ns/ noun in a
collateral deed, a clause which says that
a contract, bond or recognisance will be
revoked if something happens or if some
act is performed
defeat /d|fit/ verb to revoke or render
invalid an agreement, contract or bond
defect /d|fekt/ noun a fault verb (of
a spy, agent or government employee)
to leave your country and go to work for
an enemy country
defective /d|fektv/ adjective 1. not
working properly The machine broke
down because of a defective cooling system.
2. not legally valid His title to the
property is defective.
defence defence /d|fens/ noun 1. the party in
a legal case that is being sued by the
claimant 2. the party in a criminal case
that is being prosecuted 3. the legal team
representing a party being sued or prosecuted
4. the arguments used when fighting
a case His defence was that he did
not know the property was stolen. 5. a
document or statement setting out a defendant’s
case A defence must say
which parts of a claim are denied or admitted,
and which must be proved by the
claimant. to file a defence to state that
you wish to defend a case, and outline
the reasons for doing so 6. the protection
of someone or something against attack
(NOTE: [all senses] The US spelling is
defense.)
defence before claim defence before claim /d|fens b|
fɔ klem/ noun a defence that the defendant
offered the claimant the amount
of money claimed before the claimant
started proceedings against him or her.
Also called tender before claim
defence counsel defence counsel /d|fens kaυnsəl/
noun a solicitor who represents the defendant
or the accused
Defence Secretary Defence Secretary /sekrətri əv
stet fə d|fens/ noun same as Secretary
of State for Defence (NOTE: The
US spelling is Defense Secretary.)
statement defence statement /d|fens
stetmənt/ noun a document used in
criminal proceedings that sets out the accused’s
defence before going to trial
defence witness defence witness /d|fens wtnəs/
noun somebody who is called to court to
give evidence which helps the case of the
defendant or of the accused
defend /d|fend/ verb 1. to fight to protect
someone or something which is being
attacked The company is defending
itself against the takeover bid. 2. to
speak on behalf of someone who has
been charged with a crime He hired the
best lawyers to defend him against the
tax authorities. to defend an action to
appear in court to state your case when
accused of something
defendant defendant /d|fendənt/ noun 1.
somebody who is sued in a civil case.
Compare claimant, plaintiff 2. somebody
who is accused of a crime in a crim-
defer 88
inal case (NOTE: usually called the accused)
defer defer /d|f$/ verb to arrange a meeting
or activity for a later date than originally
planned to defer judgment The decision
has been deferred until the next
meeting. (NOTE: deferring – deferred)
deferment deferment /d|f$mənt/ noun the act
of arranging a meeting or activity for a
later date than originally planned deferment
of payment deferment of a decision
deferment of sentence deferment of sentence /d|
f$mənt əv sentəns/ noun a decision
to delay sentencing a convicted criminal
for up to six months to assess their behaviour
in that period
deferred deferred /d|f$d/ adjective delayed
until a later date
deferred creditor deferred creditor /d|f$d kredtə/
noun somebody who is owed money by
a bankrupt but who is paid only after all
other creditors
deferred payment deferred payment /d|f$d
pemənt/ noun payment for goods by
instalments over a long period
deficiency deficiency /d|fʃ(ə)nsi/ noun US the
amount of tax owing by a taxpayer after
he or she has submitted a tax return
which is too low
deforce deforce /di|fɔs/ verb to take wrongfully
and hold land which belongs to
someone else
deforcement deforcement /di|fɔsmənt/ noun the
wrongful taking and holding of another
person’s land
defraud defraud /d|frɔd/ verb to trick someone
so as to obtain money illegally He
defrauded the Inland Revenue of thousands
of pounds. (NOTE: You defraud
someone of something.)
defray defray /d|fre/ verb to provide money
to pay the cost of something The company
agreed to defray the costs of the
prosecution.
degrading treatment or punishment degrading treatment or punishment
/d|redŋ tritmənt ɔ
p nʃmənt/ noun an absolute right prohibiting
an individual from being subjected
to a feeling of fear, anguish and inferiority
which has the possible effect of
humiliating the victim, as such treatment
can never be justified as being in the public
interest (NOTE: It is found in Article 3
of the European Convention of Human
Rights and was introduced into UK law
by the Human Rights Act 1998.)
degree degree /d|ri/ noun 1. a level or
measure of a relationship 2. US a system
for classifying murders
COMMENT: In the US, the penalty for
first degree murder can be death.
de jure de jure /de dυəri/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘as a matter of law’,
where the legal title is clear He is the de
jure owner of the property. de facto
del credere agent del credere agent /del kredər
edənt/ noun an agent who receives a
high commission because he or she guarantees
payment by customers to his or
her principal
delegate delegate noun /delət/ somebody
who is elected by others to put their case
at a meeting The company sent a delegate
to the conference in Hong Kong
verb /delə|et/ to pass authority or responsibility
to someone else
delegated legislation delegated legislation /deləetd
led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. (in the UK)
legislation which has the power of an Act
of Parliament but which is passed by a
minister to whom Parliament has delegated
its authority 2. (in the EU) legislation
which is proposed by the Commission
and implemented by the Council of
Ministers
delegatus non potest delegare delegatus non potest delegare
/delɑtəs nɒn pɒ|test del|ɑre/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘the delegate
cannot delegate to someone else’
deliberate deliberate adjective /d|lb(ə)rət/
done on purpose The police suggest
that the letter was a deliberate attempt to
encourage disorder. verb /d|lbəret/
to consider or to discuss a problem The
committee deliberated for several hours
before reaching a decision.
deliberations deliberations /d|lbə|reʃ(ə)nz/ plural
noun discussions The result of the
committee’s deliberations was passed to
the newspapers.
delicti delicti corpus delicti
delicto delicto in flagrante delicto
delinquency delinquency /d|lŋkwənsi/ noun the
act of committing crime, usually minor
crime
89 denial
delinquent /d|lŋkwənt/ adjective 1.
US (of a debt) overdue 2. (of behaviour)
antisocial or criminal noun someone,
especially a young person, who has acted
in an antisocial way or broken the law
a juvenile delinquent, a delinquent US
young criminal who commits minor
crimes, especially crimes against property
delivery /d|lv(ə)ri/ noun 1. delivery
of goods transport of goods to a customer’s
address to take delivery of
goods to accept goods when they are delivered
2. goods being transferred from
the possession of person to another We
take in three deliveries a day. There
were four items missing in the last delivery.
3. the transfer of a bill of exchange
4. a formal act whereby a deed becomes
effective Deeds take effect only from
the time of delivery.
note delivery note /d|lv(ə)ri nəυt/ noun
a list of goods being delivered which is
given to the customer with the goods
order delivery order /d|lv(ə)ri ɔdə/
noun an instruction for goods to be delivered
given by the customer to the person
holding the goods
up delivery up /d|lv(ə)ri p/ noun the
action of delivering goods which have
been made in infringement of a copyright
or patent to the claimant, so that
they can be destroyed (infringement of
copyright)
demagogue /deməɒ/ noun (usually
as criticism) a leader who is able to
get the support of the people by exciting
their lowest feelings and prejudices
demagogy demagogy, demagoguery noun the
activity of appealing to feelings such as
fear, greed or hatred of the mass of the
people
bill demand bill /d|mɑnd bl/ noun a
bill of exchange which must be paid
when payment is asked for
with menaces demanding with menaces /d|
mɑndŋ wd menəss/ noun the offence
of attempting to make someone
give you something by threatening them
with violence
minimis non curat lex de minimis non curat lex /de
mnmis nɒn kjυərt leks/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘the law does not
deal with trivial things’
demise demise /d|maz/ noun 1. death On
his demise the estate passed to his
daughter. 2. the granting of property on a
lease
demise charter demise charter /d|maz tʃɑtə/
noun the charter of a ship without the
crew
demise of the Crown demise of the Crown /d|maz əv
də kraυn/ noun the death of a king or
queen
democracy democracy /d|mɒkrəsi/ noun 1. a
theory or system of government by freely
elected representatives of the people
After the coup, democracy was replaced
by a military dictatorship. 2. the right to
fair government, free election of representatives
and equality in voting 3. a
country ruled in this way The pact was
welcomed by western democracies.
democratic democratic /demə|krtk/ adjective
1. referring to a democracy After the
coup the democratic processes of government
were replaced by government by
decree. 2. free and fair, reflecting the
views of the majority The resolution
was passed by a democratic vote of the
council. The action of the leader is
against the wishes of the party as expressed
in a democratic vote at the party
conference.
demonstrative legacy demonstrative legacy /d|
mɒnstrətv leəsi/ noun a gift in a
will which is ordered to be paid out of a
special account
demur demur /d|m$/ noun an objection
Counsel made no demur to the proposal.
verb 1. not to agree Counsel stated
that there was no case to answer, but the
judge demurred. 2. to make a formal objection
that the facts as alleged are not
sufficient to warrant the civil action
(NOTE: demurring – demurred)
demurrage demurrage /d|m rd/ noun money
paid to the owner of a cargo when a ship
is delayed in a port
demurrer demurrer /d|m$rə/ noun in a civil
action, a plea that although the facts of
the case are correct, they are not sufficient
to warrant the action
denial denial /d|naəl/ noun 1. the act of not
allowing something 2. the act of stating
denial of human rights 90
that you have not done something In
spite of his denials he was found guilty.
denial of human rights denial of human rights /d|naəl əv
hjumən rats/ noun the act of refusing
someone a generally accepted right
denial of justice denial of justice /d|naəl əv
d sts/ noun a situation where justice
appears not to have been done
denial-of-service attack denial-of-service attack /d|naəl
əv s$vs ə|tk/ noun an illegal attempt
to cause a computer system to
crash by sending it data from many
sources simultaneously
de novo de novo /de nəυvəυ/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘starting again’
deny deny /d|na/ verb 1. not to allow something
She was denied the right to see
her lawyer. 2. to say that you have not
done something He denied being in the
house at the time of the murder. (NOTE:
You deny someone something or deny
doing or having done something.)
depart depart /d|pɑt/ verb to depart from
normal practice to act in a different way
from the normal practice
Department of Justice Department of Justice /d|
pɑtmənt əv d sts/ noun US the
department of the US government responsible
for federal legal cases, headed
by the Attorney-General
Department of Justice Canada Department of Justice Canada
/d|pɑtmənt əv d sts knədə/
noun the Canadian government department
that is responsible for developing
policies affecting the justice system and
providing legal services to the federal
government
Department of State Department of State /d|pɑtmənt
əv səυʃ(ə)l stet/ noun 1. a major section
of the British government headed by
a Secretary of State the Department of
Trade and Industry 2. a major section of
the US government headed by a Secretary
the Lord Chancellor’s Department
departure departure /d|pɑtʃə frəm/ noun a
departure from the usual practice different
from what usually happens This
forms a departure from established practice.
Any departure from the terms and
conditions of the contract must be advised
in writing.
dependant dependant /d|pendənt/ noun 1.
somebody who is supported financially
by someone else He has to provide for
his family and dependants out of a very
small salary. 2. a person who is a member
of the family of someone who works
in the European Union, even if not a EU
citizen
COMMENT: For the purposes of EU
law, dependants are classified as the
spouse of a EU citizen, the children
and parents of a EU citizen, the grandchildren
and grandparents of a EU citizen
(in the case of children and grandchildren,
they count as dependants up
to the age of 21).
dependent /d|pendənt/ adjective 1.
being supported financially by someone
else Tax relief is allowed for dependent
relatives. 2. referring to a dependant
rights dependent rights /d|pendənt
rats/ plural noun the rights of a dependant
to enter a EU country along with a
parent or other close relative
deponent /d|pəυnənt/ noun somebody
who makes a statement under oath,
by affirmation or by affidavit
deport /d|pɔt/ verb to send someone
away from a country permanently The
illegal immigrants were deported.
deportation /dipɔ|teʃ(ə)n/ noun
the sending of someone away from a
country The convicts were sentenced to
deportation.
order deportation order /dipɔ|teʃ(ə)n
ɔdə/ noun an official order to send
someone away from a country The
minister signed the deportation order.
depose /d|pəυz/ verb 1. to state under
oath 2. to remove a monarch from the
throne
deposit /d|pɒzt/ noun 1. money
placed in a bank for safe keeping or to
earn interest 2. money given in advance
so that the thing which you want to buy
will not be sold to someone else to
leave £10 as deposit to forfeit a deposit
to lose a deposit because you have decided
not to buy the item verb 1. to put
documents somewhere for safe keeping
We have deposited the deeds of the
house with the bank. He deposited his
will with his solicitor. 2. to put money
into a bank account to deposit £100 in
a current account
91 despatch
deposit account deposit account /d|pɒzt ə|kaυnt/
noun a bank account which pays interest
but on which notice has to be given to
withdraw money
depositary depositary /d|pɒztəri/ noun US a
person or corporation that can place
money or documents for safekeeping
with a depository (NOTE: Do not confuse
with depository.)
deposition deposition /depə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun a
written statement of evidence from a witness
depositor depositor /d|pɒztə/ noun somebody
who deposits money in a bank
depository depository /d|pɒzt(ə)ri/ noun a person
or company with whom money or
documents can be deposited (NOTE: Do
not confuse with depositary.)
deprave deprave /d|prev/ verb to make
someone’s character bad Such TV programmes
which may deprave the minds
of children who watch them.
deputise deputise /depjυtaz/, deputize verb
to deputise for someone to take the
place of someone who is absent to deputise
someone to appoint someone as a
deputy
deputy deputy /depjυti/ noun 1. somebody
who takes the place of a higher official,
who assists a higher official He acted
as deputy for the chairman or he acted as
the chairman’s deputy. 2. US somebody
who acts for or assists a sheriff
derelict derelict /derlkt/ noun an abandoned
floating boat
dereliction of duty dereliction of duty /der|lkʃən əv
djuti/ noun failure to do what you
ought to do She was found guilty of
gross dereliction of duty.
derivative action derivative action /d|rvətv
kʃən/ noun an action started by a
shareholder or a group of shareholders
which is derived from the company’s
rights but which the company itself does
not want to proceed with
derogate derogate /derəet/ verb to derogate
from something which has been
agreed to act to prevent something
which has been agreed from being fully
implemented
derogation derogation /derə|eʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the act of avoiding or destroying something
2. (in the EU) an action by which
an EC directive is not applied
COMMENT: Derogations from the principle
of equality of access to employment
may be where the job can only
be done by someone of one particular
sex, such as a person modelling men’s
clothes.
derogation of responsibility derogation of responsibility
/derəeʃ(ə)n əv r|spɒns|blti/
noun the avoidance of doing something
that should be done
descendant descendant /d|sendənt/ noun (in
the EU) a child or grandchild of a person
(NOTE: The opposite, the parents or
grandparents of a person, are ascendants.)
descent descent /d|sent/ noun 1. family ties
of inheritance between parents and children
he is British by descent, he is of
British descent one (or both) of his parents
is British 2. by descent way of inheriting
property by an heir, where there
is no will
desegregate desegregate /di|seret/ verb to
end a policy of segregation
desegregation desegregation /diser|eʃ(ə)n/
noun the ending of segregation
deselect deselect /dis|lekt/ verb to decide
that a person who had been selected by a
political party as a candidate for a constituency
is no longer the candidate
deselection deselection /dis|lekʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of deselecting Some factions in
the local party have proposed the deselection
of the candidate.
desert desert /d|z$t/ verb 1. to leave the
armed forces without permission He
deserted and went to live in South America.
2. to leave a family or spouse The
two children have been deserted by their
father.
deserter deserter /d|z$tə/ noun somebody
who has left the armed forces without
permission
desertion desertion /d|z$ʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the act
of leaving the armed forces without permission
2. the act of leaving a spouse
He divorced his wife because of her desertion.
despatch despatch /d|sptʃ/ verb to send
The letters about the rates were despatched
yesterday. The Defence Minis-
despatch box 92
ter was despatched to take charge of the
operation.
despatch box despatch box /d|sptʃ bɒks/ noun
1. a red box in which government papers
are sent to ministers 2. one of two boxes
on the centre table in the House of Commons
at which a Minister or member of
the Opposition Front Bench stands to
speak to be at the despatch box (of a
minister) to be speaking in parliament
destruction destruction /d|str kʃən/ noun the
action of killing someone, or of ending
the existence of something completely
The destruction of the evidence in the fire
at the police station made it difficult to
prosecute.
detain detain /d|ten/ verb to hold a person
so that he or she cannot leave The suspects
were detained by the police for
questioning.
detainee detainee /dite|ni/ noun somebody
who has been detained
detainer detainer /d|tenə/ noun the act of
holding a person
detect detect /d|tekt/ verb to notice or discover
something which is hidden or difficult
to see The machine can detect explosives.
detection detection /d|tekʃən/ noun the process
of discovering something, especially
discovering who has committed a crime
or how a crime has been committed
detection rate detection rate /d|tekʃ(ə)n ret/
noun the number of crimes which are
solved, as a percentage of all crimes
detective detective /d|tektv/ noun somebody,
usually a policeman, who tries to solve a
crime
COMMENT: The ranks of detectives in
the British Police Force are Detective
Constable, Detective Sergeant, Detective
Inspector, Detective Chief Inspector,
Detective Superintendent, and Detective
Chief Superintendent.
detective agency detective agency /d|tektv
edənsi/ noun an office which hires
out the services of private detectives
detention detention /d|tenʃən/ noun 1. the act
of keeping someone so that he or she
cannot escape The suspects were
placed in detention. 2. wrongfully holding
goods which belong to someone else
detention centre detention centre /d|tenʃən sentə/
noun a place where young offenders
aged between 14 and 21 can be kept for
corrective training, instead of being sent
to prison, if they are convicted of crimes
which would usually carry a sentence of
three months’ imprisonment or more
detention order detention order /d|tenʃən ɔdə/
noun a court order asking for someone to
be kept in detention
determine determine /d|t$mn/ verb 1. to control
what will happen or what something
will be like Their attitudes have been
determined by their experiences. 2. to
discover something We need to determine
what the long-term effects of this
decision might be.
deterrence deterrence /d|terəns/ noun the idea
that the harsh punishment of one criminal
will deter other people from committing
crimes
deterrent deterrent /d|terənt/ noun a punishment
which is strong enough to stop people
from committing a crime A long
prison sentence will act as a deterrent to
other possible criminals.
deterrent sentence deterrent sentence /d|terənt
sentəns/ noun a harsh sentence which
the judge hopes will deter other people
from committing crimes
detinue detinue /detnju/ noun the tort of
wrongfully holding goods which belong
to someone else action in detinue action
formerly brought to regain possession
of goods which were wrongfully
held by someone
detriment detriment /detrmənt/ noun damage
or harm without detriment to his
claim without harming his claim his
action was to the detriment of the
claimant his action harmed the claimant
detrimental detrimental /detr|ment(ə)l/ adjective
harmful Action detrimental to the
maintenance of public order.
developer developer /d|veləpə/ noun a property
developer person who plans and
builds a group of new houses or new factories
development area development area /d|veləpmənt
eəriə/ noun an area which has been given
special help from a government to encourage
businesses and factories to be set
up there
devil devil /dev(ə)l/ noun a barrister to
whom another barrister passes work be-
93 directive
cause he or she is too busy verb to pass
instruction to another barrister because
you are too busy to deal with the case
yourself to devil for someone to do unpleasant
or boring work for someone
devise devise /d|vaz/ noun a gift of freehold
land to someone in a will verb to give
freehold property to someone in a will
COMMENT: Giving of other types of
property is a bequest.
devisee devisee /dva|zi/ noun somebody
who receives freehold property in a will
devolve devolve /d|vɒlv/ verb to pass to someone
under the terms of a will
dictum dictum /dktəm/ noun a statement
made by a judge
die die /da/ verb to stop living. death
(NOTE: dying – died)
digest digest /dadest/ noun a book which
collects summaries of court decisions together,
used for reference purposes by legal
practitioners
dilapidation dilapidation /d|lp|deʃ(ə)n/ noun
damage arising through neglect
dilatory dilatory /dlət(ə)ri/ adjective too slow
dilatory motion dilatory motion /dlət(ə)ri
məυʃ(ə)n/ noun a motion in the House
of Commons to delay the debate on a
proposal
dilatory plea dilatory plea /dlət(ə)ri pli/ noun a
plea by a defendant relating to the jurisdiction
of the court, which has the effect
of delaying the action
diminished responsibility diminished responsibility /d|
mnʃt r|spɒns|blti/ noun a mental
state of a criminal, either inherited or
caused by illness or injury, which means
that he or she cannot be held responsible
for the crime which has been committed
DInsp DInsp abbreviation detective inspector
dip dip /dp/ noun a pickpocket (slang)
diplomat diplomat /dpləmt/, diplomatist
/d|pləυmətst/ noun a person such as
an ambassador who is an official representative
of his country in another country
diplomatic agent diplomatic agent /dpləmtk
edənt/ noun a person officially employed
by the embassy of a foreign country
diplomatic channels diplomatic channels /dpləmtk
tʃn(ə)lz/ plural noun communicating
between countries through their diplomats
The message was delivered by
diplomatic channels. They are working
to restore diplomatic channels between
the two countries.
diplomatic corps diplomatic corps /dplə|mtk
kɔ/ plural noun all foreign diplomats in
a city or country
diplomatic immunity diplomatic immunity /dpləmtk
|mjunti/ noun not subject to the laws
of a country because of being a foreign
diplomat He claimed diplomatic immunity
to avoid being arrested.
direct direct /da|rekt/ verb to give an order
to someone The judge directed the jury
to acquit all the defendants. The Crown
Court directed the justices to rehear the
case.
direct discrimination direct discrimination /da|rekt d|
skrm|neʃ(ə)n/ noun illegal discrimination
where similar cases are treated
differently or where different cases are
treated in the same way
direct effect direct effect /da|rekt |fekt/ noun
the effect of a legal decision of the European
Union which creates rights for citizens.
supremacy
COMMENT: Direct effect applies vertically,
from the state giving a right to the
citizen, and from the citizen who has
an obligation to the state. It can also
apply horizontally between individual
citizens who have rights and obligations
to each other.
direct evidence direct evidence /da|rekt
evd(ə)ns/ noun first-hand evidence
such as the testimony of an eye witness
or the production of original documents
direct examination direct examination /da|rekt |
zm|neʃ(ə)n/ noun the questioning
of a witness by his or her own lawyers as
a means of oral evidence by the witness
to be given in court
direction direction /da|rekʃən/ directions
1. order which explains how something
should be done the court is not able to
give directions to the local authority 2.
instructions from a judge to a jury 3. orders
given by a judge concerning the
general way of proceeding with a case
directive directive /da|rektv/ noun 1. an order
or command to someone to do something
2. (in the EU) a legally binding act of the
European Community which is binding
Director-General 94
on the Member States of the EU but not
on individuals until it has been made part
of national law The Commission issued
a directive on food prices. Compare regulations
COMMENT: A directive is binding in the
result which is to be achieved. Directives
do not have a direct effect before
any time limit for their implementation
has expired, and they do not have any
horizontal direct effect (i.e. an effect
between citizens).
Director-General Director-General /da|rektə
den(ə)rəl/ noun (in the EU) the head
of the Directorates General in the Commission
(NOTE: The plural is Directors-
General.)
Director-General of Fair Trading Director-General of Fair Trading
/da|rektə den(ə)rəl əv feə tredŋ/
noun an official in charge of the Office of
Fair Trading, dealing with consumers
and the law
Director of Public Prosecutions Director of Public Prosecutions
/da|rektə əv p blk prɒs|
kjuʃ(ə)nz/ noun a government official
in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service,
working under the Attorney-General,
who can prosecute in important cases
and advises other government departments
if prosecutions should be started
The papers in the fraud case have been
sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Abbreviation DPP
direct selling direct selling /da|rekt selŋ/ noun
the activity of selling a product direct to
the customer without going through a
shop
sexual discrimination direct sexual discrimination /da|
rekt sekʃuəl d|skrm|neʃ(ə)n/
noun an instance of sexual discrimination
that is overt, e.g. failure to pay one
sex the same wage as the other in an
equivalent job. indirect sexual discrimination
direct taxation direct taxation /da|rekt tk|
seʃ(ə)n/ noun a tax such as income tax
which is paid direct to the government
disability disability /dsə|blti/ noun 1. the
condition of being unable to use a part of
the body properly 2. a lack of legal capacity
to act in your own right because of
age or mental state person under a
disability person who is not capable to
taking legal action for himself
Disability Rights Commission Disability Rights Commission
/dsəblti rats kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun an
official committee set up to deal with issues
relating to discrimination against
people with disabilities. Abbreviation
DRC
disabled person disabled person /ds|eb(ə)ld
p$s(ə)n/ noun a person with physical
disabilities
disallow disallow /dsə|laυ/ verb not to accept
something The judge disallowed the
defence evidence. He claimed £2000
for fire damage, but the claim was disallowed.
disapproval disapproval /dsə|pruv(ə)l/ noun
the act of disapproving a decision made
by a lower court
disapprove disapprove /dsə|pruv/ verb 1. to
show doubt about a decision made by a
lower court, but not to reverse or overrule
it The Appeal Court disapproved the
County Court decision. 2. to disapprove
of something to show that you do
not approve of something, that you do
not think something is good The judge
openly disapproves of juries.
disbar disbar /ds|bɑ/ verb to stop a barrister
from practising (NOTE: disbarring –
disbarred)
disburse disburse /ds|b$s/ verb to pay money
disbursement disbursement /ds|b$smənt/ noun
an amount of money paid from a fund
held for a particular purpose, or the process
of making such a payment
discharge discharge noun /dstʃɑd/ 1. the
ending of a contract by performing all
the conditions of the contract, releasing a
party from the terms of the contract, or
being in breach of contract 2. payment of
debt in full discharge of a debt paying
a debt completely, paying less than the
total amount owed, by agreement 3. release
from prison or from military service
4. in discharge of his duties as director
carrying out his duties verb /ds|
tʃɑd/ 1. to let someone go free The
prisoners were discharged by the judge.
the judge discharged the jury the
judge told the jury that they were no
longer needed 2. to discharge a bankrupt
to release someone from bankruptcy
(as when a person has paid his or her
debts) 3. to discharge a debt, to discharge
one’s liabilities to pay a debt or
95 discretionary
one’s liabilities in full 4. to dismiss
someone from a job or position to discharge
an employee
discharge by agreement discharge by agreement
/dstʃɑd ba ə|rimənt/ noun a situation
where both parties agree to end a
contract
discharge by performance discharge by performance /ds|
tʃɑd ba pə|fɔməns/ noun a situation
where the terms of a contract have
been fulfilled
discharged bankrupt discharged bankrupt /ds|tʃɑdd
bŋkr pt/ noun somebody who has
been released from being bankrupt
discharge in bankruptcy discharge in bankruptcy
/dstʃɑd n bŋkr ptsi/ noun an
order of a court to release someone from
bankruptcy
disciplinary disciplinary /ds|plnəri/ adjective
to take disciplinary action against
someone to punish someone
disciplinary procedure disciplinary procedure /ds|
plnəri prə|sidə/ noun a way of
warning an employee officially that he or
she is breaking rules or that their standard
of work is unacceptable
discipline discipline /dspln/ verb to punish
someone The clerk was disciplined for
leaking the report to the newspapers.
disclaim disclaim /ds|klem/ verb 1. to refuse
to admit He disclaimed all knowledge
of the bomb. The management disclaims
all responsibility for customers’
property. 2. to refuse to accept a legacy
or devise made to you under someone’s
will
disclaimer disclaimer /ds|klemə/ noun 1. a legal
refusal to accept responsibility or to
accept a right 2. a clause in a contract
where a party disclaims responsibility
for something 3. a refusal to accept property
bequeathed under someone’s will
disclose disclose /ds|kləυz/ verb 1. to tell details
The bank has no right to disclose
details of my account to the tax office. 2.
(in civil cases) to say that a document exists
Parties to a case are required to
disclose relevant documents.
disclosure disclosure /ds|kləυə/ noun 1. the
act of telling details or of publishing a secret
The disclosure of the takeover bid
raised the price of the shares. The defendant’s
case was made stronger by the
disclosure that the claimant was an undischarged
bankrupt. non-disclosure
2. stating that documents exist or have
existed before a hearing starts in the civil
courts, usually done by preparing a list of
documents. Parties to whom documents
have been disclosed have the right to inspect
them. (NOTE: Since the introduction
of the new Civil Procedure Rules in
April 1999, this term has in some contexts
replaced discovery.)
discontinuance discontinuance /dskən|tnjuəns/
noun the action of discontinuing a claim
or action The claimant has served notice
of discontinuance.
discontinue discontinue /dskən|tnju/ verb to
stop a claim which has been issued or an
action which has started A claimant
may need to seek permission of the court
to discontinue a claim.
discovery of documents discovery of documents /d|
sk v(ə)ri əv dɒkjυmənts/ noun disclosure
of each party’s documents to the
other before a hearing starts in the civil
courts (NOTE: Since the introduction of
the new Civil Procedure Rules in April
1999, this term has in some contexts
been replaced by disclosure.)
discredit discredit /ds|kredt/ verb to show
that a person is not reliable The prosecution
counsel tried to discredit the defence
witnesses.
discretion discretion /d|skreʃ(ə)n/ noun the
ability to decide correctly what should be
done Magistrates have a discretion to
allow an accused person to change his
election from a summary trial to a jury
trial. The judge refused the application,
on the ground that he had a judicial
discretion to examine inadmissible evidence.
to exercise one’s discretion to
decide which of several possible ways to
act the court exercised its discretion
the court decided what should be done
I leave it to your discretion I leave it for
you to decide what to do at the discretion
of someone if someone decides
Membership is at the discretion of the
committee. Sentencing is at the discretion
of the judge. The granting of an injunction
is at the discretion of the court.
discretionary discretionary /d|skreʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ adjective
being possible if someone wants
the minister’s discretionary powers
discretionary trust 96
powers which the minister could use if
he or she thought it suitable the tribunal
has wide discretionary power the
tribunal can decide on many different
courses of action
trust discretionary trust /d|
skreʃ(ə)n(ə)ri tr st/ noun a trust
where the trustees decide how to invest
the income and when and how much income
should be paid to the beneficiaries
discriminate /d|skrmnet/ verb to
note differences between things and act
accordingly The planning committee
finds it difficult to discriminate between
applications which improve the community,
and those which are purely commercial.
to discriminate against someone
to treat someone unequally The council
was accused of discriminating against
women in its recruitment policy. He
claimed he had been discriminated
against because of his colour.
discrimination /d|skrm|neʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the unfair treatment of someone
because of their colour, class, language,
race, religion, sex or a disability Racial
discrimination is against the law. She
accused the council of sexual discrimination
in their recruitment policy.
There should be no discrimination on the
grounds of disability. 2. the ability to notice
the differences between things The
tests are designed to give clear discrimination
between the three categories. 3.
good judgement and decision-making
The committee showed discrimination in
its choice of advisers for the project.
COMMENT: The UK is gradually introducing
the necessary legislation to
comply with the European Council Directive
on Equal Treatment in Employment
and Occupation (2000/78/EC).
This will result in a consistency of approach
between the various types of
unlawful discrimination and introduce
some new types of unlawful discrimination.
In particular, the Equality (Religion
or Belief) Regulations 2003 and
the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation)
Regulations 2003 are now
both in force and legislation against
dismissal on the grounds of age is intended
by 2006.
disenfranchise /dsn|frntʃaz/,
disfranchise verb to take away someone’s
right to vote The company has
tried to disenfranchise the ordinary
shareholders.
dishonour dishonour /ds|ɒnə/ verb to refuse to
pay a cheque or bill of exchange because
there is not enough money in the account
to pay it The bank dishonoured his
cheque. noun the act of dishonouring a
cheque The dishonour of the cheque
brought her business to a stop.
disinherit disinherit /dsn|hert/ verb to make
a will which prevents someone from inheriting
He was disinherited by his father.
diskette diskette /d|sket/ noun a very small
floppy disk
dismiss dismiss /ds|ms/ verb 1. to dismiss
an employee to remove an employee
from a job He was dismissed for being
late. 2. to refuse to accept The court
dismissed the appeal or the application
or the action. The justices dismissed
the witness’ evidence out of hand.
dismissal dismissal /ds|ms(ə)l/ noun 1. the removal
of an employee from a job, especially
as a result of something they have
done wrong. wrongful dismissal, unfair
dismissal 2. an unwillingness to accept
that something might be true the
company’s public dismissal of the allegation
of fraud 3. an order telling someone
to leave a place, or to stop carrying
out a role the dismissal of jurors 4. a
judge’s decision that a court case should
not continue
dismissal procedure dismissal procedure /ds|ms(ə)l
prə|sidə/ noun the process of dismissing
an employee, following the rules in
the contract of employment
disobedience disobedience /dsə|bidiəns/ noun
bad behaviour which ignores rules or requests
to do something The prisoners
were put in solitary confinement as punishment
for their disobedience of the
governor’s orders.
disorder disorder /ds|ɔdə/ noun a lack of order
or of control
disorderly disorderly /ds|ɔdəli/ adjective badly
behaved She was charged with disorderly
conduct or with being drunk and
disorderly.
dispensation dispensation /dspen|seʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the act of giving out justice 2.
special permission to do something
97 distribution of assets
which is normally not allowed or is
against the law
dispense /d|spens/ verb 1. to provide
something, especially officially to dispense
justice 2. to dispense with
something not to use something, to do
without something The chairman of the
tribunal dispensed with the formality of
taking minutes. The accused decided to
dispense with the services of a lawyer.
person displaced person /ds|plesd
p$s(ə)n/ noun a man or woman who
has been forced to leave home and move
to another country because of war
dispose /d|spəυz/ verb to dispose
of to get rid of, to sell cheaply to dispose
of excess stock to dispose of one’s
business
disposition /dspə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of passing property in the form of
land or goods to another person, especially
in a will to make testamentary
dispositions
dispossess /dspə|zes/ verb to deprive
someone wrongfully of his or her
possession of land
dispossession /dspə|zeʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of wrongfully depriving
someone of possession of land
dispute /d|spjut, dspjut/ noun a
disagreement or argument between parties
to adjudicate, to mediate in a dispute
to try to settle a dispute between
other parties verb to argue against
something the defendant disputed
the claim the defendant argued that the
claim was not correct she disputed the
policeman’s version of events she said
that the policeman’s story of what had
happened was wrong to dispute the
jurisdiction of a court to argue that a
court has no jurisdiction over a case
disqualification /ds|kwɒlf|
keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a situation in which
someone is legally prevented from doing
something 2. the fact of being legally
prevented from driving a car
from office disqualification from office /ds|
kwɒlfkeʃ(ə)n frəm ɒfs/ noun a
rule which forces a director to be removed
from a directorship if he or she
does not fulfil the conditions
disqualify disqualify /ds|kwɒlfa/ verb not to
allow someone to do something, because
they have done something which is not
allowed or have committed a legal offence
Being a judge disqualifies him
from being a Member of Parliament.
After the accident she was fined £1000
and disqualified from driving for two
years. He was convicted of driving a
motor vehicle while disqualified.
disrepute disrepute /dsr|pjut/ noun a situation
where something is not regarded
very highly to bring something into
disrepute to give something a bad reputation
He was accused of bringing the
club into disrepute by his bad behaviour.
disseisin disseisin /ds|sizn/ noun illegally
depriving someone of possession of land
dissemination dissemination /d|sem|neʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of passing information,
slanderous or libellous statements to other
members of the public
dissent dissent /d|sent/ noun disagreement
with the majority of other people or with
the authorities The opposition showed
its dissent by voting against the Bill.
verb to disagree in writing with a majority
opinion in a court judgment One of
the appeal judges dissented.
dissenting judgment dissenting judgment /d|sentŋ
d dmənt/ noun the judgment of a
judge, showing that he or she disagrees
with other judges in a case which has
been heard by several judges
dissolve dissolve /d|zɒlv/ verb to bring to an
end to dissolve a marriage or a partnership
or a company to dissolve Parliament
to end a session of Parliament,
and so force a general election
distrain distrain /d|stren/ verb to seize goods
to pay for debts
distress distress /d|stres/ noun the taking of
someone’s goods to pay for debts
distress sale distress sale /d|stres sel/ noun the
selling of someone’s goods to pay his or
her debts
distribution distribution /dstr|bjuʃ(ə)n/ noun
sharing out property in an estate
distribution of assets distribution of assets
/dstrbjuʃ(ə)n əv sets/ noun sharing
the assets of a company among the
shareholders
district 98
district district /dstrkt/ noun a section of a
town or of a country
district attorney district attorney /dstrkt ə|t$ni/
noun US 1. a prosecuting attorney in a
federal district 2. the state prosecuting
attorney abbreviation DA
district court district court /dstrkt kɔt/ noun
US a court in a federal district
district registrar district registrar /dstrkt red|
strɑ/ noun an official who registers
births, marriages and deaths in a specific
area
district registry district registry /dstrkt
redstri/ noun an office where records
of births, marriages and deaths are kept
disturb disturb /d|st$b/ verb to disturb
the peace to make a noise which annoys
people in the area
disturbance disturbance /d|st$bəns/ noun a
noise or movement of people which annoys
other people Street disturbances
forced the government to resign. He
was accused of making a disturbance in
the public library.
disturbed balance of mind disturbed balance of mind /d|
st$bd bləns əv mand/ noun US a
state of mind when someone is temporarily
incapable of rational action because
of depression or mental distress The
verdict of the coroner’s court was suicide
while the balance of mind was disturbed.
division division /d|v(ə)n/ noun 1. one section
of something which is divided into
several sections Smith’s is now a division
of the Brown group of companies. 2.
a separate section of the High Court, e.g.
the Queen’s Bench Division, the Family
Division or the Chancery Division, or a
separate section of the Appeal Court, e.g.
the Civil Division or the Criminal Division
3. the act of dividing or of being divided
to have a division of opinion to
disagree 4. (in the EU) one of the subdivisions
of a Directorate in the Commission,
with a Head of Division at its head
divisional court divisional court /d|v(ə)n(ə)l kɔt/
noun one of courts of the High Court
divisional judge divisional judge /d|v(ə)n(ə)l
d d/ noun a judge in a division of the
High Court
division of responsibility division of responsibility /d|
v(ə)n əv r|spɒns|blti/ noun the
act of splitting the responsibility for
something between several people
divorce divorce /d|vɔs/ noun the legal ending
of a marriage verb to legally end a marriage
to someone He divorced his wife
and married his secretary.
COMMENT: Under English law, the only
basis of divorce is the irretrievable
breakdown of marriage. This is proved
by one of five grounds: (a) adultery; (b)
unreasonable behaviour; (c) one of the
parties has deserted the other for a period
of two years; (d) the parties have
lived apart for two years and agree to
a divorce; (e) the parties have lived
apart for five years. In the context of divorce
proceedings the court has wide
powers to make orders regarding residence
and contact orders for children,
and ancillary relief. Divorce proceedings
are normally dealt with by the
County Court, or in London at the Divorce
Registry. Where divorce proceedings
are defended, they are transferred
to the High Court, but this is rare
and most divorce cases are now conducted
by what is called the ‘special
procedure’.
divorcee divorcee /dvɔ|si/ noun someone
who is divorced
divorce petition divorce petition /d|vɔs pə|tʃ(ə)n/
noun an official request to a court to end
a marriage She was granted a divorce
on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour
by her husband.
Divorce Registry Divorce Registry /d|vɔs
redstri/ noun a court which deals
with divorce cases in London
DMC DMC abbreviation donatio mortis causa
dock dock /dɒk/ noun the part of a court
where an accused prisoner stands the
prisoner in the dock the prisoner who is
being tried for a crime
dock brief dock brief /dɒk brif/ noun a former
system where an accused person could
choose a barrister from those present in
court to represent them for a small fee
dock dues dock dues /dɒk djuz/ noun the payment
which a ship makes to the harbour
authorities for the right to use the harbour
docket docket /dɒkt/ noun 1. a list of contents
of a package which is being sent 2.
US a list of cases for trial
doctrine doctrine /dɒktrn/ noun a general
principle of law
99 dominant tenement
document document /dɒkjυmənt/ noun 1. a
paper or set of papers, printed or handwritten,
which contains information
Deeds, contracts and wills are all legal
documents. 2. anything in which information
is recorded, e.g. maps, designs,
computer files, databases 3. an official
paper from a government department
verb to put in a published paper The
cases of unparliamentary language are
well documented in Hansard.
documentary documentary /dɒkjυ|ment(ə)ri/
adjective in the form of documents
documentary evidence documentary
proof
documentary evidence documentary evidence
/dɒkjυment(ə)ri evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence
in the form of documents
documentary proof documentary proof
/dɒkjυment(ə)ri pruf/ noun proof in
the form of a document
documentation documentation /dɒkjυmen|
teʃ(ə)n/ noun all documents referring
to something Please send me the complete
documentation concerning the sale.
document exchange document exchange /dɒkjυmənt
ks|tʃend/ noun a bureau which receives
documents for clients and holds
them securely in numbered boxes. Abbreviation
DX (NOTE: Service can be effected
through a document exchange in
cases where this is given as the address
for service.)
Doe Doe John Doe
do-it-yourself conveyancing do-it-yourself conveyancing /du
t jə|self kən|veənsŋ/ noun drawing
up a legal conveyance without the help of
a lawyer
doli capax doli capax, doli incapax phrase Latin
phrases meaning ‘capable of crime’ or
‘incapable of crime’
COMMENT: Children under ten years of
age are doli incapax and cannot be
prosecuted for criminal offences; children
aged between 10 and 14 are presumed
to be doli incapax but the presumption
can be reversed if there is
evidence of malice or knowledge.
dollar stocks dollar stocks /dɒlə stɒkz/ plural
noun shares in American companies
Domesday Book Domesday Book /dumzde bυk/
noun a record made for King William I
in 1086, which recorded all the land in
England and the owners and inhabitants
for tax purposes
domestic domestic /də|mestk/ adjective 1. referring
to a family 2. referring to the
market of the country where a business is
situated
domestic consumption domestic consumption /də|
mestk kən|s mpʃən/ noun consumption
on the home market
domestic court domestic court /də|mestk kɔt/
noun US a court which covers the district
in which a defendant lives or has his
or her address for service (NOTE: The
British term is home court.)
domestic premises domestic premises /də|mestk
premsz/ plural noun house, flat, or
other unit used for private accommodation
domestic proceedings domestic proceedings /də|mestk
prə|sidŋz/ plural noun a court case
which involves a husband and wife, or
parents and children
domestic production domestic production /də|mestk
prə|d kʃən/ noun a production of goods
in the home country
domestic sales domestic sales /də|mestk selz/
plural noun sales in the home market
domicile domicile /dɒmsal/ noun a country
where someone is deemed to live permanently,
or where a company’s office is
registered, especially for tax purposes
verb to live in a place officially The defendant
is domiciled in Scotland. bills
domiciled in France bills of exchange
which have to be paid in France
domiciled domiciled /dɒmsald/ adjective living
in a particular place
domicile of choice domicile of choice /dɒmsal əv
tʃɔs/ noun a country where someone
has chosen to live, which is not the domicile
of origin
domicile of origin domicile of origin /dɒmsal əv
ɒrdn/ noun a domicile which a person
has from birth, usually the domicile
of the father
dominant owner dominant owner /dɒmnənt əυnə/
noun someone who has the right to use
someone else’s property
dominant tenement dominant tenement /dɒmnənt
tenəmənt/ noun land which has been
granted an easement over another property
(NOTE: also called ‘dominant estate’
in the USA)
dominion 100
dominion dominion /də|mnjən/ noun a Dominion
an independent state, part of the
British Commonwealth the Dominion
of Canada
donatio mortis causa donatio mortis causa /də|nɑtiəυ
mɔts kəυzə/ phrase a Latin phrase
meaning ‘gift because of death’: transfer
of property made when death is imminent
donee donee /dəυ|ni/ noun somebody who
receives a gift from a donor
donor donor /dəυnə/ noun somebody who
gives property to another
dormant account dormant account /dɔmənt ə|
kaυnt/ noun a bank account which is
not used
double double /d b(ə)l/ verb to make something
twice as big
double jeopardy double jeopardy /d b(ə)l depədi/
noun US the possibility that a citizen
may be tried twice for the same crime,
prohibited in most legal systems
double taxation agreement double taxation agreement
/d b(ə)l tk|seʃ(ə)n ə|rimənt/,
double taxation treaty /d b(ə)l tk|
seʃ(ə)n triti/, double tax treaty
noun an agreement between two countries
that a person living in one country
shall not be taxed in both countries on the
income earned in the other country
doubt doubt /daυt/ noun a feeling of not being
sure that something is correct beyond
reasonable doubt, beyond a reasonable
doubt US to a degree of certainty
that is considered acceptable in
convicting a person in a criminal case
open to doubt not certain and even unlikely
Her ability to recognise him after
so long is open to doubt.
doveish doveish /d vʃ/ adjective like a dove
He was accused of having doveish tendencies.
down payment down payment /daυn pemənt/
noun part of a total payment made in advance
dowry dowry /daυri/ noun money or property
brought by a wife to her husband when
she marries him
DPP DPP abbreviation Director of Public
Prosecutions
draft draft /drɑft/ noun 1. an order for money
to be paid by a bank to make a draft
on a bank to ask a bank to pay money for
you 2. the first rough plan of a document
which has not been finished He drew
up the draft agreement on the back of an
envelope. The first draft of the contract
was corrected by the managing director.
The draft Bill is with the House of
Commons lawyers. verb to make a first
rough plan of a document to draft a
contract or a document or a bill The
contract is still being drafted or is still in
the drafting stage.
drafter /drɑftə/ noun somebody who
makes a draft
drafting /drɑftŋ/ noun the act of
preparing the draft of a document The
drafting of the contract took six weeks.
The drafting stage of a parliamentary
Bill.
draftsman draftsman /drɑftsmən/ noun somebody
who drafts documents
drawee /drɔ|i/ noun a person or bank
asked to make a payment by a drawer
drawings /drɔŋz/ plural noun money
taken out of a partnership by a partner
as his or her salary
draw up draw up /drɔ p/ verb to write a legal
document to draw up a contract or
an agreement to draw up a company’s
articles of association
drive drive /drav/ verb he drives a hard
bargain he is a difficult negotiator
driving licence driving licence /dravŋ las(ə)ns/
noun a document which shows that you
have passed a driving test and can legally
drive a car, truck, etc. Applicants for
the police force should hold a valid driving
licence.
driving without due care and attention driving without due care and attention
/dravŋ w|daυt dju keə
ən ə|tenʃən/ noun the offence of driving
a car in a careless way, so that other people
are in danger
drop /drɒp/ noun a fall drop in sales
sales show a drop of 10% a drop in
prices verb 1. to fall Sales have
dropped by 10% or have dropped 10%.
The pound dropped three points against
the dollar. 2. to stop a case The prosecution
dropped all charges against the
accused. The claimant decided to drop
the case against his neighbour. (NOTE:
dropping – dropped)
101 due
drop ship drop ship /drɒp ʃp/ verb to deliver
a large order direct to a customer
drop shipment drop shipment /drɒp ʃpmənt/
noun a delivery of a large order from the
factory direct to a customer’s shop or
warehouse without going through an
agent or wholesaler
drug drug /dr / noun 1. an illegal substance
which can be harmful if taken regularly
2. a medicine given by a doctor to
treat a medical problem 3. to give a substance
to someone or put it in their food
or drink, especially secretly, to make
them go to sleep or become unconscious
COMMENT: There are three classes of
controlled drugs: Class ‘A’ drugs:
(cocaine, heroin, crack, LSD, etc.);
Class ‘B’ drugs: (amphetamines,
cannabis, codeine, etc.); and Class
‘C’ drugs: (drugs which are related to
the amphetamines, such as benzphetamine).
The drugs are covered by five
schedules under the Misuse of Drugs
Regulations: Schedule 1: drugs which
are not used medicinally, such as cannabis
and LSD, for which possession
and supply are prohibited; Schedule
2: drugs which can be used medicinally,
such as heroin, morphine, cocaine,
and amphetamines: these are fully
controlled as regards prescriptions by
doctors, safe custody in pharmacies,
registering of sales, etc. Schedule 3:
barbiturates, which are controlled as
regards prescriptions, but need not be
kept in safe custody; Schedule 4:
benzodiazepines, which are controlled
as regards registers of purchasers;
Schedule 5: other substances for
which invoices showing purchase
must be kept.
drug abuse drug abuse /dr ə|bjus/ noun the
regular use of drugs for non-medical reasons
drug addict drug addict /dr dkt/ noun
somebody who is physically and mentally
dependent on taking drugs regularly
drug addiction drug addiction /dr ə|dkʃən/
noun mental and physical dependence
on taking a drug regularly
drug baron drug baron /dr brən/ noun a
person with an important position in an
organisation that sells illegal drugs
drug czar drug czar /dr sɑ/ noun a person
employed by a government to lead a
campaign against the sale and use of illegal
drugs
drug runner drug runner /dr r nə/ noun a person
who takes or makes someone else
take drugs illegally from one country to
another
Drug Squad Drug Squad /dr skwɒd/ noun a
section of the police force which investigates
crime related to drugs
drug trafficking drug trafficking /dr trfkŋ/
noun the activity of buying and selling
drugs illegally
drunk drunk /dr ŋk/ adjective incapable because
of having drunk too much alcohol
drunk and disorderly drunk and disorderly /dr ŋk ən
ds|ɔdəli/ adjective incapable and behaving
in a wild way because of having
drunk too much alcohol
drunk and incapable drunk and incapable /dr ŋk ən n|
kepəb(ə)l/ noun the offence of having
drunk so much alcohol that you are not
able to act normally
drunkard drunkard /dr ŋkəd/ noun somebody
who is frequently drunk. habitual
drunken driving drunken driving /dr ŋkən
dravŋ/ noun an offence of driving a
car when under the influence of alcohol.
Also called driving with alcohol concentrations
above a certain limit
DSgt DSgt abbreviation detective sergeant
dud dud /d d/ adjective, noun (of a coin,
banknote or cheque) worth nothing because
it is false (informal) The £50 note
was a dud.
dud cheque dud cheque /d d tʃek/ noun a
cheque which the bank refuses to pay because
the person writing it has not
enough money in his or her account to
pay it
due due /dju/ adjective 1. owed to fall
due, to become due to be ready for payment
bill due on May 1st bill which
has to be paid on May 1st balance due
to us amount owed to us which should be
paid 2. expected to arrive The plane is
due to arrive at 10.30 or is due at 10.30.
3. according to what is expected as usual
or correct in due form written in the
correct legal form receipt in due form
contract drawn up in due form after
due consideration of the problem after
thinking seriously about the problem
the due process of the law the formal
work of a fair legal action
due date 102
due date due date /dju det/ noun the date on
which a debt has to be paid
due diligence due diligence /dju dldəns/
noun the carrying out of your duty as efficiently
as is necessary The executor
acted with due diligence to pay the liabilities
of the estate.
due execution of a will due execution of a will /dju eks|
kjuʃ(ə)n əv e wl/ noun the act of
making a will in the correct way. A will
must be written (handwritten, printed, or
written on a standard form, etc.), signed
by the testator and witnessed by two witnesses
in the presence of the testator.
due process due process /dju prəυses/ noun a
rule that the forms of law must be followed
correctly
duly duly /djuli/ adverb 1. properly duly
authorised representative 2. as was expected
We duly received his letter of
21st October.
dungeon dungeon /d ndən/ noun an underground
prison (often in a castle)
duplicating paper duplicating paper /djuplketŋ
pepə/ noun a special paper to be used
in a duplicating machine
duress duress /djυ|res/ noun an illegal threat
to use force on someone to make him or
her do something Duress provides no
defence to a charge of murder. under
duress being forced to do something
They alleged they had committed the
crime under duress from another defendant.
he signed the confession under
duress he signed the confession because
he was threatened
dutiable goods dutiable goods /djutiəb(ə)l υdz/
plural noun goods on which a customs or
excise duty has to be paid
duty duty /djuti/ noun 1. work which a
person has to do It is the duty of every
citizen to serve on a jury if called. The
government has a duty to protect the citizens
from criminals. 2. official work
which you have to do in a job to be on
duty to be doing official work at a special
time 3. a tax which has to be paid
to take the duty off alcohol to put a duty
on cigarettes goods which are liable
to duty goods on which customs or excise
tax has to be paid duty-paid goods
goods where the duty has been paid
duty bound duty bound /djuti baυnd/ adjective
bound to do something because it is your
duty Witnesses under oath are duty
bound to tell the truth.
duty-free duty-free /djuti fri/ adjective, adverb
sold with no duty to be paid He
bought a duty-free watch at the airport or
he bought the watch duty-free. dutyfree
shop shop at an airport or on a ship
where goods can be bought without paying
duty
duty of care duty of care /djuti əv keə/ noun a
legal obligation which imposes a duty on
individuals not to act negligently
duty sergeant duty sergeant /djuti sɑdənt/
noun a police sergeant who is on duty at
a particular time
duty solicitor duty solicitor /djuti sə|lstə/ noun
a solicitor who is on duty at a magistrates’
court and can be contacted at any
time by a party who is appearing in that
court or by a party who has been taken to
a police station under arrest or for questioning
dwelling dwelling /dwelŋ/ noun a place where
someone lives such as a house or flat
The tax on dwellings has been raised.
DWI DWI abbreviation US driving while intoxicated
DXDX abbreviation document exchange
E
e. & o.e. e. & o.e. abbreviation errors and omissions
excepted
earmark earmark /ə|mɑk/ verb to reserve for
a special purpose to earmark funds for
a project The grant is earmarked for
computer systems development.
earn earn /$n/ verb 1. to be paid money for
working to earn £150 a week Our
agent in Paris certainly does not earn his
commission. 2. to produce interest or
dividends account which earns interest
at 10% What level of dividend do these
shares earn?
earnest earnest /$nst/ noun money paid as a
down payment to show one’s serious intention
to proceed with a contract He
deposited £1,000 with the solicitor as
earnest of his intention to purchase.
earning power earning power /$nŋ paυə/ noun
the amount of money someone should be
able to earn
earnings earnings /$nŋz/ plural noun 1. the
salary or wages, profits and dividends or
interest received by an individual 2. profits
of a business
earnings per share earnings per share /$nŋz pə
ʃeə/ noun the money earned in profit
per share
earnings-related pension earnings-related pension /$nŋz
r|letd penʃən/ noun a pension which
is linked to the size of the salary
easement easement /izmənt/ noun a right
which someone (the dominant owner)
has to make use of land belonging to
someone else (the servient owner) for a
purpose such as a path
Easter Easter /istə/ noun 1. one of the four
sittings of the Law Courts 2. one of the
four law terms
ECEC abbreviation European Community
EC ministers met today in Brussels.
The USA is increasing its trade with the
EC.
ECB ECB abbreviation European Central
Bank
ecclesiastical ecclesiastical /|klizi|stk(ə)l/ adjective
referring to the church
ecclesiastical court ecclesiastical court /|klizi|
stk(ə)l kɔt/ noun a court which
hears matters referring to the church
ECJ ECJ abbreviation European Court of
Justice
economic activity economic activity /ikənɒmk k|
tvti/ noun work
economically economically /ikə|nɒmkli/ adverb
economically active (in the EU) being
an active worker Economically active
persons have the right to move freely
from one EU country to another with
their families.
economic planning economic planning /ikənɒmk
plnŋ/ noun the activity of planning
the future financial state of the country
for the government
economic sanctions economic sanctions /ikənɒmk
sŋkʃ(ə)ns/ plural noun restrictions on
trade with a country in order to influence
its political situation or in order to make
its government change its policy
e-conveyancing e-conveyancing /i kən|veənsŋ/
noun electronic transfer
ecoterrorist ecoterrorist /ikəυ|terərst/ noun
somebody who attacks things for ecological
reasons Ecoterrorists attacked several
fields of crops.
edict edict /idkt/ noun the public announcement
of a law
editorial editorial /ed|tɔriəl/ adjective referring
to an editor
editorial board editorial board /ed|tɔriəl bɔd/
noun a group of editors (on a newspaper,
etc.)
education welfare officer 104
education welfare officer education welfare officer
/edjυkeʃ(ə)n welfeə ɒfsə/ noun a
social worker who looks after schoolchildren,
and deals with attendance and
family problems
EEC EEC abbreviation European Economic
Community
effective date effective date /|fektv det/ noun
the date on which a rule or a contract
starts to be applied
effective date of termination effective date of termination /|
fektv det əv t$m|neʃ(ə)n/ noun
the date on which a contract of employment
expires
E-FIT™ E-FIT™ a trademark for software that
produces an image of the face of a police
suspect on the basis of what a witness
can remember
e.g. e.g. /i|di/ abbreviation e.g.
egalitarian egalitarian /|l|teəriən/ noun
somebody who supports egalitarianism
EGM EGM abbreviation Extraordinary General
Meeting
eject eject /|dekt/ verb to make someone
leave a property which he or she is occupying
illegally
ejection ejection /|dekʃən/ noun the action
of making someone leave a property
which he or she is occupying illegally
COMMENT: The ejection of someone
who is legally occupying a property is
an ouster, while removing a tenant is
eviction.
ejectment ejectment /|dektmənt/ noun action
of ejectment a court action to force
someone to leave a property which he or
she is occupying illegally
ejusdem generis ejusdem generis /i|dυsdem
denərs/, eiusdem generis /e|
jusdem denərs/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘of the same kind’: a rule
of legal interpretation, that when a word
or phrase follows two or more other
words or phrases, it is construed to be of
the same type as the words or phrases
which precede it
COMMENT: In the phrase houses, flats
and other buildings other buildings
can mean only other dwellings, and
would not include, for example, a
church.
elapse elapse /|lps/ verb (of time) to pass
Six weeks elapsed before the court order
was put into effect. We must allow sufficient
time to elapse before making a
complaint.
elect /|lekt/ verb 1. to choose someone
by a vote A vote to elect the officers of
an association. She was elected chair
of the committee. He was first elected
for this constituency in 1992. 2. to
choose to do something He elected to
stand trial by jury.
election /|lekʃən/ noun 1. the act of
electing His election as president of the
society. 2. the act of electing a representative
or representatives 3. the act of
choosing a course of action The accused
made his election for jury trial. 4.
a choice by a legatee to take a benefit under
a will and relinquish a claim to the
estate at the same time
COMMENT: In Britain, a Parliament can
only last for a maximum of five years,
and a dissolution is usually called by
the Prime Minister before the end of
that period. The Lord Chancellor then
issues a writ for the election of MPs. All
British subjects (including Commonwealth
and Irish citizens), are eligible
to vote in British elections provided
they are on the electoral register, are
over 18 years of age, are sane, are not
members of the House of Lords and
are not serving prison sentences for
serious crime. In the USA, members of
the House of Representatives are
elected for a two-year period. Senators
are elected for six-year terms, one
third of the Senate being elected every
two years. The President of the USA is
elected by an electoral college made
up of people elected by voters in each
of the states of the USA. Each state
elects the same number of electors to
the electoral college as it has Congressmen,
plus two. This guarantees
that the college is broadly representative
of voters across the country. The
presidential candidate with an overall
majority in the college is elected president.
A presidential term of office is
four years, and a president can stand
for re-election once.
reform electoral reform /|lekt(ə)rəl r|
fɔm/ noun the activity of changing the
electoral system to make it fairer
chair electric chair /|lektrk tʃeə/ noun a
chair attached to a powerful electric current,
used in some states of the USA for
executing criminals
105 emoluments
electronic communication electronic communication
/elektrɒnk kə|mjun|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
a message which is sent from one person
to another by telephone or by other electronic
means
electronic conveyancing electronic conveyancing
/elektrɒnk kən|veənsŋ/ noun
electronic transfer
electronic signature electronic signature /elektrɒnk
sntʃə/ noun electronic text or symbols
attached to a document sent by
email which acts in a similar way to a
handwritten signature, in that they prove
the authenticity of the document
electronic surveillance electronic surveillance
/elektrɒnk sə|veləns/ noun surveillance
using hidden microphones, cameras,
etc.
electronic transfer electronic transfer /elektrɒnk
trnsf$/ noun the transfer of interests
in land by electronic methods rather than
paper documents
eleemosynary /eli|mɒznəri/ adjective
referring to charity
eligible eligible /eldb(ə)l/ adjective person
who can be chosen She is eligible for
re-election.
E list E list /i lst/ noun a list of the names
of prisoners who frequently try to escape
from prison
embargo embargo /m|bɑəυ/ noun a government
order which stops a type of trade
to lay, put an embargo on trade with a
country to say that trade with a country
must not take place to lift an embargo
to allow trade to start again to be under
an embargo to be forbidden verb
not to allow something to take place
The government has embargoed trade
with the Eastern countries. the press
release was embargoed until 1st January
the information in the release could
not be published until 1st January
embezzle embezzle /m|bez(ə)l/ verb to use illegally
or steal money which you are responsible
for as part of your work He
was sent to prison for six months for embezzling
his clients’ money.
embezzlement embezzlement /m|bez(ə)lmənt/
noun the act of embezzling He was
sent to prison for six months for embezzlement.
embezzler embezzler /m|bez(ə)lə/ noun somebody
who embezzles
emblements emblements /embləmənts/ plural
noun vegetable products which come
from farming
embracery embracery /m|bres(ə)ri/ noun the
offence of corruptly seeking to influence
jurors
emergency powers emergency powers /|m$dənsi
paυəs/ plural noun special powers
granted by law to a government or to a
minister to deal with an emergency, usually
without going through the usual
democratic processes
emergency protection order emergency protection order /|
m$dənsi prə|tekʃ(ə)n ɔdə/ noun a
court order, established under the Children’s
Act 1989, which gives a local authority
or the National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children
(NSPCC) the right to remove a child
from the care of its parents for a period of
eight days, with the right to apply for a
seven-day extension. An order will only
be granted if the court is satisfied that
there is reasonable cause to believe that
the child is suffering or likely to suffer
significant harm unless the order is
made. parental responsibility (NOTE:
Such an order gives the local authority
parental responsibility for the child, allowing
decisions to be made in relation
to its welfare.)
emergency services emergency services /|m$dənsi
s$vsz/ plural noun police, fire and
ambulance services, which are ready for
action if an emergency arises
emigrant emigrant /emrənt/ noun somebody
who emigrates. Compare immigrant
emigrate emigrate /emret/ verb to go to another
country to live permanently. Compare
immigrate
emigration emigration /em|reʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of leaving a country to go to live permanently
in another country. Compare
immigration
eminent domain eminent domain /emnənt dəυ|
men/ noun the right of the state to appropriate
private property for public use
emoluments emoluments /|mɒljυmənts/ plural
noun wages, salaries, fees or any monetary
benefit from an employment (formal
or humorous, not technical)
empanel 106
empanel empanel /m|pn(ə)l/ verb to empanel
a jury to choose and swear in jurors
employed advocate employed advocate /m|plɔd
dvəkət/ noun a person employed to
plead in court such as a Crown Prosecutor
employee employee /m|plɔi/ noun a person
who is employed by someone else Employees
of the firm are eligible to join a
profit-sharing scheme. Relations between
management and employees have
improved. The company has decided to
take on new employees.
employer employer /m|plɔə/ noun a person or
company which has employees and pays
them
employer’s contribution employer’s contribution /m|
plɔəz kɒntr|bjuʃ(ə)n/ noun money
paid by the employer towards an employee’s
pension
employer’s liability employer’s liability /m|plɔəz laə|
blti/ noun the legal responsibility of
an employer when employees are subject
to accidents due to negligence on the part
of the employer
employers’ organisation employers’ organisation /m|
plɔəz ɔənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun US a
group of employers with similar interests
employment employment /m|plɔmənt/ noun a
contractual relationship between an employer
and his or her employees
Employment Appeal Tribunal Employment Appeal Tribunal /m|
plɔmənt ə|pil tra|bjun(ə)l/ noun a
court which hears appeals from employment
tribunals
employment bureau employment bureau /m|plɔmənt
bjυərəυ/ noun an office which finds
jobs for people
employment law employment law /m|plɔmənt
bjυərəυ/ noun law referring to the
rights and responsibilities of employers
and employees
employment office employment office /m|plɔmənt
ɒfs/ noun an office which finds jobs for
people
employment tribunal employment tribunal /m|plɔmənt
tra|bjunəl/ noun a body responsible
for hearing work-related complaints as
specified by statute. The panel hearing
each case consists of a legally qualified
chairperson and two independent lay
people who have experience of employment
issues. Decisions need to be enforced
by a separate application to the
court. Former name industrial tribunal
empower empower /m|paυə/ verb to give
someone the power to do something
The agent is empowered to sell the property.
She was empowered by the company
to sign the contract. A constable
is empowered to arrest a person whom
he suspects of having committed an offence.
emptor emptor /emptə/ caveat emptor
enact enact /n|kt/ verb to make a law
enacting clause enacting clause /n|ktŋ klɔz/
noun the first clause in a bill or act, starting
with the words ‘be it enacted that’,
which makes the act lawful
enactment enactment /|nktmənt/ noun 1. the
action of making a law 2. an Act of Parliament
enclosure enclosure /n|kləυə/ noun 1. a document
enclosed with a letter 2. the act of
removing land from common use by
putting fences round it
encroachment encroachment /n|krəυtʃmənt/
noun illegally taking over someone’s
property little by little
encrypt encrypt /n|krpt/ verb to take ordinary
text and convert it to a series of figures
or letters which make it unable to be
read without a special key
encryption encryption /n|krpʃən/ noun the action
of encrypting text
encumbrance encumbrance /n|k mbrəns/ noun a
liability such as a mortgage or charge
which is attached usually to a property or
piece of land
endanger endanger /n|dendə/ verb to put
someone in danger of being killed or hurt
endangering railway passengers, endangering
life at sea, criminal damage
endangering life notifiable offences
where human life is put at risk
endorse endorse /n|dɔs/ verb 1. to agree with
The court endorsed counsel’s view. 2.
to endorse a bill, a cheque to sign a bill
or a cheque on the back to make it payable
to someone else 3. to make a note on
a driving licence that the holder has been
convicted of a traffic offence 4. to write
a summary of the contents of a legal document
on the outside of the folded document
107 entertain
endorsee endorsee /endɔ|si/ noun a person in
whose favour a bill or a cheque is endorsed
endorsement endorsement /n|dɔsmənt/ noun 1.
the act of endorsing 2. a signature on a
document which endorses it 3. a summary
of a legal document noted on the outside
of the folded document 4. a note on
an insurance policy which adds conditions
to the policy 5. a note on a driving
licence to show that the holder has been
convicted of a traffic offence. totting
up
endorser endorser /n|dɔsə/ noun somebody
who endorses a bill or cheque
endowment endowment /n|daυmənt/ noun a gift
of money to provide a regular income
endowment assurance endowment assurance /n|
daυmənt ə|ʃυərəns/ noun an assurance
policy where a sum of money is
paid to the insured person on a specific
date, or to the heirs if he or she dies
endowment mortgage endowment mortgage /n|
daυmənt mɔd/ noun a mortgage
backed by an endowment policy
end user end user /end juzə/ noun somebody
who actually uses a product
enforce enforce /n|fɔs/ verb to make sure
something is done or is obeyed to enforce
the terms of a contract to enforce
a debt to make sure a debt is paid
enforceable enforceable /n|fɔsəb(ə)l/ adjective
being possible to enforce
enforcement enforcement /n|fɔsmənt/ noun 1.
the process of making sure that something
is obeyed Enforcement of the
terms of a contract. 2. (in the EU) the
power to force someone to comply with
the law
enforcement notice enforcement notice /n|fɔsmənt
nəυts/ noun a notice issued by a local
planning authority which outlines the
steps that need to be taken within a specified
time to stop or repair a breach of
planning control
enforcement proceedings enforcement proceedings /n|
fɔsmənt prə|sidŋz/ plural noun legal
proceedings used by the Commission
for ensure that Member States fulfil their
treaty obligations
enfranchisement enfranchisement /n|
frntʃazmənt/ noun the action of giving
someone a vote
engage engage /n|ed/ verb 1. to engage
someone to do something to bind someone
contractually to do something The
contract engages the company to purchase
minimum annual quantities of
goods. 2. to be engaged in to be busy
with He is engaged in work on computers.
The company is engaged in trade
with Africa.
engross engross /n|rəυs/ verb to draw up a
legal document in its final form ready for
signature
engrossment engrossment /n|rəυsmənt/ noun
1. drawing up of a legal document in its
final form 2. a legal document in its final
form
engrossment paper engrossment paper /n|rəυsmənt
pepə/ noun a thick heavy paper on
which court documents are engrossed
enjoin enjoin /n|dɔn/ verb to order someone
to do something
enjoyment enjoyment /n|dɔmənt/ noun
quiet enjoyment of land right of an occupier
to occupy a property under a tenancy
without anyone interfering with
that right
enquire enquire /ŋ|kwaə/, enquiry another
spelling of inquire
entail entail /n|tel/ noun an interest in land
where the land is given to another person
and the heirs of his or her body, but reverts
to the donor when the donee and
heirs have all died. fee tail
entente entente /ɒn|tɒnt/ noun an agreement
between two countries or groups, used
especially of the ‘Entente Cordiale’ between
Britain and France in 1904
enter enter /entə/ to enter into 1. to begin
to do something to enter into relations
with someone 2. to agree to do something
to enter into negotiations with a
foreign government to enter into a
partnership with a friend to enter into
an agreement or a contract
entering entering /entərŋ/ noun the act of
writing items in a record
entering of appearance entering of appearance /entərŋ
əv ə|pərəns/ noun same as entry of
appearance
entertain entertain /entə|ten/ verb to be ready
to consider a proposal The judge will
not entertain any proposal from the prosecution
to delay the start of the hearing.
entertainment expenses 108
entertainment expenses entertainment expenses /entə|
tenmənt k|spensz/ plural noun
money spent on giving meals to business
visitors
entice entice /n|tas/ verb to try to persuade
someone to do something by offering
money They tried to entice the managers
to join the new company.
enticement enticement /n|tasmənt/ noun the
act of trying to persuade someone to do
something, especially trying to persuade
an employee to leave a job or a wife to
leave her husband
entitle entitle /n|tat(ə)l/ verb to give someone
the right to something he is entitled
to four weeks’ holiday he has the
right to take four weeks’ holiday
entitlement entitlement /n|tat(ə)lmənt/ noun
something to which you are entitled
entity entity /entti/ noun something which
exists in law His private company is a
separate entity.
entrapment entrapment /n|trpmənt/ noun the
act of enticing someone to commit a
crime so as to be able to arrest him or her,
by someone in authority such as a police
officer (NOTE: It is not a defence in British
law, but exists in US law.)
entrenched entrenched /n|trentʃt/ adjective (of
ideas and practices) existing in the
same way for a long time and very difficult
to change The government’s entrenched
position on employees’ rights.
entrenched clause entrenched clause /n|trentʃt
klɔz/ noun a clause in a constitution
which stipulates that it cannot be amended
except by an extraordinary process
entryism entryism /entri|z(ə)m/ noun a way
of taking control of a political party or
elected body, where extremists join or
are elected and are then able to take control
because they are more numerous or
more active than other members
entryist entryist /entrist/ adjective referring
to entryism The party leader condemned
entryist techniques.
entry of appearance entry of appearance /entri əv ə|
pərəns/ noun the lodging of a document
in court by the defendant to confirm
his or her intention to defend an action
entry of judgment entry of judgment /entri əv
d dmənt/ noun the act of recording
the judgment of a court in the official
records
entry permit entry permit /entri pə|mt/ noun a
document allowing someone to enter a
country
entry visa entry visa /entri vizə/ noun a visa
allowing someone to enter a country
environmental health environmental health /n|
varənment(ə)l helθ/ noun the health
of the public as a whole
environmental pollution environmental pollution /n|
varənment(ə)l pə|luʃ(ə)n/ noun the
polluting of the environment
equalise equalise /ikwə|laz/, equalize
/ikwəlaz/ verb to make equal to
equalise dividends
equality equality /|kwɒlti/ noun the condition
where all citizens are equal, have equal
rights and are treated equally by the state
equality of access equality of access /|kwɒlti əv
kses/ noun a situation in which everyone
must be given the same opportunities
for education, employment and other activities
equality of opportunity equality of opportunity /|kwɒlti
əv ɒpə|tjunti/ noun a situation in
which everyone has the same opportunities
to receive education, employment,
election, etc.
equality of treatment equality of treatment /|kwɒlti əv
tritmənt/ noun 1. a situation in which
everyone receives the same fair treatment
in education, at work and in the
community 2. a right of workers who are
nationals of other Member States of the
European Union to be treated equally to
nationals of the country where they work
Equal Opportunities Commission Equal Opportunities Commission
/ikwəl ɒpə|tjuntiz kə|
mʃ(ə)n/ noun an official committee set
up to make sure that men and women
have equal chances of employment and
to remove discrimination between the
sexes (NOTE: The US term is Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission.)
equal opportunities programme equal opportunities programme
/ikwəl ɒpə|tjuntiz prəυrm/
noun a programme to avoid discrimination
in employment (NOTE: The US term
is affirmative action program.)
equal pay equal pay /ikwəl pe/ noun the situation
in which the same salary is paid for
the same type of work regardless of
109 establish
whether it is done by, e.g., men or women
equitable equitable /ekwtəb(ə)l/ adjective 1.
fair and just 2. referring to equity
equitable interests equitable interests /ekwtəb(ə)l
ntrəsts/ plural noun interests in property
which are recognised separately
from rights given by law
equitable jurisdiction equitable jurisdiction
/ekwtəb(ə)l dυərs|dkʃən/ noun
the power of a court to enforce a person’s
rights
equitable lien equitable lien /ekwtəb(ə)l liən/
noun a right of someone to hold property
which legally he or she does not own until
the owner pays money due
equitable mortgage equitable mortgage /ekwtəb(ə)l
mɔd/ noun a mortgage which does
not give the mortgagee a legal estate in
the land mortgaged
equity equity /ekwti/ noun 1. a system of
British law which developed in parallel
with the common law to make the common
law fairer, summarised in the maxim
‘equity does not suffer a wrong to be
without a remedy’ 2. the right to receive
dividends as part of the profit of a company
in which you own shares
equity of redemption equity of redemption /ekwti əv r|
dempʃən/ noun the right of a mortgagor
to redeem the estate by paying off the
principal and interest
equivocal equivocal /|kwvək(ə)l/ adjective
not clearly expressed, or ambiguous
The court took the view that the defendant’s
plea was equivocal.
error error /erə/ noun a mistake He made
an error in calculating the total. The
secretary must have made a typing error.
errors and omissions excepted words
written on an invoice to show that the
company has no responsibility for mistakes
in the invoice. Abbreviation e. &
o.e.
error rate error rate /erə ret/ noun the number
of mistakes per thousand entries or per
page
escalate escalate /eskəlet/ verb to increase at
a constant rate
escalation of prices escalation of prices /eskə|leʃ(ə)n
əv prass/ noun US a constant increase
in prices
escalator clause escalator clause /eskəletə klɔz/
noun a clause in a contract allowing for
regular price increases because of increased
costs
escape escape /|skep/ verb 1. to get away
from a place of detention Three prisoners
escaped by climbing over the wall. 2.
to avoid something that is unpleasant
He escaped with a reprimand. They
narrowly escaped prosecution. We escaped
the need to reveal sensitive details
publicly. noun an act of getting away
from a place of detention to make your
escape to leave or escape from somewhere
escape clause escape clause /|skep klɔz/ noun a
clause in a contract which allows one of
the parties to avoid carrying out the
terms of the contract under some conditions
without penalty
escrow escrow /eskrəυ/ noun a deed which
the parties to it deliver to an independent
person who hands it over only when specific
conditions have been fulfilled in
escrow held in safe keeping by a third
party document held in escrow document
given to a third party to keep and to
pass on to someone when, e.g., money
has been paid
escrow account escrow account /eskrəυ ə|kaυnt/
noun US an account where money is
held until something happens such as a
contract being signed or goods being delivered
espionage espionage /espiənɑ/ noun the activity
of spying
Esq. Esq. noun 1. sometimes written after
the name of a man instead of using ‘Mr’
2. US sometimes written after the name
of a male or female lawyer full form
Esquire
essence of contract essence of contract /es(ə)ns əv
kɒntrkt/ noun a fundamental term of
a contract. Also called condition of
contract
establish establish /|stblʃ/ verb 1. to set up,
to make or to open something The company
has established a branch in Australia.
The business was established in
Scotland in 1823. to establish oneself
in business to become successful in a
new business 2. to decide what is correct
or true The police are trying to establish
his movements on the night of the
established post 110
murder. It is an established fact that the
car could not have been used because it
was out of petrol.
established post established post /|stblʃt pəυst/
noun a permanent post in the civil service
or similar organisation
established use established use /|stblʃt juz/
noun the use of land for a specific purpose
which is recognised by a local authority
because the land has been used
for this purpose for some time
establishment establishment /|stblʃmənt/ noun
the Establishment powerful and important
people who run the country and
its government
establishment charges establishment charges /|
stblʃmənt tʃɑdz/ plural noun in
a company’s accounts, the cost of staff
and property
establishment officer establishment officer /|
stblʃmənt ɒfsə/ noun a civil servant
in charge of personnel in a government
department
estate estate /|stet/ noun 1. an interest in or
right to hold and occupy land 2. all the
property that is owned by a person, especially
a person who has recently died
His estate was valued at £100,000 or he
left estate valued at £100,000. estate
duty, estate tax US tax on property left
by a person now dead
estate agency estate agency /|stet edənsi/
noun an office which arranges for the
sale of property
estate agent estate agent /|stet edənt/ noun
the person in charge of an estate agency
estate duty estate duty /|stet djuti/ noun US
a tax paid on the property left by a dead
person
estop estop /ə|stɒp/ verb to stop someone
doing something, e.g. exercising a right
estoppel estoppel /|stɒp(ə)l/ noun a rule of evidence
whereby someone is prevented
from denying or asserting a fact in legal
proceedings
estoppel by conduct estoppel by conduct /|stɒp(ə)l ba
kɒnd kt/ noun the rule that no one can
deny things which he or she has done or
failed to do which have had an effect on
other persons’ actions if that person has
acted in a way which relied on the others’
behaviour
estoppel by deed estoppel by deed /|stɒp(ə)l ba
did/ noun the rule that a person cannot
deny having done something which is recorded
in a deed
estoppel of record estoppel of record /|stɒp(ə)l əv
rekɔd/ noun the rule that a person cannot
reopen a matter which has already
been decided by a court
estovers estovers /|stəυvəz/ plural noun right
of a tenant to take wood and timber from
land which he or she rents
estreat estreat /|strit/ verb to get a copy of a
record of bail or a fine awarded by a
court
estreated recognizance estreated recognizance /|stritd
r|kɒnz(ə)ns/ noun recognisance
which is forfeited because the person
making it has not come to court
et al. et al. /et l/, et alia phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘and others’ or ‘and other
things’
ethnic ethnic /eθnk/ adjective referring to a
specific nation or race
ethnic group ethnic group /eθnk rup/ noun a
group of people with the same background
and culture, different from those
of other groups
ethnic minority ethnic minority /eθnk ma|nɒrti/
noun a group of people of one race in a
country where most people are of another
race
etiquette etiquette /etket/ noun the set of
rules governing the way people should
behave, such as the way in which a solicitor
or barrister behaves towards clients
in court
et seq. et seq., et sequentes phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘and the following’
euro euro /jυərəυ/ noun the main currency
unit of the European Union, used as local
currency in most Member States since
2002
Euro-constituency Euro-constituency /jυərəυ kən|
sttjυənsi/ noun a constituency which
elects an MEP to the European Parliament
Eurocrat Eurocrat /jυərəυkrt/ noun a bureaucrat
working in the European Union
or the European Parliament (informal)
European Atomic Energy Community Treaty European Atomic Energy Community
Treaty /jυərəpiən ə|tɒmk
enədi kə|mjunəti triti/ noun a
treaty established in 1957 to develop nu-
111 European Parliament
clear energy within the Common Market.
Abbreviation EURATOM
European Commission European Commission
/jυərəpiən kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun the main
executive body of the European Union,
made up of members nominated by each
Member State
European Communities European Communities
/jυərəpiən kə|mjuntiz/ plural noun
same as European Community
European Community European Community /jυərəpiən
kə|mjunti/ noun the collective body
formed by the merger in 1967 of the administrative
networks of the European
Atomic Energy Community, the European
Coal and Steel Community, and the
European Economic Community. Abbreviation
EC. Also called European
Communities (NOTE: The Treaty on
European Union made it the official title
of the European Economic Community
(EEC).)
European Convention on Human Rights European Convention on Human
Rights /jυərəpiən kən|venʃ(ə)n ɒn
hjumən rats/ noun a convention
signed by all members of the Council of
Europe covering the rights of all its citizens.
The key provisions are now incorporated
by the Human Rights Act 1998,
which came into force in the UK in October
2000.
COMMENT: The convention recognises
property rights, religious rights, the
right of citizens to privacy, the due
process of law, the principle of legal review.
Note that the European Convention
on Human Rights does not form
part of English law.
European Council European Council /jυərəpiən
kaυns(ə)l/ noun a group formed by the
heads of government of the Member
States of the European Union. The president
of the European Council is the head
of the Member State which is currently
president of the Council of Ministers.
(NOTE: Do not confuse with the Council
of the European Union.)
European Court of Human Rights European Court of Human
Rights /jυərəpiən kɔt əv hjumən
rats/ noun a court considering the
rights of citizens of states which are parties
to the European Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights. European
Convention on Human Rights
(NOTE: Its formal name is the European
Court for the Protection of Human
Rights.)
European Court of Justice European Court of Justice
/jυərəpiən kɔt əv d sts/ noun a
court set up to see that the principles of
law as laid out in the Treaty of Rome are
observed and applied correctly in the European
Union. The court is responsible
for settling disputes relating to European
Community Law, and also acting as a last
Court of Appeal against judgments in individual
Member States. Abbreviation
ECJ. Also called Court of Justice of
the European Communities
COMMENT: The ECJ has 15 judges
and 8 Advocates General; these are
appointed by the governments of
Member States for a period of six
years. The judges come from all the
Member States, and bring with them
the legal traditions of each state. The
court can either meet as a full court, or
in chambers where only two or three
judges are present. The court normally
conducts its business in French,
though if an action is brought before
the court by or against a Member
State, that Member State can choose
the language in which the case will be
heard. The Court can hear actions
against institutions, actions brought either
by the Commission or by a Member
State against another Member
State. The Court also acts as Court of
Appeal for appeals from the Court of
First Instance. The court also interprets
legislation and as such acts in a
semi-legislative capacity.
Parliament European Parliament /jυərəpiən
pɑləmənt/ noun the parliament of
members elected in each Member State
of the European Union, representing the
peoples of each Member State
COMMENT: The members of the European
Parliament (MEPs) are elected
by constituencies in the 25 Member
States. The number of MEPs per
country depends on the size of the
state they come from: the largest
member state, Germany, has 99
MEPs, and the smallest, Luxembourg,
has only 6. The European Parliament
has the duty to supervise the working
of the European Commission, and can
if necessary, decide to demand the
resignation of the entire Commission,
although it cannot demand the resignation
of an individual commissioner.
The Parliament takes part in making
the legislation of the EU, especially by
European Union 112
advising on new legislation being proposed
by the Commission.
European Union European Union /jυərəpiən
juniən/ noun a group of European nations
that form a single economic community
and have agreed on social and
political cooperation (NOTE: It was established
by the Treaty on European
Union in 1992 and increased to 25
members in 2004.)
euthanasia euthanasia /juθə|neziə/ noun the
act of killing a very sick or very old person
to end to his or her suffering
evade evade /|ved/ verb to try to avoid
something to evade tax to try illegally
to avoid paying tax
evasion evasion /|ve(ə)n/ noun 1. the practice
of avoiding something that you
should do 2. something said in order to
hide the truth His account was full of
lies and evasions.
evasive evasive /|vesv/ adjective trying to
avoid to give evasive answers to try to
avoid answering questions directly
evict evict /|vkt/ verb to force someone, especially
a tenant to leave a property All
the tenants were evicted by the new landlords.
eviction eviction /|vkʃən/ noun the act of
forcing someone, especially a tenant, to
leave a property
evidence evidence /evd(ə)ns/ noun a written
or spoken statement of facts which helps
to prove or disprove something at a trial
All the evidence points to arson. the
secretary gave evidence against her
former employer the secretary was a
witness, and her statement suggested that
her former employer was guilty to
plant evidence to put items at the scene
of a crime after the crime has taken
place, so that a person is incriminated
and can be arrested to turn Queen’s
evidence, to turn state’s evidence US to
confess to a crime and then act as witness
against the other criminals involved, in
the hope of getting a lighter sentence
verb to show the lack of good will, as
evidenced by the defendant’s behaviour
in the witness stand
evidence in chief evidence in chief /evd(ə)ns n
tʃif/ noun the questioning of a witness
by the party who called them. Opposite
cross-examination (NOTE: The opposite
is cross-examination.)
ex /eks/ noun a former married or unmarried
partner still in contact with her
ex preposition out of, or from prefix
1. former an ex-convict She claimed
maintenance from her ex-husband. 2.
not, or without
examination /|zm|neʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the process of asking someone
questions to find out facts, e.g. the questioning
of a prisoner by a magistrate.
cross-examination 2. an act looking at
something very carefully to see if it is acceptable
in chief examination in chief /|zm|
neʃ(ə)n n tʃif/ noun same as direct
examination
examine /|zmn/ verb to look at
someone or something very carefully to
see if it can be accepted The customs
officials asked to examine the inside of
the car. The police are examining the
papers from the managing director’s
safe.
justice examining justice /|zmnə
d sts/ noun a magistrate who hears a
case when it is presented for the first
time, and decides if there should be a
prosecution
excepted /k|septd/ adverb not including
persons excepted persons /k|septd
p$s(ə)ns/ plural noun types of employees
listed in an insurance policy as not
being covered by the insurance
exception /k|sepʃən/ noun 1. something
which is not included with others
All the accused were acquitted with the
exception of Jones who was sent to prison
for three months. 2. an objection
raised to the ruling of a judge to take
exception to something to object to
something, to protest against something
Counsel for the defence took exception
to the witness’ remarks. He has taken
exception to the reports of the trial in the
newspapers.
items exceptional items /k|sepʃən(ə)l
atəmz/ plural noun items in a balance
sheet which do not appear there each
year
113 exclusion
excess excess /k|ses/ noun 1. the amount
which is more than what is allowed excess
alcohol in the blood more alcohol
in the blood than a driver is permitted to
have in excess of above, more than
quantities in excess of twenty-five kilos
2. the amount to be paid by the insured as
part of any claim made under the terms
of an insurance policy She has to pay a
£50 excess, and the damage came to over
£1,000.
excess fare excess fare /ekses feə/ noun an extra
fare to be paid in some circumstances
such as when travelling first class on a
train with a second class ticket
excess of jurisdiction excess of jurisdiction /k|ses əv
dυərs|dkʃən/ noun a case where a
judge or magistrate has exceeded his or
her powers
excess profits excess profits /ekses prɒfts/ plural
noun profits which are more than is
considered to be normal
excess profits tax excess profits tax /ekses prɒfts
tks/ noun a tax on profits which are
higher than what is thought to be normal
exchange exchange /ks|tʃend/ noun rate
of exchange, exchange rate price at
which one currency is exchanged for another
verb 1. to exchange an article
for another to give one thing in place of
something else 2. to exchange contracts
to hand over a contract when buying
or selling a property (done by both
buyer and seller at the same time)
exchange controls exchange controls /ks|tʃend
kən|trəυlz/ plural noun government restrictions
on changing the local currency
into foreign currency The government
imposed exchange controls to stop the
rush to buy dollars.
Exchange Equalization Account Exchange Equalization Account
/ks|tʃend ikwəla|zeʃ(ə)n ə|
kaυnt/ noun an account with the Bank
of England used by the government
when buying or selling foreign currency
to influence the exchange rate for the
pound
exchange of contracts exchange of contracts /ks|
tʃend əv kɒntrkts/ noun a point
in the conveyance of a property when the
solicitors for the buyer and seller hand
over the contract of sale which then becomes
binding
exchange premium exchange premium /ks|tʃend
primiəm/ noun an extra cost above the
normal rate for buying foreign currency
The dollar is at a premium.
exchanger exchanger /ks|tʃendə/ noun
somebody who buys and sells foreign
currency
exchange transaction exchange transaction /ks|tʃend
trn|zkʃən/ noun the purchase or sale
of foreign currency
Exchequer Exchequer /ks|tʃekə/ noun a fund of
all the money received by the government
of the UK from taxes and other revenues.
Chancellor
excise excise /k|saz/ verb to cut out The
chairman ordered the remarks to be excised
from the official record.
excise duty excise duty /eksaz djuti/, excise
tax /ksaz tks/ noun a tax on the sale
of goods such as alcohol and petrol
which are produced in the country, or a
tax on imports where the duty was not
paid on entry into the country
exciseman exciseman /eksazmn/ noun
somebody who works in the Excise Department
exclude exclude /k|sklud/ verb 1. to keep
something out, or not include something
The right to enter can be excluded to a
EU citizen on the grounds of danger to
public health or safety. 2. to remove
someone from a group He complained
about being excluded from the short list.
3. to officially tell a student that they
cannot attend a school, either temporarily
or permanently, because of very bad
behaviour
excluding excluding /k|skludŋ/ preposition
not including The regulations apply to
members of the public, excluding those
serving in the emergency services. not
excluding including Government servants,
not excluding judges, are covered
by the Bill.
exclusion exclusion /k|sklu(ə)n/ noun 1.
something which is not included 2. a situation
where someone is prevented from
entering or taking part in something to
the exclusion of not including, without
including 3. the situation where a student
is officially prevented from attending
school, either temporarily or permanently,
because of very bad behaviour to
exclusion clause 114
the exclusion of focusing only on one
particular thing or person and ignoring
anything or anyone else His wife complained
he had spent all his time working
to the exclusion of family life.
exclusion clause exclusion clause /k|sklu(ə)n
klɔz/ noun a clause in an insurance policy
or contract which says which items
are not covered by the policy and gives
details of circumstances in which the insurance
company will refuse to pay
exclusion order exclusion order /k|sklu(ə)n
ɔdə/ noun formerly, a court order in
matrimonial proceedings which stopped
a wife or husband from going into the
matrimonial home (NOTE: It is now replaced
by an ‘occupation order’.)
exclusion zone exclusion zone /k|sklun zəυn/
noun an area, usually an area of sea near
a country, which the military forces of
other countries are not allowed to enter
exclusive exclusive /k|sklusv/ adjective 1.
exclusive right to market a product
right to be the only person to market the
product 2. exclusive of not including
exclusive agreement exclusive agreement /k|sklusv ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement where a
person or firm is made sole agent for a
product in a market
exclusive licence exclusive licence /k|sklusv
las(ə)ns/ noun a licence where the licensee
is the only person to be able to enjoy
the licence
exclusivity exclusivity /eksklu|svt/ noun the
exclusive right to market a product
ex-con ex-con /eks kɒn/ noun same as exconvict
(informal)
ex-convict ex-convict /eks kɒnvkt/ noun
someone who was imprisoned for a
crime but has served their sentence and
been released
ex-directory number ex-directory number /eks da|
rektri n mbə/ noun a telephone
number which is not printed in the list of
people having telephone numbers
execute execute /eks|kjut/ verb 1. to carry
out an order 2. to carry out (the terms of
a contract) 3. to seal (a deed) 4. to kill
someone who has been sentenced to
death by a court He was executed by
firing squad.
executed consideration executed consideration
/ekskjutd kən|sdə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
a consideration where one party has
made a promise in exchange for which
the other party has done something for
him or her
execution execution /eks|kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the carrying out of a court order or of the
terms of a contract 2. the seizure and sale
of goods belonging to a debtor 3. the killing
of someone who has been sentenced
to death by a court
executioner executioner /eks|kjuʃ(ə)nə/ noun
somebody who executes people who
have been sentenced to death
executive executive /|zekjυtv/ adjective 1.
putting decisions into action 2. referring
to the branch of government which puts
laws into effect 3. US referring to the
President of the USA as head of government
noun a person such as a manager
or director who takes decisions in an organisation
the Executive US 1. section
of a government which puts into effect
the laws passed by Parliament 2. the
president
executive clemency executive clemency /|zekjυtv
klemənsi/ noun US a pardon granted
by the President
executive detention executive detention /|zekjυtv
d|tenʃən/ noun the act of holding suspected
terrorists, illegal immigrants, etc.,
in custody for a limited period
executive director executive director /|zekjυtv da|
rektə/ noun a director who actually
works full-time in the company
executive document executive document /|zekjυtv
dɒkjυ|ment/ noun US a document
such as a treaty sent by the President of
the USA to the Senate for ratification
executive order executive order /|zekjυtv ɔdə/
noun US an order by the president of the
USA or of a state governor
executive power executive power /|zekjυtv
paυə/ noun the right to act as director or
to put decisions into action
executive privilege executive privilege /|zekjυtv
prvld/ noun US the privilege of the
President of the USA not to reveal matters
which he or she considers secret
executor executor /|zekjυtə/ noun someone
who is appointed by a person making his
or her will who will see that the terms of
the will are carried out He was named
executor of his brother’s will.
115 ex parte
executorship executorship /|zekjυtəʃp/ noun
the position of being an executor
executory executory /|zekjυt(ə)ri/ adjective
still being carried out
executory consideration executory consideration /|
zekjυt(ə)ri kən|sdə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a
consideration where one party makes a
promise in exchange for a counter-promise
from the other party
exemplary exemplary /|zempləri/ adjective
being so good that it serves as an example
to others Her conduct in the case
was exemplary.
exemplary damages exemplary damages /|zempləri
dmdz/ plural noun an extra award
of damages which aims to punish the defendant’s
actions in addition to compensating
the harm done to the claimant
exemplary sentence exemplary sentence /|zempləri
sentəns/ noun a particularly harsh sentence
which aims at deterring others
from committing the same type of crime
exempt exempt /|zempt/ adjective 1. not
covered by a law exempt from tax,
tax-exempt not required to pay tax 2.
not forced to obey a law verb to free
something from having tax paid on it, or
free someone from having to pay tax
Non profit-making organisations are exempted
from tax. Food is exempted
from sales tax. The government exempted
trusts from tax.
exempt information exempt information /|zempt
nfə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun US information
which may be kept secret from the public
because if it were disclosed it might be
unfair to an individual or harmful to the
authorities The council resolved that
the press and public be excluded for item
10 as it involved the likely disclosure of
exempt information.
exemption exemption /|zempʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of exempting something from a contract
or from a tax The Commission is
the only body which can grant exemptions
from Community competition law.
exemption from tax, tax exemption the
situation of not being required to pay tax
as a non profit-making organization
you can claim tax exemption
exemption clause exemption clause /|zempʃ(ə)n
klɔz/ noun a clause in a contract exempting
a party from some liabilities
exempt supplies exempt supplies /|zempt sə|
plaz/ plural noun sales of goods or
services on which VAT does not have to
be paid
exercise exercise /eksəsaz/ noun the use of
powers, skills or official rights A court
can give directions to a local authority
as to the exercise of its powers in relation
to children in care. verb to use or to put
something into practice to exercise
your discretion to decide on which of
several possible ways to act The magistrates
exercised their discretion and let
the accused off with a suspended sentence.
to exercise an option to carry
out something which you have been given
the power to do He exercised his option
to acquire sole marketing rights for
the product. Not many shareholders exercised
their option to buy the new issue
of shares.
ex gratia ex gratia /eks reʃə/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘as a favour’ an ex
gratia payment payment made as a gift,
with no obligations
exhibit exhibit /|zbt/ noun any object
which is shown as evidence to a court
exile exile /eksal/ noun 1. the punishment
of being sent to live in another country
The ten members of the opposition party
were sent into exile. 2. somebody who
has been sent to live in another country
as a punishment verb to send someone
to live in another country as a punishment
He was exiled for life. She was
exiled to an island in the North Sea.
ex officio ex officio /eks ə|fʃiəυ/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘because of an office
held’ The treasurer is ex officio a member
or an ex officio member of the finance
committee.
exonerate exonerate /|zɒnəret/ verb to remove
any blame from a person previously
accused of an offence The judge exonerated
the driver from all responsibility
for the accident.
exoneration exoneration /|zɒnə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of exonerating
ex parte ex parte /eks pɑti/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘on behalf of’, or ‘on the
part of one side only’. an application pursued
by one party only. The wife applied
ex parte for an ouster order against
her husband. (NOTE: It has been re-
expatriate 116
placed by the term ‘without notice’.)
an ex parte application an application
made to a court where only one side is
represented and no notice is given to the
other side (often where the application is
for an injunction). inter partes
expatriate expatriate /eks|ptriət/ noun somebody
who lives abroad There is a large
expatriate community or a large community
of expatriates in Geneva. verb to
force someone to leave the country
where he or she is living
expatriation /eks|ptri|eʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of leaving the country
where you are living
expectancy expectancy /k|spektənsi/, expectation
/ekspek|teʃ(ə)n/ noun the hope
that you will inherit something
expectation of life expectation of life /ekspek|
teʃ(ə)n əv laf/ noun the number of
years a person is likely to live
expectations /ekspek|teʃ(ə)nz/
legitimate expectations
expenditure /k|spendtʃə/ noun the
amount of money spent
expense expense /k|spens/ noun money spent
at great expense having spent a lot of
money
expenses /k|spensz/ plural noun
money paid for doing something all expenses
paid with all the costs of an activity
paid by someone else overhead expenses,
general expenses, running expenses
money spent on the day-to-day
costs of a business travelling expenses
money spent on travelling and hotels for
business purposes
COMMENT: In the UK, there is a limit to
the amount of money each individual
candidate can spend, so as not to favour
rich candidates against poor
ones. After the election the candidates
and their agents have to make a return
of expenses to show that they have
not overspent. There is no limit to the
spending of the political parties on a
national level, and most of the campaign
expenditure is made in this way,
with national TV advertising, advertisements
in the national press, etc. In
the USA, the government subsidizes
election expenses by paying an equivalent
sum to that raised by each candidate.
The candidates for the main
elected positions (especially that of
President) have to be rich, or at any
rate to have rich supporters.
expert expert /eksp$t/ noun somebody who
knows a lot about something an expert
in the field of fingerprints or a fingerprints
expert The company asked a financial
expert for advice or asked for expert
financial advice.
expert evidence expert evidence /eksp$t
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence given by an
expert witness
expert’s report expert’s report /eksp$tz r|pɔt/
noun a report written by an expert, usually
for a court case
expert witness expert witness /eksp$t wtnəs/
noun a witness who is a specialist in a
subject and is asked to give his or her
opinion on technical matters
expiration expiration /ekspə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun the
end of something expiration of an insurance
policy to repay before the expiration
of the stated period on expiration
of the lease when the lease comes to
an end
expire expire /k|spaə/ verb to come to an
end The lease expires in 2010. his
passport has expired his passport is no
longer valid
expiry expiry /k|spaəri/ noun the end of
something expiry of an insurance policy
expiry date expiry date /k|spaəri det/ noun 1.
the date when something will end, such
as the last date for exercising an option 2.
the last date on which a credit card can be
used
explicit explicit /k|splst/ adjective which is
clearly stated His explicit intention was
to leave his house to his wife.
explicitly explicitly /ek|splstli/ adverb in a
clear way The contract explicitly prohibits
sale of the goods in Europe.
export export noun /ekspɔt/ the sending of
goods to a foreign country to be sold
verb /k|spɔt/ to send goods abroad to
be sold Most of the company’s products
are exported to the USA.
export licence export licence /ekspɔt las(ə)ns/
noun a permit which allows a company
to send products abroad to be sold
export permit export permit /ekspɔt p$mt/
noun an official document which allows
goods to be exported
117 extra-authority payments
export trade export trade /ekspɔt tred/ noun
the business of selling to other countries
ex post facto ex post facto /eks pəυst fktəυ/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘after the
event’
exposure exposure /k|spəυə/ noun the act of
showing something which was hidden
The report’s exposure of corruption in
the police force.
expressio unius est exclusio alterius expressio unius est exclusio alterius
/k|spresiəυ uniəs est ks|
kluziəυ ɔl|teriəs/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘the mention that one
thing is included implies that another
thing is excluded’
expressly expressly /k|spresli/ adverb clearly
in words The contract expressly forbids
sales to the United States. The franchisee
is expressly forbidden to sell
goods other than those supplied by the
franchiser.
express malice express malice /k|spres mls/
noun US the intention to kill someone
express term express term /k|spres t$m/ noun a
term in a contract which is agreed by
both parties and clearly stated, i.e. either
written or spoken. Compare implied
term
expropriation expropriation /ks|prəυpr|eʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the action of the state in taking
private property for public use without
paying compensation 2. US the action of
the state in taking private property for
public use and paying compensation to
the former owner (NOTE: The British
equivalent is compulsory purchase.)
expunge expunge /k|sp nd/ verb to remove
information from a record Inadmissible
hearsay evidence was expunged from
the report.
extended credit extended credit /k|stendd kredt/
noun credit allowing the borrower a
longer time to pay
extended family extended family /k|stendd
fm(ə)li/ noun a group of related people,
including distant relatives and close
friends
extended sentence extended sentence /k|stendd
sentəns/ noun a sentence which is
made longer than usual because the
criminal is likely to repeat the offence
He was sentenced to five years imprisonment,
extended.
extension extension /k|stenʃən/ noun the act
of allowing more time for an activity
an extension of credit an allowance of
more time to pay back money that is
owed extension of a contract a further
period of time after a contract has finished
extension of time an allowance
by court of more time in which to do or
complete something the defendant applied
for an extension of time in which to
serve her defence
extenuating circumstances extenuating circumstances /k|
stenjuetŋ s$kəmstənsz/ plural
noun factors which excuse a crime in
some way
extenuation extenuation /k|stenju|eʃ(ə)n/ noun
in extenuation of something in order
to excuse something Counsel pleaded
the accused’s age in extenuation of his
actions.
external audit external audit /k|st$n(ə)l ɔdt/
noun an audit carried out by an independent
auditor
external auditor external auditor /k|st$n(ə)l
ɔdtə/ noun an independent person
who audits the company’s accounts
extinguishment extinguishment /k|stŋwʃmənt/
noun the act of cancelling a right or a
power, especially the right to sue for
non-payment once payment has been
made
extort extort /k|stɔt/ verb to get money,
promises or a confession from someone
by using threats He extorted £20,000
from local shopkeepers.
extortion extortion /k|stɔʃ(ə)n/ noun the activity
of getting money by threats
extortionate credit bargain extortionate credit bargain /k|
stɔʃ(ə)nət kredt bɑn/ noun a
transaction whereby money is lent at a
very high rate of interest, thereby rendering
the transaction illegal
extortionist extortionist /k|stɔʃ(ə)nst/ noun
someone who extorts money from people
extortion racket extortion racket /k|stɔʃ(ə)n
rkt/ noun a racket to make money by
threatening people
extra- extra- /ekstrə/ prefix outside
extra-authority payments extra-authority payments /ekstrə
ɔ|θɒrti pemənts/ noun payments
made to another authority for services
provided by that authority
extract 118
extract noun /ekstrkt/ a printed
document which is part of a larger document
The solicitor sent an extract of
the deeds. verb /k|strkt/ to get
something such as information or a
promise from someone by force, threats
or close questioning The confession
was extracted under torture. The magistrate
extracted an admission from the
witness that she had not seen the accident.
extradite extradite /ekstrədat/ verb to bring
an arrested person from another country
to your country because he or she is
wanted for trial for a crime committed in
your country He was arrested in
France and extradited to stand trial in
Germany.
extradition /ekstrə|dʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of extraditing The USA is seeking
the extradition of the leader of the drug
gang.
treaty extradition treaty /ekstrə|dʃ(ə)n
triti/ noun an agreement between two
countries that a person arrested in one
country can be sent to the other to stand
trial for a crime committed there
General Meeting Extraordinary General Meeting
/k|strɔd(ə)n(ə)ri den(ə)rəl mitŋ/
noun a special meeting of shareholders
or members of a club to discuss an important
matter which cannot wait until
the next Annual General Meeting. Abbreviation
EGM
extraordinary items extraordinary items /k|
strɔd(ə)n(ə)ri atəmz/ plural noun
items in accounts which do not appear
each year and need to be noted
extra-territoriality extra-territoriality /ekstrə
tertɔri|lti/ noun (of diplomats) being
outside the territory of the country
where you are living, and so not subject
to its laws (used of diplomats)
extra-territorial waters extra-territorial waters /ekstrə
tertɔriəl wɔtəz/ plural noun international
waters, outside the jurisdiction
of any one country
extremism extremism /k|strimz(ə)m/ noun
ideas and practices that favour very
strong action, even including the use of
violence
extremist extremist /k|strimst/ noun a person
in favour of very strong, sometimes violent
methods, regarded as unreasonable
by most other people adjective in favour
of very strong, sometimes violent
methods extremist political parties
extrinsic evidence extrinsic evidence /eks|trnsk
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence used in the
interpretation of a document which is not
found in the document itself. Compare
intrinsic evidence
ex turpi causa non oritur actio ex turpi causa non oritur actio
/eks tυəpi kaυzə nɒn ɒrtə ktiəυ/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘from a
base cause no action can proceed’: it is
not legally possible to enforce an illegal
contract
eye witness eye witness /a wtnəs/ noun a person
who saw something such as an accident
or a crime happen She gave an eye
witness account of the bank hold-up.
F
face face /fes/ verb to face a charge to
appear in court and be charged with a
crime He faces three charges relating
to firearms.
facie facie prima facie
facsimile facsimile /fk|sml/, facsimile
copy /fk|smli kɒpi/ noun an exact
copy of a document
fact fact /fkt/ noun something which is
true and real, especially something
which has been proved by evidence in
court The chairman of the tribunal
asked to see all the facts on the income
tax claim. in fact, in point of fact really
faction faction /fkʃən/ noun a group of people
within a larger organisation such as a
political party who have different views
or aims from the other members (sometimes
as criticism) Arguments broke
out between different factions at the party
conference. The Prime Minister has
the support of most factions in the party.
factional factional /fkʃən(ə)l/ adjective referring
to factions Factional infighting
has weakened the party structure.
facto facto de facto, ipso facto
factoring factoring /fktərŋ/ noun the activity
of selling debts to a debt factor
factors of production factors of production /fktəz əv
prə|d kʃən/ noun the three things needed
to produce a product (land, labour and
capital)
Faculty of Advocates Faculty of Advocates /fk(ə)lti əv
dvəυkəts/ noun the legal body to
which Scottish barristers belong
failing prompt payment failing prompt payment /felŋ
prɒmpt pemənt/ phrase if the payment
is not made on time
failure to appear failure to appear /feljə tə ə|pə/
noun a failure to come to court when expected
(NOTE: The case may continue in
the absence of one of the parties, but
not of both.)
fair /feə/ adjective honest or correct
comment fair comment /feə kɒment/ noun a
defence to a charge of defamation on a
matter of public interest asserting that
the statement in question was true, fair
and honestly made
copy fair copy /feə kɒpi/ noun a document
which is written or typed with no changes
or mistakes
dealing fair dealing /feə dilŋ/ noun 1. the
legal buying and selling of shares 2. the
practice of quoting small sections of a
copyright work
dismissal fair dismissal /feə ds|ms(ə)l/
noun the situation when an employee is
deemed to have been dismissed from
their employment for a lawful reason, i.e.
(1) capability; (2) qualifications or conduct;
(3) redundancy; (4) illegality; (5)
some other substantial reason (SOSR)
price fair price /feə pras/ noun a good
price for both buyer and seller
rent fair rent /feə rent/ noun reasonable
rent for a property, bearing in mind the
size and type of property and its situation
trade fair trade /feə tred/ noun an international
business system where countries
agree not to charge import duties on
items imported from their trading partners
trading fair trading /feə tredŋ/ noun a way
of carrying business which is reasonable
and does not harm the consumer
use fair use /feə jus/ noun the use which
can be legally made of a quotation from
a copyright text without the permission
of the copyright owner
fair value 120
fair value fair value /feə vlju/ noun a price
paid by a buyer who knows the value of
what he is buying to a seller who also
knows the value of what he is selling, i.e.
neither is cheating the other
fair wear and tear fair wear and tear /feə weər ən
teə/ noun acceptable damage caused by
normal use The insurance policy covers
most damage, but not fair wear and
tear to the machine.
faith faith /feθ/ noun to have faith in
something, someone to believe that
something or a person is good or will
work well in good faith in an honest
way he acted in good faith he acted
honestly he acted in bad faith he acted
dishonestly to buy something in good
faith to buy something honestly, in the
course of an honest transaction He
bought the car in good faith, not knowing
it had been stolen.
fake fake /fek/ noun a copy made for criminal
purposes The shipment came with
fake documentation. verb to make an
imitation for criminal purposes They
faked a break-in to make the police believe
the documents had been stolen.
fall fall /fɔl/ verb 1. to happen on a particular
day or date The national holiday
falls on a Monday. 2. to become Her
husband fell ill and couldn’t work. to
fall due on to become ready to be paid
on a particular date The bill fell due on
the last day of March. to fall foul of to
get into trouble with someone, or break
the law His plan fell foul of the local
authorities. The venture quickly fell
foul of the law. to fall under someone’s
influence or sway to become
strongly influenced by someone else, especially
to do something wrong fall in
with someone to become associated
with someone, especially someone who
is a bad influence fall outside not to
belong to a particular area of knowledge
or activity That question falls outside
my specialist knowledge. fall within to
belong to a particular area of knowledge
or activity Does this fall within the
terms of the agreement?
false false /fɔls/ adjective not true or not
correct to make a false entry in the
record by or under false pretence(s)
by doing or saying something to trick
someone he was sent to prison for obtaining
money by false pretences
false accounting false accounting /fɔls ə|kaυntŋ/
noun the notifiable offence of changing,
destroying or hiding financial records for
money, punishable by up to seven years’
imprisonment
false description of contents false description of contents
/fɔls d|skrpʃən əv kən|tents/ noun
wrongly stating the contents of a packet
to trick customers into buying it
falsehood falsehood /fɔlshυd/ noun a deliberately
incorrect statement
false imprisonment false imprisonment /fɔls m|
prz(ə)nmənt/ noun unlawful detainment
of an individual which restricts
their right to freedom of movement to
leave an area, rather than actually being
put in prison. Examples are an unlawful
arrest or preventing a person from leaving
a room.
false positive false positive /fɔls pɒztv/ noun
an incorrect result occurring when data
about a person is matched against a
checklist, e.g. when a passenger profile
is matched against a list of suspected terrorists
false representation false representation /fɔls
reprzen|teʃ(ə)n/ noun US the offence
of making a wrong statement
which misleads someone
false weight false weight /fɔls wet/ noun a
weight on shop scales which is wrong
and so cheats customers
falsification of accounts falsification of accounts /fɔlsf|
keʃ(ə)n əv ə|kaυnts/ noun the action
of making false entries in a record or of
destroying a record
falsify falsify /fɔlsfa/ verb to change something
to make it wrong to falsify accounts
to change or destroy a record
family family /fm(ə)li/ noun 1. a group of
people who are related by birth or marriage
2. a group of organised Mafia
gangsters (slang)
family company family company /fm(ə)li
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company where
most of the shares are owned by members
of the same family
Family Division Family Division /fm(ə)li d|
v(ə)n/ noun one of the three divisions
of the High Court which deals with di-
121 feme sole
vorce cases and cases involving parents
and children
law family law /fm(ə)li lɔ/ noun law relating
to families or to the rights and duties
of the members of a family
life family life /fm(ə)li laf/ noun a
qualified right to family life. Interference
is allowed on the grounds of legitimate
public interest but must be proportionate.
It is found in Article 8 of the European
Convention of Human Rights and was
introduced into UK law by the Human
Rights Act 1998. emergency protection
order, threshold criteria
track fast track /fɑst trk/ noun a case
management system normally applied to
civil cases involving sums between
£5000 and £15,000
COMMENT: The timetable for the fast
track is given in the directions for the
case. A typical timetable starts from
the date of the notice of allocation, and
gives four weeks to disclosure, 10
weeks for the exchange of experts’ reports,
20 weeks for the court to send
out listing questionnaires and 30
weeks to the hearing; the trial must not
last more than one day, and such issues
as liability and quantum may be
decided separately.
track fast-track /fɑst trk/ adjective
moving forward at a faster rate There is
a new fast-track procedure for hearing
claims.
fatal /fet(ə)l/ adjective causing a
death He took a fatal dose of drugs.
There were six fatal accidents in the first
week of the year.
FBI /efbi|a/ abbreviation Federal Bureau
of Investigation
feasant damage feasant
feasibility /fizə|blti/ noun the ability
to be done
study feasibility study /fizə|blti st di/
noun research done to see if something
which has been planned is a good idea
The council asked the planning department
to comment on the feasibility of the
project. The department has produced
a feasibility report on the development
project.
test feasibility test /fizə|blti test/
noun a test to see if something is possible
feasible feasible /fizb(ə)l/ adjective possible
The Planning Department says it is not
feasible to produce draft plans at this
stage.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation
/fed(ə)rəl bjυərəυ əv n|vest|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun US the section of the
US Department of Justice which investigates
crimes against federal law and subversive
acts in the USA. Abbreviation
FBI
federal court federal court /fed(ə)rəl kɔt/, federal
laws /fed(ə)rəl lɔs/ noun US the
court or laws of the USA, as opposed to
state courts or state laws
Federal Reserve Bank Federal Reserve Bank /fed(ə)rəl
r|z$v bŋk/ noun US one of the
twelve central banks in the USA which
are owned by the state and directed by
the Federal Reserve Board
Federal Reserve Board Federal Reserve Board /fed(ə)rəl
r|z$v bɔd/ noun US a government organisation
which runs the central banks
in the USA
fee fee /fi/ noun 1. the money paid for
work carried out by a professional person
such as an accountant, doctor or lawyer
a barrister’s fees We charge a small fee
for our services. 2. the money paid for
something entrance fee or admission
fee registration fee 3. ownership of
land which may be inherited
fee simple fee simple /fi smpəl/ noun freehold
ownership of land with no restrictions
to it to hold an estate in fee simple
fee tail fee tail /fi tel/ noun a legal interest in
land which is passed on to the owner’s
direct descendants, and which cannot be
passed to anyone else (NOTE: The creation
of these interests is no longer possible.)
felonious felonious /fə|ləυniəs/ adjective criminal
He carried out a felonious act.
felony felony /feləni/ noun an old term for a
serious crime to commit a felony
(NOTE: still used in the expression treason
felony)
feme covert feme covert /fem kəυvət/ phrase a
French phrase meaning ‘married woman’
feme sole feme sole /fem səυl/ phrase a
French phrase meaning ‘unmarried
woman’
fence 122
fence fence /fens/ noun somebody who receives
and sells stolen goods (informal)
verb to receive stolen goods to sell
feudal society feudal society /fjud(ə)l sə|saəti/
noun a society where each class or level
has a duty to serve the class above it
fiat fiat /fit/ noun an agreement, e.g. of
the Attorney-General, to bring a prosecution
fiat justitia fiat justitia /fit d s|tsiə/ phrase
a Latin phrase meaning ‘let justice be
done’
fiat money fiat money /fit m ni/ noun coins
or notes which are not worth much as paper
or metal, but are said by the government
to have a value
fiction of law fiction of law /fkʃən əv lɔ/ noun
the act of assuming something to be true,
even if it is not proved to be so, which is
a procedural device of courts to avoid
problems caused by statute
fictitious fictitious /fk|tʃəs/ adjective not existing,
and sometimes intended to deceive
people
fictitious assets fictitious assets /fk|tʃəs sets/
plural noun assets which do not really
exist, but are entered as assets to balance
the accounts
fide fide bona fide purchaser, bona
fides
fiduciary fiduciary /f|djuʃjəri/ adjective acting
as trustee for someone else, or being
in a position of trust A company director
owes a fiduciary duty to the company.
to act in a fiduciary capacity to act as
a trustee noun a trustee
fieri facias fieri facias /fara feʃis/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘make it happen’
fi. fa. fi. fa. abbreviation fieri facias
FIFO FIFO abbreviation first in first out
Fifth Amendment Fifth Amendment /ffθ ə|
mendmənt/ noun US an amendment to
the constitution of the USA, which says
that no person can be forced to give evidence
which might incriminate himself
or herself to plead the Fifth Amendment,
to take the Fifth Amendment to
refuse to give evidence to a court, tribunal
or committee, because the evidence
might incriminate you
file file /fal/ noun 1. documents kept for
reference, either on paper or as data on a
computer, such as information on staff
salaries, address list, customer accounts
The police keep a file of missing vehicles.
Look up her description in the
missing persons’ file. to place something
on file to keep a record of something
to keep someone’s name on file
to keep someone’s name on a list for reference
2. a cardboard holder for documents,
which can fit in the drawer of a
filing cabinet Put these letters in the
unsolved cases file. Look in the file
marked ‘Scottish police forces’. verb 1.
to file documents to put documents in
order so that they can be found easily 2.
to make an official request to file a petition
in bankruptcy to ask officially to
be made bankrupt, to ask officially for
someone else to be made bankrupt 3. to
send a document to court When a defendant
is served with particulars of
claim he can file a defence. the defence
must be filed and served in seven
days the defence must be sent to court
and to the other party within seven days
4. to register something officially to file
an application for a patent to file a return
to the tax office
file copy file copy /fal kɒpi/ noun a copy of a
document which is filed in an office for
reference
filing filing /falŋ/ noun the delivery of a legal
document to the court office by hand,
post, fax, etc.
filing basket filing basket /falŋ bɑskt/ noun a
container kept on a desk for documents
which have to be filed
filing card filing card /falŋ kɑd/ noun a card
with information written on it, used to
classify information into the correct order
filing clerk filing clerk /falŋ klɑk/ noun a clerk
who files documents
final date for payment final date for payment /fan(ə)l
det fə pemənt/ noun the last date by
which payment should be made
final demand final demand /fan(ə)l d|mɑnd/
noun the last reminder from a supplier,
after which he or she will sue for payment
final discharge final discharge /fan(ə)l ds|tʃɑd/
noun the final payment of what is left of
a debt
123 findings
final dividend final dividend /fan(ə)l dvdend/
noun a dividend paid at the end of a year
final hearing final hearing /fan(ə)l hərŋ/ noun
the actual hearing of a case in the small
claims track, which aims at being informal
and rapid
final judgment final judgment /fan(ə)l
d dmənt/ noun a judgment which is
awarded at the end of an action after trial.
Compare interlocutory judgment
Finance Act Finance Act /fanns kt/ noun an
annual Act of the British Parliament
which gives the government power to
raise taxes as proposed in the budget
(NOTE: Use under when referring to an
Act of Parliament: a creditor seeking a
receiving order under the Bankruptcy
Act; She does not qualify under section
2 of the 1979 Act.)
Finance Bill and Finance Act Finance Bill and Finance Act
/fanns bl ən fanns kt/ noun
an annual Bill and Act of Parliament
which gives the Government the power
to raise taxes to produce money for the
Exchequer, and which then can be spent
as proposed in the Budget
finance charge finance charge /fanns tʃɑd/
noun 1. the cost of borrowing money 2.
an additional charge made to a customer
who asks for extended credit
finance company finance company /fanns
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which
provides money for hire-purchase
finance corporation finance corporation /fanns
kɔpəreʃ(ə)n/ noun a company which
provides money for hire purchase
Finance Minister Finance Minister /fanns
mnstə/ noun a government minister
responsible for finance (both taxation
and expenditure)
financial financial /fa|nnʃəl/ adjective referring
to money or finance He has a financial
interest in the company. to
make financial provision for someone
to arrange for someone to receive money
to live on (by attachment of earnings,
etc.)
COMMENT: In most countries, the government
department dealing with finance
is called the Finance Ministry,
with a Finance Minister in charge. Both
in the UK and the USA, the department
is called the Treasury, and the
minister in charge is the Chancellor of
the Exchequer in the UK, and the
Treasury Secretary in the USA.
financial assistance financial assistance /fa|nnʃəl ə|
sstəns/ noun help in the form of money
financial commitments financial commitments /fa|
nnʃəl kə|mtmənts/ plural noun
money which is owed to someone for
bills or purchases
financial provision order financial provision order /fa|
nnʃəl prə|v(ə)n ɔdə/ noun an order
which, during the course of family
proceedings, is made on or after the
granting of a decree of divorce or annulment,
providing for a financial settlement
between the parties, or a lump sum
financial relief financial relief /fa|nnʃ(ə)l r|lif/
noun any or all of the following orders
available during family proceedings:
maintenance pending suit orders, financial
provision orders, property adjustment
orders and court orders for maintenance
during marriage (NOTE: Maintenance
for children of a marriage falls
outside of the jurisdiction of the court
and must be made to the Child Support
Agency directly, the only exception being
when the children of the marriage
have special needs or are adopted.)
financial review financial review /fa|nnʃəl r|vju/
noun an examination of an organisation’s
finances
financial statement financial statement /fa|nnʃəl
stetmənt/ noun a document which
shows the financial situation of a company
at the end of an accounting period and
the transactions which have taken place
during that period. It includes the balance
sheet, the profit and loss account,
etc.
find find /fand/ verb 1. to get something
which was not there before to find
backing for a project 2. to make a legal
decision in court The tribunal found
that both parties were at fault. The
court found the accused guilty on all
charges. the judge found for the defendant
the judge decided that the defendant
was right
finder’s fee finder’s fee /fandəz fi/ noun a fee
paid to a person who finds a client for another
findings findings /fandŋz/ noun a decision
reached by a court the findings of a
fine 124
commission of enquiry the conclusions
of the commission
fine /fan/ noun a sum of money ordered
to be paid by a defendant as punishment
on conviction for an offence
The court sentenced him to pay a
£25,000 fine. We had to pay a £10
parking fine. The sentence for dangerous
driving is a £1,000 fine or two
months in prison. verb to order a defendant
who has been convicted of an offence
to pay a sum of money as punishment.
The court is must look into the financial
circumstances of the offender
before fixing the amount of the fine, and
must ensure that it reflects the severity of
the offence committed. to fine someone
£2,500 for obtaining money by false pretences
fingerprint /fŋəprnt/ noun a mark
left on a surface by fingers, from which a
person may be identified They found
his fingerprints on the murder weapon.
The court heard evidence from a fingerprint
expert. to take someone’s fingerprints
to take a copy of a person’s fingerprints
(by printing them with ink on film
or a filing card) so that he or she can be
identified in future verb to take someone’s
fingerprints The police fingerprinted
the suspect after charging him.
search fingertip search /fŋətp s$tʃ/
noun a very careful search of a crime
scene and the surrounding area carried
out by hand in the hope of finding evidence
fire /faə/ noun 1. burning The shipment
was damaged in the fire on board
the cargo boat. Half the stock was destroyed
in the warehouse fire. to catch
fire to start to burn The papers in the
waste paper basket caught fire. 2. the act
of shooting the police opened fire on
the crowd the police started to shoot at
the crowd verb 1. to shoot a gun He
fired two shots at the crowd. 2. to fire
someone to dismiss someone from a job
The new managing director fired half
the sales force.
firearm /faərɑm/ noun a gun or other
weapon used to shoot
certificate firearms certificate /faəɑmz sə|
tfkət/ noun an official document saying
that someone has permission to own
a gun
fire certificate fire certificate /faə sə|tfkət/ noun
a document from the municipal fire department
to say that a building is properly
protected against fire
fire damage fire damage /faə dmd/ noun
damage to land caused by a fire
fire-damaged goods fire-damaged goods /faə
dmdd υdz/ plural noun goods
which have been damaged in a fire
fire door fire door /faə dɔ/ noun a special
door to prevent fire going from one part
of a building to another
fire hazard fire hazard /faə hzəd/ noun a situation
or materials which could start a
fire That warehouse full of paper is a
fire hazard.
fire insurance fire insurance /faər n|ʃυərəns/
noun insurance against damage by fire
fire-proof safe fire-proof safe /faə pruf sef/
noun a safe which cannot be harmed by
fire
fire-raiser fire-raiser /faə rezə/ noun a person
who sets fire to property
fire-raising fire-raising /faə rezŋ/ noun the
act of setting fire to property on purpose.
arson, arsonist
fire regulations fire regulations /faə rejυ|
leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun local or national
regulations which owners of buildings
used by the public have to obey in order
to be granted a fire certificate
fire safety fire safety /faə sefti/ noun a set of
safety measures and procedures in case
of fire
safety officer fire safety officer /faə sefti
ɒfsə/ noun the person responsible for
fire safety in a building
firing squad firing squad /faərŋ skwɒd/ noun a
group of soldiers who execute someone
by shooting
firm firm /f$m/ noun a partnership or any
other business which is not a company
a firm of accountants an important
publishing firm He is a partner in a law
firm. (NOTE: Firm is often used when referring
to incorporated companies, but
this is not correct.) verb to remain at a
price and seem likely to go up The
shares firmed at £1.50.
125 fixtures and fittings
firm price firm price /f$m pras/ noun a price
which will not change
First Amendment First Amendment /f$st ə|
men(d)mənt/ noun US the first amendment
to the Constitution of the USA,
guaranteeing freedom of speech and religion
first degree murder first degree murder /f$st d|ri
m$də/ noun US the premeditated and
deliberate killing of a person
first in first out first in first out /f$st n f$st aυt/
noun 1. a redundancy policy, where the
people who have been working longest
are the first to be made redundant 2. an
accounting policy where stock is valued
at the price of the oldest purchases
first offence first offence /f$st ə|fens/ noun
committing an offence for the first time,
which makes it less likely to result in a
prison sentence in the case of summary
offences
first offender first offender /f$st ə|fendə/ noun
somebody who has committed an offence
for the first time
first option first option /f$st opʃən/ noun the
right to be the first to have the possibility
of deciding or having something
FISA FISA abbreviation Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act
FISA court FISA court noun a US court composed
of a rotating panel of federal judges that
reviews in secret prosecutors’ requests to
tap the phones of suspected spies and terrorists
and to carry out searches
fiscal measures fiscal measures /fskəl meəz/
plural noun tax changes made by a government
to improve the working of the
economy
fishing expedition fishing expedition /fʃŋ
ekspdʃ(ə)n/ noun the use of the prehearing
disclosure of documents to try to
find other documents belonging to the
defendant which the claimant does not
know about and which might help him
with his claim (informal )
fit fit /ft/ adjective physically or mentally
able to do something The solicitor stated
that his client was not fit to plead.
fitness for purpose fitness for purpose /ftnəs fə
p$pəs/ noun an implied contractual
term that goods sold will be of the necessary
standard to be used for the purpose
for which they were bought
fittings fittings /ftŋz/ fixtures and fittings
fixed capital fixed capital /fkst kpt(ə)l/ noun
capital in the form of buildings and machinery
fixed charge fixed charge /fkst tʃɑd/ noun a
charge over a particular asset or property
fixed costs fixed costs /fkst kɒsts/ plural noun
1. a set amount of money to which a
claimant is entitled in legal proceedings
2. the cost of producing a product, which
does not increase with the amount of
product made, e.g. rent
fixed deposit fixed deposit /fkst d|pɒzt/ noun a
deposit which pays a stated interest over
a set period
fixed expenses fixed expenses /fkst k|spensz/
plural noun money which is spent regularly,
e.g. rent, electricity, or telephone
costs
fixed income fixed income /fkst nk m/ noun
an income such as from an annuity which
does not change in amount from year to
year
fixed interest fixed interest /fkst ntrəst/ noun
interest which is paid at a set rate
fixed-interest investments fixed-interest investments /fkst
ntrəst n|vestmənts/ plural noun investments
producing an interest which
does not change
fixed-price agreement fixed-price agreement /fkst pras
ə|rimənt/ noun an agreement where a
company provides a service or a product
at a price which stays the same for the
whole period of the agreement
fixed rate fixed rate /fkst ret/ noun a charge
which cannot be changed
fixed scale of charges fixed scale of charges /fkst skel
əv tʃɑdz/ plural noun rate of charging
which cannot be altered
fixed term fixed term /fkst t$m/ noun a period
which is fixed when a contract is
signed and which cannot be changed afterwards
fixture fixture /fkstʃə/ noun an item such as
a sink or lavatory which is permanently
attached to a property and which passes
to a new owner with the property itself
fixtures and fittings fixtures and fittings /fkstʃəz ən
ftŋz/ plural noun objects in a property
which are sold with the property, including
both objects which are permanently
fixed and those which can be removed
flag 126
flag flag /fl/ verb to flag a ship to give
a ship the right to fly a flag, by registering
it. reflag to fly a flag 1. to attach
the flag in an obvious position to show
that your ship belongs to a certain country
ship flying the British flag 2. to act
in a certain way to show that you are
proud of belonging to a certain country
or working for a certain company ship
flying a flag of convenience the Trade
Minister has gone to the World Fair to fly
the flag he is only attending the conference
to fly the flag for the company
flag of convenience flag of convenience /fl əv kən|
viniəns/ noun the flag of a country
which may have no ships of its own but
allows ships of other countries to be registered
in its ports
flagrant flagrant /flerənt/ adjective clear
and obvious A flagrant case of contempt
of court. A flagrant violation of
human rights.
flagrante flagrante in flagrante delicto
flat rate flat rate /flt ret/ noun a charge
which always stays the same We pay a
flat rate for electricity each quarter. He
is paid a flat rate of £2 per thousand.
flotsam and jetsam flotsam and jetsam /flɒtsəm ən
detsəm/ noun rubbish floating in the
water after a ship has been wrecked and
rubbish washed on to the land
flout flout /flaυt/ verb to break or act go
against a rule or the law By selling alcohol
to minors, the shop is deliberately
flouting the law.
FOFO abbreviation Foreign Office
f.o.b. f.o.b. abbreviation free on board
follow follow /fɒləυ/ verb to act in accordance
with a rule The court has followed
the precedent set in the 1972 case.
follow-up letter follow-up letter /fɒləυ p letə/
noun a letter sent to someone after a previous
letter or after a visit
foolscap foolscap /fulskp/ noun a large size
of writing paper The letter was on six
sheets of foolscap. a foolscap envelope
large envelope which takes foolscap paper
forbear forbear /fɔ|beə/ verb to forbear
from doing something not to do something
which you intended to do He forbore
from taking any further action.
forbearance forbearance /fɔ|beərəns/ noun an
act of not doing something, such as enforcing
payment of a debt, which could
have been done
force force /fɔs/ noun 1. physical strength or
violence 2. influence or effect to be in
force to be operating or working The
rules have been in force since 1946. to
come into force to start to operate or
work The new procedures will come
into force on January 1st. the force of
law, legal force the power of being controlled
by law The new regulations
have the force of law.
forced sale forced sale /fɔst sel/ noun a sale
which takes place because a court orders
it or because it is the only way to avoid
insolvency
force majeure force majeure /fɔs m|$/ noun
something which happens which is out
of the control of the parties who have
signed a contract, such as a war or a
storm, and which prevents the contract
being fulfilled. act of God
forcible forcible /fɔsb(ə)l/ adjective using
force
forcible entry forcible entry /fɔsb(ə)l entri/
noun formerly, the criminal offence of
entering a building or land and taking
possession of it by force
forcible feeding forcible feeding /fɔsb(ə)l fidŋ/
noun the act of giving food by force to a
prisoner on hunger strike
foreclose foreclose /fɔ|kləυz/ verb to take possession
of a property because the owner
cannot repay money which he or she has
borrowed using the property as security
to foreclose on a mortgaged property
foreclosure foreclosure /fɔ|kləυə/ noun the act
of foreclosing
foreclosure order absolute foreclosure order absolute /fɔ|
kləυə ɔdə bsəlut/ noun a court
order giving the mortgagee full rights to
the property
foreclosure order nisi foreclosure order nisi /fɔ|kləυə
ɔdə nasa/ noun a court order which
makes a mortgagor pay outstanding
debts to a mortgagee within a specified
period of time
foreign foreign /fɒrn/ adjective not belonging
to one’s own country Foreign cars
have flooded our market. We are in-
127 forgery
creasing our trade with foreign countries.
foreign currency foreign currency /fɒrn k rənsi/
noun the currency of another country
foreign exchange broker foreign exchange broker /fɒrn
ks|tʃend brəυkə/ noun somebody
who deals on the foreign exchange market
foreign exchange dealing foreign exchange dealing /fɒrn
ks|tʃend dilŋ/ noun the activity of
buying and selling foreign currencies
foreign exchange market foreign exchange market /fɒrn
ks|tʃend mɑkt/ noun dealings in
foreign currencies
foreign exchange reserves foreign exchange reserves /fɒrn
ks|tʃend r|z$vz/ plural noun foreign
money held by a government to support
its own currency and pay its debts
foreign exchange transfer foreign exchange transfer /fɒrn
ks|tʃend trnsf$/ noun the sending
of money from one country to another
foreign goods foreign goods /fɒrn υdz/ plural
noun goods produced in other countries
foreign investments foreign investments /fɒrn n|
vestmənts/ plural noun money invested
in other countries
foreign money order foreign money order /fɒrn m ni
ɔdə/ noun money order in a foreign
currency which is payable to someone
living in a foreign country
Foreign Office Foreign Office /fɒrn ɒfs/, Foreign
and Commonwealth Office
/fɒrn ən kɒmənwelθ ɒfs/ noun the
British government department dealing
with relations with other countries
foreign policy foreign policy /fɒrn pɒlsi/ noun a
policy followed by a country when dealing
with other countries
foreign rights foreign rights /fɒrn ratz/ plural
noun legal entitlement to sell something
in a foreign country
Foreign Service Foreign Service /fɒrn s$vs/
noun a government department responsible
for a country’s representation in other
countries
foreign trade foreign trade /fɒrn tred/ noun
trade with other countries
foreman of the jury foreman of the jury /fɔmən əv də
dυəri/ noun a person elected by the
other jurors, who chairs the meetings of
a jury and pronounces the verdict in
court afterwards
forensic forensic /fə|rensk/ adjective referring
to courts, the law, pleading a case or
punishing crime
forensic medicine forensic medicine /fə|rensk
med(ə)sn/ noun medical science concerned
with solving crimes against people
forensic science forensic science /fə|rensk saəns/
noun science used in solving legal problems
and criminal cases
foresee foresee /fɔ|si/ verb to guess or assess
correctly what is going to happen in the
future (NOTE: foreseeing – foresaw –
has foreseen)
foreseeability foreseeability /fɔ|siə|blti/ noun
the ability of something to be foreseen
foreseeability test foreseeability test /fɔ|siə|blti
test/ noun a test for calculating liability
on the part of a person who should have
foreseen the consequences of his or her
action, especially in cases of negligence
forfeit forfeit /fɔft/ noun the removal of
something as a punishment the goods
were declared forfeit the court said that
the goods had to be taken away from
their owner verb to have something
taken away as a punishment to forfeit
a deposit to lose a deposit because you
have decided not to buy the item
forfeit clause forfeit clause /fɔft klɔz/ noun a
clause in a contract which says that
goods or a deposit will be forfeited if the
contract is not obeyed
forfeiture forfeiture /fɔftʃə/ noun the act of
forfeiting a property or a right
forfeiture of shares forfeiture of shares /fɔftʃə əv
ʃeəz/ plural noun losing the right to
shares which a shareholder has not
claimed
forfeiture rule forfeiture rule /fɔftʃə rul/ noun
the unwritten rule that someone who has
unlawfully killed another person should
not benefit from the dead person’s will
forge forge /fɔd/ verb to copy something
such as a document or banknote illegally
to use as if it were real He tried to enter
the country with forged documents. She
wanted to pay the bill with a forged £10
note.
forgery forgery /fɔdəri/ noun 1. the crime
of making an illegal copy of something
forgery and uttering 128
such as a document or banknote to use as
if it were real He was sent to prison for
forgery. 2. an illegal copy The signature
was proved to be a forgery.
forgery and uttering forgery and uttering /fɔdəri ən
tərŋ/ noun a notifiable offence of
forging and then using an official document
such as a prescription for drugs
fori fori lex fori
form form /fɔm/ noun an official printed paper
with blank spaces which have to be
filled in with information you have to
fill in form A20 customs declaration
form a pad of order forms
forma forma /fɔmə/ pro forma
formal formal /fɔm(ə)l/ adjective clearly and
legally written to make a formal application
to send a formal order
formality formality /fɔ|mlti/ noun a formal
procedure, thing which has to be done to
obey the law or because it is the custom
The chairman dispensed with the formality
of reading the minutes.
formally formally /fɔməli/ adverb in a formal
way We have formally applied for
planning permission for the new shopping
precinct.
form of words form of words /fɔm əv w$dz/ plural
noun words correctly laid out for a legal
document
forthwith forthwith /fɔθ|wθ/ adverb immediately
fortiori fortiori a fortiori
forum forum /fɔrəm/ noun a place where
matters are discussed or examined The
magistrates’ court is not the appropriate
forum for this application.
forward forward /fɔwəd/ adverb 1. to date
an invoice forward to put a later date
than the present one on an invoice 2. to
buy forward to buy foreign currency,
gold or commodities before you need
them, in order to be certain of the exchange
rate to sell forward to sell foreign
currency, commodities, etc., for delivery
at a later date 3. balance
brought forward, carried forward balance
which is entered in an account at the
end of a period or page and is then taken
to be the starting point of the next period
or page verb to forward something
to someone to send something to someone
please forward, to be forwarded
words written on an envelope, asking the
person receiving it to send it on to the
person whose name is written on it
foster foster /fɒstə/ verb to look after and
bring up a child who is not your own
foster child foster child /fɒstə tʃald/ noun a
child who is cared for by someone other
than its natural or adopted parents
foster home foster home /fɒstə həυm/ noun a
home where a foster child is brought up
foster parent foster parent /fɒstə m də/ noun a
woman or man who looks after a child
and brings it up
foul bill of lading foul bill of lading /faυl bl əv
ledŋ/ noun a bill of lading which says
that the goods were in bad condition
when received by the shipper
fourth quarter fourth quarter /fɔθ kwɔtə/ noun a
period of three months from October to
the end of the year The instalments are
payable at the end of each quarter. The
first quarter’s rent is payable in advance.
frais frais sans frais
frame frame /frem/ verb to arrange for someone
to appear to be guilty (informal ) he
has been framed he is innocent, but the
situation has been arranged in such a way
that he appears guilty
franchise franchise /frntʃaz/ noun 1. a right
granted to someone to do something, especially
the right to vote in local or general
elections 2. a licence to trade using a
brand name and paying a royalty for it
He has bought a printing franchise or a
hot dog franchise. verb to sell licences
for people to trade using a brand name
and paying a royalty His sandwich bar
was so successful that he decided to franchise
it.
franchisee franchisee /frntʃa|zi/ noun
somebody who runs a franchise
franchiser franchiser /frntʃazə/ noun somebody
who licenses a franchise
franchising franchising /frntʃazŋ/ noun the
act of selling a licence to trade as a franchise
He runs his sandwich chain as a
franchising operation.
franchisor franchisor /frntʃazə/ noun same
as franchiser
franco franco /frŋkəυ/ adverb free
frank frank /frŋk/ verb to stamp the date
and postage on a letter
129 freedom of association
franking machine franking machine /frŋkŋ mə|
ʃin/ noun a machine which marks the
date and postage on letters so that the
person sending them does not need to use
stamps
fraud fraud /frɔd/ noun 1. harming someone
(by obtaining property or money from
him) after making him believe something
which is not true He got possession
of the property by fraud. He was
accused of frauds relating to foreign currency.
to obtain money by fraud to
obtain money by saying or doing something
to cheat someone 2. the act of deceiving
someone in order to make money
She was convicted of a series of frauds
against insurance companies.
COMMENT: Frauds are divided into
fraud by a director and other fraud.
Fraud Squad Fraud Squad /frɔd skwɒd/ noun a
department of a police force which deals
with cases of fraud
fraudster fraudster /frɔdstə/ noun a criminal
who obtains money or other advantage
by deceiving someone
fraudulent /frɔdjυlənt/ adjective
not honest, and aiming to deceive people
conveyance fraudulent conveyance
/frɔdjυlənt kən|veəns/ noun an act
of putting a property into someone else’s
possession to avoid it being seized to pay
creditors
fraudulently fraudulently /frɔdjυləntli/ adverb
not honestly goods imported fraudulently
misrepresentation fraudulent misrepresentation
/frɔdjυlənt ms|reprzen|teʃ(ə)n/
noun a false statement made to deceive
someone, or persuade someone to enter
into a contract
fraudulent preference fraudulent preference
/frɔdjυlənt pref(ə)rəns/ noun payment
made by an insolvent company to a
particular creditor in preference to other
creditors
fraudulent trading fraudulent trading /frɔdjυlənt
tredŋ/ noun the activity of carrying on
the business of a company, knowing that
the company is insolvent
fraudulent transaction fraudulent transaction
/frɔdjυlənt trn|zkʃən/ noun a
transaction which aims to cheat someone
free free /fri/ adjective, adverb 1. not costing
any money price list sent free on request
He was given a free ticket to the
exhibition. The price includes free delivery.
Goods are delivered free. free
of charge with no payment to be made 2.
not in prison to set someone free to let
someone leave prison The crowd attacked
the police station and set the three
prisoners free. 3. with no restrictions
free of tax, tax-free with no tax having
to be paid free of duty, duty-free with
no duty to be paid 4. not occupied Are
there any tables free in the restaurant?
The solicitor will be free in a few minutes.
The hearing was delayed because
there was no courtroom free. verb to
release someone from a responsibility or
from prison Will the new law free owners
from responsibility to their tenants?
The new president freed all political prisoners.
free circulation of goods free circulation of goods /fri
s$kjυ|leʃ(ə)n əv υdz/ plural noun
movement of goods from one country to
another without import quotas or other
restrictions
free collective bargaining free collective bargaining /fri kə|
lektv bɑnŋ/ noun negotiations
between employers and workers’ representatives
over wages and conditions
free competition free competition /fri kɒmpə|
tʃ(ə)n/ noun the situation of being free
to compete without government interference
free currency free currency /fri k rənsi/ noun a
currency which a government allows to
be bought or sold without restriction
freedom freedom /fridəm/ noun 1. not being
held in custody The president gave the
accused man his freedom. 2. the ability
to do something without restriction
freedom of assembly freedom of assembly /fridəm əv
ə|sembl/ noun the right of being able to
meet other people in a group without being
afraid of prosecution, provided that
you do not break the law
freedom of association freedom of association /fridəm
əv əsəυsi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun the right of being
able to join together in a group with
other people without being afraid of
prosecution, provided that you do not
break the law
freedom of information 130
freedom of information freedom of information /fridəm
əv nfə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun allowing citizens
access to information which is held
by government departments and other
bodies
freedom of movement freedom of movement /fridəm əv
muvmənt/ noun (in the EU) the fundamental
right of citizens within the EU to
be able to move to other EU countries to
seek work
COMMENT: Freedom of movement has
been extended to three types of people
who are not economically active:
students, retired people and people
with sufficient private income.
freedom of speech freedom of speech /fridəm əv
spitʃ/ noun the right of being able to
say what you want without being afraid
of prosecution, provided that you do not
break the law
freedom of the press freedom of the press /fridəm əv
də pres/ noun the right of being able to
write and publish what you wish in a
newspaper, or on radio or TV, without
being afraid of prosecution, provided
that you do not break the law
freedom of thought, conscience and religion freedom of thought, conscience
and religion /fridəm əv θɔt
kɒnʃəns ən r|ldən/ noun a qualified
right to belief or religion, subject to limitations
which are imposed if it is considered
to be interfering with the public interest.
It is found in Article 9 of the European
Convention of Human Rights and
was introduced into UK law by the Human
Rights Act 1998. (NOTE: By contrast,
the freedom of thought is an absolute
right and therefore cannot be restricted,
even if it does interfere with the
public interest.)
freehold freehold /frihəυld/ noun the absolute
right to hold land or property for an
unlimited time without paying rent
freeholder freeholder /frihəυldə/ noun somebody
who holds a freehold property
freehold property freehold property /frihəυld
prɒpəti/ noun property which the owner
holds in freehold
free movement free movement /fri muvmənt/
noun a right for workers from any EU
Member State to enter other Member
States to work, and to remain as workers,
with the same rights as the nationals of
those Member States
free on board free on board /fri ɒn bɔd/ noun
US 1. an international contract whereby
the seller promises to deliver goods on
board ship and notify the buyer of delivery,
and the buyer arranges freight, pays
the shipping cost and takes the risk once
the goods have passed onto the ship 2. a
contract for sale whereby the price includes
all the seller’s costs until the
goods are delivered to a certain place
abbreviation f.o.b.
free pardon free pardon /fri pɑd(ə)n/ noun a
pardon given to a convicted person
where both the sentence and conviction
are recorded as void
freeze freeze /friz/ verb to order a person not
to move money or sell assets The court
ordered the company’s bank account to
be frozen.
freezing injunction freezing injunction /frizŋ n|
d ŋkʃən/ noun a court order to freeze
the assets of a defendant or of a person
who has gone overseas or of a company
based overseas to prevent them being
taken out of the country. The injunction
can apply to assets within the jurisdiction
of the court, or on a worldwide basis.
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced Mareva injunction.)
freight charges freight charges /fret tʃɑdz/
plural noun money charged for carrying
goods
fresh pursuit fresh pursuit /freʃ pə|sjut/ noun
the act of chasing a thief, etc., to get back
what has been stolen
friend friend /frend/ litigation friend, next
friend
frisk frisk /frsk/ verb to search someone by
passing your hands over his or her
clothes to see if that person is carrying a
weapon or a package
frivolous complaint frivolous complaint /frvələs kəm|
plent/ noun a complaint or action
which is not brought for a serious reason
frolic frolic /frɒlk/ noun frolic of his own
a situation where an employee does damage
outside the normal course of employment,
for which his or her employer
cannot be held responsible
front front /fr nt/ noun an organisation or
company which serves to hide criminal
131 future delivery
activity His ice-cream shop was just a
front for an extortion racket.
benches front benches /fr nt bentʃz/ noun
two rows of seats in the House of Commons,
facing each other with the table
between them, where Government ministers
or members of the Opposition
Shadow Cabinet sit the Government
front bench, the Treasury bench the
seats where the members of the Government
sit the front benches 1. the seat
for the Opposition Shadow Cabinet 2.
the Shadow Cabinet
front organisation front organisation /fr nt
ɔənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun an organisation
which appears to be neutral, but is in fact
an active supporter of a political party or
is actively engaged in illegal trade
frozen /frəυz(ə)n/ freeze
assets frozen assets /frəυz(ə)n sets/
plural noun assets of a company which
cannot be sold because someone has a
claim against them
frustrate frustrate /fr |stret/ verb to prevent
something, especially the terms of a contract,
being fulfilled
frustration frustration /fr |streʃ(ə)n/ noun a
situation where the terms of a contract
cannot possibly be fulfilled, e.g. when
the contract requires the use of something
which is destroyed
fugitive /fjudtv/ noun a person
who has done something illegal and is
trying to avoid being found by the police
offender fugitive offender /fjudtv ə|
fendə/ noun somebody running away
from the police who, if he or she is
caught, is sent back to the place where
the offence was committed
fulfil fulfil /fυl|fl/ verb to do everything
which is promised in a contract The
company has fulfilled all the terms of the
agreement. (NOTE: The US spelling is
fulfill.)
full costs full costs /fυl kɒsts/ plural noun all
the costs of manufacturing a product, including
both fixed and variable costs
full cover full cover /fυl k və/ noun insurance
against all types of risk
full payment full payment /fυl pemənt/ noun
payment for all money owed
full rate full rate /fυl ret/ noun full charge,
with no reductions
full repairing lease full repairing lease /fυl r|peərŋ
lis/ noun a lease where the tenant has to
pay for all repairs to the property
full title full title /fυl tat(ə)l/ noun the complete
title of an Act of Parliament
full trial full trial /fυl traəl/ noun a properly
organised trial according to the correct
procedure
functus officio functus officio /f nktəs ɒ|fʃiəυ/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘no longer
having power or jurisdiction’ because
the power has been exercised The justices’
clerk asserted that the justices
were functi officio. (NOTE: The plural is
functi officio.)
fund fund /f nd/ noun to convert funds to
one’s own use to use someone else’s
money for yourself
fundamental breach fundamental breach /f ndə|
ment(ə)l britʃ/ noun a breach of an essential
or basic term of a contract by one
party, entitling the other party to treat the
contract as terminated
funds funds /f ndz/ plural noun money
available for a purpose
fungible goods fungible goods /f ndəb(ə)l υdz/,
fungibles plural noun goods such as
seeds or coins which are measured by
weight or counted
furandi furandi animus furandi
furnished lettings furnished lettings /f$nʃt letŋs/
noun furnished property to let
furniture department furniture department /f$ntʃə d|
pɑtmənt/ noun a department in a large
store which sells furniture
furniture depository furniture depository /f$ntʃə d|
pɒzt(ə)ri/ noun a warehouse where
you can store household furniture
further information further information /f$də nfə|
meʃ(ə)n/ noun a request made by a
party through the court for another party
to provide more details which will help
clarify the case. The second party may
refuse to respond for various reasons.
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced interrogatories.)
future delivery future delivery /fjutʃə d|lv(ə)ri/
noun delivery at a later date
future estate 132
future estate future estate /fjutʃə |stet/ noun
an old term for the possession and enjoyment
of an estate at some time in the future
future interest future interest /fjutʃə ntrəst/
noun an interest in property which will
be enjoyed in the future
fuzz fuzz /f z/ noun the police (slang)
G
gag gag // verb to try to stop someone
talking or writing The government was
accused of using the Official Secrets Act
as a means of gagging the press.
gain gain /en/ verb to get, to obtain He
gained some useful experience working
in a bank. to gain control of a business
to buy more than 50% of the shares
so that you can direct the business to
gain control of a council to win a majority
of the seats
gainful employment gainful employment /enf(ə)l m|
plɔmənt/ noun employment for which
someone is paid
gainfully employed gainfully employed /enf(ə)li/ adjective
having regular paid work
gallery gallery /ləri/ noun the seats above
and around the benches in the House of
Commons and House of Lords, where
the public and journalists sit the
Speaker ordered the galleries to be
cleared the Speaker asked for all visitors
to leave the Chamber
gallows gallows /ləυz/ plural noun wooden
support from which criminals are executed
by hanging
game licence game licence /em las(ə)ns/
noun an official permit which allows
someone to sell game
game of chance game of chance /em əv tʃɑns/
noun a game such as roulette where the
result depends on luck
gaming licence gaming licence /emŋ las(ə)ns/
noun an official permit which allows
someone or a club to organise games of
chance
gang gang /ŋ/ noun a group of criminals
working together a drugs gang a
gang of jewel thieves
gangland gangland /ŋlnd/ noun all gangs
considered as a group a gangland
murder murder of a gangster by another
gangster
gangster gangster /ŋstə/ noun somebody
who is a member of a gang of criminals
The police shot three gangsters in the
bank raid.
gaol gaol /del/ noun a prison. jail verb
to put someone in prison
gaoler gaoler /delə/ noun somebody who
works in a prison or who is in charge of
a prison. jailer
garden leave clause garden leave clause /ɑdən liv
klɔz/ noun in employment contracts, a
clause which prevents an employee attending
the workplace during the course
of the notice period, which can be anything
up to a year, during which time
they remain as an employee of the company
and therefore continue to receive a
salary (NOTE: Such a clause is used to
safeguard the trade secrets of a business
and minimise the effects of a highly
skilled worker from leaving their current
employment to join a rival company.)
garnish garnish /ɑnʃ/ verb to tell a debtor
to pay his or her debts, not to the creditor,
but to a creditor of the creditor who has a
judgment
garnishee garnishee /ɑn|ʃi/ noun a person
who owes money to a creditor and is ordered
by a court to pay that money to a
creditor of the creditor, and not to the
original creditor
garnishee order garnishee order /ɑn|ʃi ɔdə/
noun a court order, making a garnishee
pay money to a creditor who has a judgment
garnishee proceedings garnishee proceedings /ɑn|ʃi
prə|sidŋz/ noun a court proceedings
against a debtor leading to a garnishee
order
gas chamber 134
gas chamber gas chamber /s tʃembə/ noun a
room in which a convicted prisoner is executed
by poisonous gas
COMMENT: Used in some states in the
USA.
gavel gavel /v(ə)l/ noun a small wooden
hammer used by a chairman of a meeting
to call the meeting to order The chairman
banged his gavel on the table and
shouted to the councillors to be quiet.
COMMENT: There is no mace in the
American Senate. Instead, a ceremonial
gavel is placed on the Vice-President’s
desk when the Senate is in session.
gazump gazump /ə|z mp/ verb he was gazumped
his agreement to buy the house
was cancelled because someone offered
more money before exchange of contracts
gazumping gazumping /ə|z mpŋ/ noun 1. (of
a buyer) the act of offering more money
for a house than another buyer has done,
so as to be sure of buying it 2. the act of
removing a house from a sale which has
been agreed, so as to accept a higher offer
GBH GBH abbreviation grievous bodily
harm
general amnesty general amnesty /den(ə)rəl
mnəsti/ noun a pardon granted to all
prisoners
general damages general damages /den(ə)rəl
dmdz/ plural noun damages
awarded by court to compensate for a
loss which cannot be calculated, e.g. an
injury
general lien general lien /den(ə)rəl liən/ noun
the holding of goods or property until a
debt has been paid
general office general office /den(ə)rəl ɒfs/
noun the main administrative office of a
company
Geneva Convention Geneva Convention, Geneva Conventions
noun international treaties
signed in Geneva, governing behaviour
of countries at war The attacking army
was accused of violating the Geneva
Convention.
Geneva Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War Geneva Conventions for the Protection
of Victims of War (1949)
noun an international treaty relating to
the treatment of civilians and other noncombatants
Geneva Conventions on Negotiable Instruments Geneva Conventions on Negotiable
Instruments (1930) noun an
international treaty relating to international
bills of exchange, cheques, letters
of credit, etc.
gentleman’s agreement gentleman’s agreement
/dent(ə)lmənz ə|rimənt/, gentlemen’s
agreement US noun a verbal
agreement between two parties who trust
each other (NOTE: A gentleman’s agreement
is not usually enforceable by law.)
genuine genuine /denjun/ adjective true or
real a genuine Picasso a genuine
leather purse the genuine article real
article, not an imitation
genuine dispute genuine dispute /denjun d|
spjut/ noun a real conflict between
parties The ECJ refused to hear the reference
because it considered there was
no genuine dispute between the parties.
genuineness genuineness /denjυnnəs/ noun
the fact of not being an imitation
genuine purchaser genuine purchaser /denjun
p$tʃsə/ noun someone who is really
interested in buying
geographic profiling geographic profiling /diə|rfk
prəυfalŋ/ noun the science of predicting
where a criminal lives, based on
where and when the crimes were committed,
based on the principle that most
crimes are carried out relatively locally
geoprofiling geoprofiling /diəυ|prəυfalŋ/
noun same as geographic profiling
germane germane /d$|men/ adjective referring
to, or relevant to The argument is
not germane to the motion.
get get /et/, gett noun a divorce according
to Jewish religious custom, where the
husband agrees to a divorce which his
wife has requested
gift gift /ft/ verb to give
COMMENT: A gift is irrevocable.
gift inter vivos gift inter vivos /ft ntə vivəυs/
noun a present given by a living person
to another living person
Gillette defence Gillette defence /d|let d|fens/
noun a defence against a claim for infringement
of patent, by which the defendant
claims that they were using the
process before it was patented
COMMENT: Called after the case of Gillette
v. Anglo American Trading.
135 grace
gloss gloss /lɒs/ noun 1. a note which explains
or gives a meaning to a word or
phrase 2. an interpretation given to a
word or phrase verb to gloss over to
cover up a mistake or fault The report
glosses over the errors made by the officials
in the department.
godfather godfather /ɒdfɑdə/ noun a Mafia
boss (slang)
going equipped for stealing going equipped for stealing
/əυŋ |kwpd fə stilŋ/ noun the
notifiable offence of carrying tools
which could be used for burglary
golden rule golden rule /əυld(ə)n rul/ noun a
rule that when interpreting a statute, the
court should interpret the wording of the
statute to give the closest effect to the one
Parliament intended when passing the
law
good behaviour good behaviour /υd b|hevjə/
noun a way of behaving this is peaceful
and lawful The magistrates bound him
over to be of good behaviour. She was
sentenced to four years in prison, but
was released early for good behaviour.
good cause good cause /υd kɔz/ noun a reason
which is accepted in law The court
asked the accused to show good cause
why he should not be sent to prison.
(NOTE: not used with ‘the’)
good consideration good consideration /υd kən|sdə|
reʃ(ə)n/ noun proper consideration
good faith good faith /υd feθ/ noun general
honesty in good faith in an honest way
he acted in good faith he acted honestly
to buy something in good faith to
buy something honestly, in the course of
an honest transaction He bought the
car in good faith, not knowing that it had
been stolen.
goods goods /υdz/ plural noun items which
can be moved and are for sale goods
(held) in bond goods held by the customs
until duty has been paid
goods and chattels goods and chattels /υdz ən
tʃt(ə)lz/ plural noun movable property
goods train goods train /υdz tren/ noun a train
for carrying freight
good title good title /υd tat(ə)l/ noun a title
to a property which gives the owner full
rights of ownership
goodwill goodwill /υd|wl/ noun the good reputation
of a business and its contacts with
its customers, e.g. the name of the product
which it sells or its popular appeal to
customers She paid £10,000 for the
goodwill of the shop and £4,000 for the
stock.
COMMENT: Goodwill can include the
trading reputation, the patents, the
trade names used, the value of a ‘good
site’, etc., and is very difficult to establish
accurately. It is an intangible asset,
and so is not shown as an asset in
a company’s accounts, unless it figures
as part of the purchase price paid
when acquiring another company.
go to law go to law /əυ tə lɔ/ verb to start legal
proceedings about something We
went to law to try to regain our property.
government contractor government contractor
/ v(ə)nmənt kən|trktə/ noun a
company which supplies goods or services
to the government on contract
(NOTE: government can take a singular
or plural verb: The government have
decided to repeal the Act; The government
feels it is not time to make a statement.
Note also that the word government
is used, especially by officials,
without the article ‘the’: Government
has decided that the plan will be turned
down; The plan is funded by central
government.)
government-controlled government-controlled
/ v(ə)nmənt kən|trəυld/ noun ruled
by a government
government economic indicators government economic indicators
/ v(ə)nmənt ikənɒmk
ndketəz/ plural noun figures which
show how the country’s economy is going
to perform in the short or long term
government-regulated price government-regulated price
/ v(ə)nmənt rejυletd pras/
noun a price which is imposed by the
government
government stocks government stocks / v(ə)nmənt
stɒkz/ plural noun government securities
gown gown /aυn/ noun a long black item of
clothing worn by a lawyer, judge, etc.,
over normal clothes when appearing in
court. silk
grace grace /res/ noun a favour shown by
granting a delay to give a debtor a pe-
graduated pension scheme 136
riod of grace, two weeks’ grace to allow
a debtor two weeks to pay
pension scheme graduated pension scheme
/rduetd penʃən skim/ noun a
pension scheme where the benefit is calculated
as a percentage of the salary of
each person in the scheme
graft /rɑft/ noun the corruption of officials
(informal )
jury grand jury /rnd dυri/ noun US a
group of 12–24 jurors who meet before a
trial to decide if an indictment should be
issued to start criminal proceedings
larceny grand larceny /rnd lɑs(ə)ni/
noun US the theft of goods valued at
more than a specified price
grant /rɑnt/ noun 1. the act of giving
something to someone permanently or
temporarily by a written document,
where the object itself cannot be physically
transferred The government made
a grant of land to settlers. 2. money given
by the government, local authority or
other organisation to help pay for something
The institute has a government
grant to cover the cost of the development
programme. The local authority
has allocated grants towards the costs of
the scheme. Many charities give grants
for educational projects. verb to agree
to give someone something or allow
someone to do something to grant
someone permission to build a house or
to leave the country The local authority
granted the company an interest-free
loan to start up the new factory. He was
granted parole. The government granted
an amnesty to all political prisoners.
aided scheme grant-aided scheme /rɑnt edd
skim/ noun a scheme which is backed
by funds from the government
grantee /rɑn|ti/ noun somebody
who is assigned an interest in a property
or who receives a grant
in-aid grant-in-aid /rɑnt n ed/ noun
money given by central government to
local government to help pay for a
project
of letters of administration grant of letters of administration
/rɑnt əv letəz əv əd|mn|
streʃ(ə)n/ noun the giving of documents
to administrators to enable them to
administer the estate of a dead person
who has not made a will
grant of probate grant of probate /rɑnt əv
prəυbet/ noun an official document
proving that a will is genuine, given to
the executors so that they can act on the
terms of the will
grantor grantor /rɑn|tɔ/ noun a person who
assigns an interest in a property, especially
to a lender, or who makes a grant
grass grass /rɑs/ noun a criminal who
gives information to the police about other
criminals. supergrass verb to
grass on someone to give information to
the police about someone
grass roots grass roots /rɑs ruts/ noun the
ordinary members of society or of a political
party What is the grass-roots reaction
to the constitutional changes?
The party has considerable support at
grass-roots level. The Chairman has
no grass-root support.
grata grata persona non grata
gratia gratia ex gratia
gratis gratis /rɑts/ adverb not costing anything,
or without paying anything We
got into the exhibition gratis.
gratuitous gratuitous /rə|tjutəs/ adjective 1.
without justifiable cause scenes containing
gratuitous sex and violence 2.
without money being offered
gratuitous promise gratuitous promise /rə|tjutəs
prɒms/ noun a promise that cannot be
enforced because no money has been involved
Gray’s Inn Gray’s Inn /rez n/ noun one of the
four Inns of Court in London
Great Seal Great Seal /ret sil/ noun a seal
kept by the Lord Chancellor, used for
sealing important public documents on
behalf of the Queen
Green Book Green Book /rin bυk/ noun the
book of procedural rules of the County
Courts
green card green card /rin kɑd/ noun a registration
card for a non-US citizen going
to live permanently in the USA
green form green form /rin fɔm/ noun formerly,
the form upon which an application
for both legal advice and financial
assistance (legal aid) could be made
the green form scheme a scheme where
a solicitor will give advice to someone
137 guardian
free of charge or at a reduced rate, if the
client has filled in the green form
Green Paper Green Paper /rin pepə/ noun a
report from the British government on
proposals for a new law to be discussed
in Parliament
grievance grievance /riv(ə)ns/ noun a complaint
made by an employee to the employers
grievous bodily harm grievous bodily harm /rivəs
bɒdli hɑm/ noun the crime of causing
serious physical injury to someone.
Abbreviation GBH
gross gross /rəυs/ adjective 1. (of a sum of
money) without deductions 2. serious
gross earnings gross earnings /rəυs $nŋz/
noun total earnings before tax and other
deductions
gross indecency gross indecency /rəυs n|
dis(ə)nsi/ noun a crime entailing unlawful
sexual contact between men or
with a child, which falls short of full sexual
intercourse
gross negligence gross negligence /rəυs
neldəns/ noun the act showing very
serious neglect of duty towards other
people
gross receipts gross receipts /rəυs r|sits/ plural
noun total amount of money received before
expenses are deducted
gross weight gross weight /rəυs wet/ noun the
weight of both the container and its contents
ground landlord ground landlord /raυnd
lndlɔd/ noun a person or company
which owns the freehold of a property
which is then leased and subleased
ground lease ground lease /raυnd lis/ noun the
first lease on a freehold building
ground rent ground rent /raυnd rent/ noun rent
paid by a lessee to the ground landlord
grounds grounds /raυndz/ plural noun basic
reasons Does he have good grounds for
complaint? There are no grounds on
which we can be sued. What are the
grounds for the claim for damages?
(NOTE: can be used in the singular if
only one reason exists: The judge refused
the application on the ground that
he had discretion to remove the hearsay
evidence from the report.)
guarantee guarantee /rən|ti/ noun 1. a legal
document which promises that an item
purchased is of good quality and will
work properly certificate of guarantee
or guarantee certificate The guarantee
lasts for two years. The dishwasher is
sold with a two-year guarantee. the
car is still under guarantee the car is
still covered by the maker’s certificate of
guarantee 2. a promise made by someone
that they will do something such as pay
another person’s debts if the other person
fails to do it. Compare indemnity
(NOTE: In English law, a guarantee must
usually be in writing; the person making
a guarantee is secondarily liable if the
person who is primarily liable defaults.)
3. something given as a security to
leave share certificates as a guarantee
verb to give a promise that something
will happen to guarantee a debt to
promise that you will pay a debt incurred
by someone else if that person fails to
pay it to guarantee an associated
company to promise that an associate
company will pay its debts to guarantee
a bill of exchange to promise to pay
a bill the product is guaranteed for
twelve months the maker states that the
product will work well for twelve
months, and promises to mend it free of
charge if it breaks down within that period
guarantor /rən|tɔ/ noun somebody
who gives a guarantee to stand
guarantor for someone to promise to
pay someone’s debts
guaranty /r(ə)nti/ noun US same
as guarantee
guard /ɑd/ noun 1. somebody whose
job is to protect people or property
There were three guards on duty at the
door of the bank or three bank guards
were on duty. The prisoner was shot by
the guards as he tried to escape. 2. the
state of being protected by a guard The
prisoners were brought into the courtroom
under armed guard. verb to prevent
someone being harmed or from escaping
The building is guarded by a
fence and ten guard dogs. The prisoners
are guarded night and day.
guardian /ɑdiən/ noun an adult person
or an authority such as the High
Court appointed by law to act on behalf
guardian ad litem 138
of someone such as a child who cannot
act on his or her own behalf
guardian ad litem guardian ad litem /ɑdiən d
litəm/ noun somebody who acts on behalf
of a minor who is a defendant in a
court case
guardianship guardianship /ɑdiənʃp/ noun the
state of being a guardian
guardianship order guardianship order /ɑdiənʃp
ɔdə/ noun a court order appointing a
local authority to be the guardian of a
child
guerilla guerilla /ə|rlə/ noun an armed person
who is not a regular soldier who engages
in unofficial war The train was
attacked by guerillas. The appeal was
made by a guerilla radio station.
guidelines guidelines /adlanz/ plural noun
unofficial suggestions from the government
or some other body as to how
something should be done The government
has issued guidelines on increases
in wages and prices. The Law Society
has issued guidelines to its members on
dealing with rape cases. The Secretary
of State can issue guidelines for expenditure.
The Lord Justice said he was not
laying down guidelines for sentencing.
guillotine guillotine /lətin/ noun a machine
used in France for executing criminals by
cutting off their heads verb to execute
someone by cutting his or her head off
with a guillotine
guilt guilt /lt/ noun being guilty, the state
of having committed a crime or done
some other legal wrong he admitted
his guilt he admitted that he had committed
the crime
guilt by association guilt by association /lt ba ə|
səυsi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun the presumption
that a person is guilty because of his or
her connection with a guilty person
guilty guilty /lti/ adjective 1. finding after
a trial that a person has done something
which is against the law He was found
guilty of libel. The company was guilty
of evading the VAT regulations. to find
someone guilty, to return a verdict of
guilty, to return a guilty verdict (of a
judge or jury) to say at the end of the trial
that the accused is guilty 2. to plead
guilty (of an accused person) to say at
the beginning of a trial that you did commit
the crime of which you are accused
to plead not guilty to say at the beginning
of a trial that you did not commit the
crime of which you are accused The
accused pleaded not guilty to the charge
of murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser
charge of manslaughter.
gun gun / n/ noun a weapon used for
shooting The police are not allowed to
carry guns. They shouted to the robbers
to drop their guns.
gun court gun court / n kɔt/ noun a court
that hears only those cases that deal with
gun-related crimes
gun down gun down / n daυn/ verb to kill
someone with a gun He was gunned
down in the street outside his office.
(NOTE: gunned – gunning)
gunman gunman / nmən/ noun a man who
carries and uses a gun The security van
was held up by three gunmen.
gunpoint gunpoint / npɔnt/ noun at gunpoint
with a gun pointing at you He
was forced at gunpoint to open the safe.
gunshot gunshot / nʃɒt/ noun the result of
shooting with a gun He died of gunshot
wounds.
H
habeas corpus habeas corpus /hebiəs kɔpəs/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘may you
have the body’: legal remedy against being
wrongly imprisoned
habendum habendum /h|bendəm/ noun a section
of a conveyance which gives details
of how the property is to be assigned to
the purchaser, using the words ‘to hold’
habitual habitual /hə|btʃuəl/ adjective (of a
person) doing something frequently
habitual criminal, habitual offender
person who has been convicted of a similar
crime at least twice before habitual
drunkard somebody who drinks alcohol
so frequently that he or she is almost
always dangerous or incapable
habitual residence habitual residence /hə|btʃuəl
rezd(ə)ns/ noun 1. the fact of living
normally in a place 2. the place where
someone normally lives
Hague conventions Hague conventions /he kən|
venʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun international
agreements regarding the definition of
war, and the barring of the use of chemical
and biological weapons. Geneva
Convention
hallmark hallmark /hɔlmɑk/ noun a mark put
on gold or silver items to show that the
metal is of the correct quality verb to
put a hallmark on a piece of gold or silver
a hallmarked spoon
hand hand /hnd/ noun 1. by hand using
the hands, not a machine to send a letter
by hand to ask someone to carry and
deliver a letter personally, not sending it
through the post 2. in hand, on hand
US kept in reserve 3. goods left on
hand goods which have not been sold
and are left with the retailer or producer
4. out of hand immediately, without
taking time to think The justices dismissed
his evidence out of hand. 5. to
hand here, present I have the invoice
to hand I have the invoice in front of me
6. to change hands to be sold to a new
owner The shop changed hands for
£100,000.
handcuff handcuff /hndk f/ verb to put
handcuffs on someone
handcuffed handcuffed /hndk fd/ adjective
secured by handcuffs The accused appeared
in court handcuffed to two policemen.
handcuffs handcuffs /hndk fs/ plural noun
two metal rings chained together which
are locked round the wrists of someone
who is being arrested
hand down hand down /hnd daυn/ verb 1. to
pass property from one generation to another
The house has been handed down
from father to son since the 19th century.
2. to hand down a verdict to announce
a verdict
handgun handgun /hnd n/ noun a small
gun which is carried in the hand The
police found six handguns when they
searched the car.
handling handling /hndlŋ/ noun the management
of a situation or the movement
and transfer of goods handling stolen
goods the notifiable offence of receiving
or selling things which you know to have
been stolen
COMMENT: Handling stolen goods is a
more serious crime than theft, and the
penalty can be higher.
hand over hand over /hnd əυvə/ verb to pass
something to someone She handed
over the documents to the lawyer. he
handed over to his deputy he passed his
responsibilities to his deputy
hand up hand up /hnd p/ verb to pass to
someone who is in a higher place The
exhibit was handed up to the judge.
handwriting 140
handwriting handwriting /hndratŋ/ noun 1.
writing produced with a pen or pencil
and not with a machine send a letter of
application in your own handwriting
written by you with a pen, and not typed
2. a particular way of committing a crime
which identifies a criminal (slang)
handwriting expert handwriting expert /hndratŋ
eksp$t/ noun somebody who is able to
identify somebody by examining his or
her handwriting
hang hang /hŋ/ verb to execute someone by
hanging him or her by a rope round the
neck. hung (NOTE: hanging –
hanged. Note: not hung.)
hanging hanging /hŋŋ/ noun the act of executing
someone by hanging The hangings
took place in front of the prison.
hangman hangman /hŋmən/ noun a man who
executes criminals by hanging them
harass harass /hrəs, hə|rs/ verb to worry
or to bother someone, especially by continually
checking up on them
harassment harassment /hrəsmənt, hə|
rsmənt/ noun the action of harassing
someone He complained of police harassment
or of harassment by the police.
harassment restraining order harassment restraining order
/hrəsmənt r|strenŋ ɔdə/ noun
same as restraining order
harbour harbour /hɑbə/ verb to give shelter
and protection to a criminal
hard hard /hɑd/ adjective to drive a hard
bargain to be a difficult negotiator to
strike a hard bargain to agree a deal
where the terms are favourable to you
hard bargain hard bargain /hɑd bɑn/ noun a
bargain with difficult terms
hard cash hard cash /hɑd kʃ/ noun money
in notes and coins which is ready at hand
He paid out £100 in hard cash for the
chair.
hardened criminal hardened criminal /hɑdənd
krmn(ə)l/ noun a criminal who has
committed many crimes and who will
never go straight
hard labour hard labour /hɑd lebə/ noun formerly,
the punishment of sending someone
to prison to do hard manual labour
harmonise harmonise /hɑmənaz/, harmonize
verb (in the EU) to try to make things
such as tax rates or VAT rates the same in
all Member States
hawkish hawkish /hɔkʃ/ adjective acting like
a hawk The agreement will not satisfy
the more hawkish members of the Cabinet.
hazard hazard /hzəd/ noun a danger
H-block H-block /etʃ blɒk/ noun a building in
a prison built with a central section and
two end wings, forming the shape of the
letter H
headed paper headed paper /hedd pepə/ noun a
notepaper with the name and address of
the company printed on it
head lease head lease /hed lis/ noun the first
lease given by a freeholder to a tenant
head licence head licence /hed las(ə)ns/ noun
the first licence given by the owner of a
patent or copyright to someone who will
use it
headnote headnote /hednəυt/ noun a note at
the beginning of a law report, giving a
summary of the case
head of damage head of damage /hed əv dmd/
noun an item of damage in a pleading or
claim
head of department head of department /hed əv d|
pɑtmənt/ noun the person in charge of
a department
head of government head of government /hed əv
v(ə)nmənt/ noun the leader of a
country’s government
headquarters headquarters /hed|kwɔtəz/ plural
noun main office
heads of agreement heads of agreement /hedz əv ə|
rimənt/ noun a draft agreement containing
the most important points but not
all the details
Health and Safety at Work Act Health and Safety at Work Act
/helθ ən sefti ət w$k kt/ noun an
Act of Parliament which regulates what
employers must do to make sure that
their employees are kept healthy and safe
at work
hear hear /hə/ verb 1. to sense a sound with
the ears You can hear the printer in the
next office. The traffic makes so much
noise that I cannot hear my phone ringing.
2. to have a letter or a phone call
from someone We have not heard from
them for some time. We hope to hear
from the lawyers within a few days. 3. to
listen to the arguments in a court case
The judge heard the case in chambers.
The case will be heard next month. The
141 Her Majesty’s pleasure
court has heard the evidence for the defence.
4. hear! hear! words used in a
meeting to show that you agree with the
person speaking
hearing hearing /hərŋ/ noun 1. a case which
is being heard by a committee, tribunal
or court of law The hearing about the
planning application lasted ten days.
hearing in private court case which is
heard with no member of the public
present 2. the process of a case being
considered by an official body He
asked to be given a hearing by the full
council so that he could state his case.
hearsay evidence hearsay evidence /həse
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence by a witness
who has heard it from another source, but
did not witness the acts personally
COMMENT: Hearsay evidence may not
be given as much weight by the court
as direct witness evidence. If a party
intends to rely on hearsay evidence,
they must serve notice to that effect.
heavily heavily /hevli/ adverb he had to
borrow heavily to pay the fine he had to
borrow a lot of money
heavy heavy /hevi/ adjective severe or harsh
The looters were given heavy jail sentences.
She was sentenced to pay a
heavy fine. noun a strong man employed
to frighten people (slang)
heir heir /eə/ noun somebody who receives
or will receive property when someone
dies His heirs split the estate between
them.
heir apparent heir apparent /eər ə|prənt/ noun
an heir who will certainly inherit if a person
dies before him
heiress heiress /eəres/ noun a female heir
heirloom heirloom /eəlum/ noun a piece of
family property such as silver, a painting
or a jewel which has been handed down
for several generations The burglars
stole some family heirlooms.
heir presumptive heir presumptive /eə pr|z mptv/
noun an heir who will inherit if a person
dies at this moment, but whose inheritance
may be altered in the future
heirs, successors and assigns heirs, successors and assigns
/eəz sək sesəz ənd ə|sanz/ plural
noun people who have inherited property
and had it transferred to them
heist heist /hast/ noun a holdup (slang)
henceforth henceforth /hens|fɔθ/ adverb from
this time on Henceforth it will be more
difficult to avoid customs examinations.
here- here- /hə/ prefix this time, or this place
hereafter hereafter /hər|ɑftə/ adverb from
this time or point on
hereby hereby /hə|ba/ adverb in this way
We hereby revoke the agreement of January
1st 1982.
hereditament hereditament /her|dtəmənt/ noun
property, including land and buildings,
which can be inherited
hereditary hereditary /hə|redt(ə)ri/ adjective
passed from one member of a family to
another
hereditary office hereditary office /hə|redt(ə)ri
ɒfs/ noun an official position which is
inherited
herein herein /hər|n/ adverb in this document
the conditions stated herein see
the reference herein above
hereinafter hereinafter /hərn|ɑftə/ adverb
stated later in this document the conditions
hereinafter listed
hereof hereof /hər|ɒv/ adverb of this in
confirmation hereof we attach a bank
statement to confirm this we attach a
bank statement
hereto hereto /hə|tu/ adverb to this according
to the schedule of payments attached
hereto as witness hereto as a
witness of this fact the parties hereto
the parties to this agreement
heretofore heretofore /hətə|fɔ/ adverb previously
or earlier the parties heretofore
acting as trustees
hereunder hereunder /hər| ndə/ adverb under
this heading, or below this phrase see
the documents listed hereunder
herewith herewith /hə|wd/ adverb together
with this letter please find the cheque
enclosed herewith
Her Majesty’s government Her Majesty’s government /h$
mdəstiz v(ə)nmənt/ noun the
official title of the British government
Her Majesty’s pleasure Her Majesty’s pleasure /h$
mdəstiz pleə/ noun detention
at or during Her Majesty’s pleasure
imprisonment for an indefinite period,
until the Home Secretary decides that a
prisoner can be released
hidden asset 142
COMMENT: Used as a punishment for
people under a disability and children
who commit murder.
hidden asset hidden asset /hd(ə)n set/ noun
an asset which is valued in the company’s
accounts at much less than its true
market value
hidden reserves hidden reserves /hd(ə)n r|z$vz/
plural noun illegal reserves which are not
declared in the company’s balance sheet
High Court High Court /ha kɔt/, High Court of
Justice /ha kɔt əv d sts/ noun the
main civil court in England and Wales,
based on the six circuits
High Court of Justiciary High Court of Justiciary /ha kɔt
əv d |stʃiəri/ noun the supreme criminal
court of Scotland
high judicial office high judicial office /ha du|dʃ(ə)l
ɒfs/ noun an important position in the
legal system, e.g. Lord Chancellor, a
High Court judge, etc.
high office high office /ha ɒfs/ noun an important
position or job
high official high official /ha ə|fʃ(ə)l/ noun an
important person in a government department
high seas high seas /ha siz/ plural noun the
part of the sea which is further than three
miles or five kilometres from a coast, and
so is under international jurisdiction
(NOTE: usually used with ‘the’: an accident
on the high seas)
High Sheriff High Sheriff /ha ʃerf/ noun a senior
representative appointed by the government
in a county
high treason high treason /ha triz(ə)n/ noun a
formal way of referring to treason
highway highway /hawe/ noun a road or path
with a right of way which anyone may
use
COMMENT: The Highway Code is not itself
part of English law.
Highway Code Highway Code /hawe kəυd/ noun
the rules which govern the behaviour of
people and vehicles using roads
hijack hijack /hadk/ noun the act of taking
control by force of a plane, ship,
train, bus or lorry which is moving The
hijack was organised by a group of opponents
to the government. verb to take
control by force of a moving plane, ship,
train, bus or lorry, with passengers on
board The plane was hijacked by six
armed terrorists. The bandits hijacked
the lorry and killed the driver.
hijacker hijacker /hadkə/ noun somebody
who hijacks a vehicle
hijacking hijacking /hadkŋ/ noun the act
of taking control of a moving plane, ship,
train, bus or lorry by force The hijacking
took place just after the plane took
off. There have been six hijackings so
far this year.
Hilary Hilary /hləri/ noun 1. one of the four
sittings of the law courts 2. one of the
four law terms
hire purchase agreement hire purchase agreement /haə
p$tʃs ə|rimənt/ noun a contract to
pay for something by instalments
hire-purchase company hire-purchase company /haə
p$tʃs k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company
which provides money for hire purchase
(NOTE: The US term is installment
plan.)
hirer hirer /harə/ noun somebody who
hires something
hit and run hit and run /ht ən r n/ noun a situation
where a vehicle hits someone and
continues without stopping
hit man hit man /ht mn/ noun a person who
will kill someone for a fee (slang)
hoax hoax /həυks/ noun an action which is
designed to trick someone into believing
something hoax phone call call to inform
the police or fire service of a dangerous
situation which does not exist
hoc hoc ad hoc
hold hold /həυld/ verb 1. to keep someone in
custody The prisoners are being held
in the police station. Twenty people
were held in the police raid. She was
held for six days without being able to
see her lawyer. 2. to give as a formal decision
The court held that there was no
case to answer. The appeal judge held
that the defendant was not in breach of
his statutory duty. (NOTE: holding –
held)
holder holder /həυldə/ noun 1. somebody
who owns or keeps something the
holder of an insurance policy or a policy
holder She is a British passport holder
or she is the holder of a British passport.
2. the person to whom a cheque is made
payable and who has possession of it 3.
somebody who is holding a bill of ex-
143 homicidal
change or promissory note 4. something
which keeps or protects something
holder in due course holder in due course /həυldə n
dju kɔs/ noun somebody who takes a
bill, promissory note or cheque before it
becomes overdue or is dishonoured
holding holding /həυldŋ/ noun a ruling given
by a court of law, especially one that decides
a legal issue raised by a particular
case
holding charge holding charge /həυldŋ tʃɑd/
noun a minor charge brought against
someone so that he or she can be held in
custody while more serious charges are
being prepared
holding over holding over /həυldŋ əυvə/,
holdover US noun a situation where a
person who had a lease for a period continues
to occupy the property after the
end of the lease
hold out hold out /həυld aυt/ verb 1. to behave
in a way which misleads others he
held himself out as a director of the
company he behaved as if he were a director
of the company 2. to hold out
for to ask for something and refuse to act
until you get what you asked for He
held out for a 50% discount.
hold to hold to /həυld tu/ verb not to allow
something to change we will try to
hold him to the contract we will try to
make sure that he follows the terms of
the contract the government hopes to
hold wage increases to 5% the government
hopes that wage increases will not
be more than 5%
hold up hold up /həυld p/ verb 1. to go into
a bank, stop a lorry, etc., in order to steal
money Six gunmen held up the bank or
the security van. 2. to stay at a high level
Share prices have held up well. Sales
held up during the tourist season. 3. to
delay The shipment has been held up at
the customs. Payment will be held up
until the contract has been signed.
hold-up hold-up /həυld p/ noun 1. the act of
holding up a bank, etc. The gang committed
three armed hold-ups on the same
day. 2. a delay The traffic congestion
caused hold-ups for people on their way
to work.
holiday entitlement holiday entitlement /hɒlde n|
tat(ə)lmənt/ noun the number of days’
paid holiday which an employee has the
right to take
holiday pay holiday pay /hɒlde pe/ noun a salary
which is still paid during the holiday
holograph holograph /hɒlərɑf/ noun a document
written by hand
holographic will holographic will /hɒlərfk wl/
noun US same as holograph will
holograph will holograph will /hɒlərɑf wl/
noun a will, written out by hand, and not
necessarily witnessed
home court home court /həυm kɔt/ noun the
County Court for the district in which a
defendant lives or has his or her address
for service (NOTE: The US term is domestic
court.)
homeless person homeless person /həυmləs
p$s(ə)n/ noun a person with no fixed
accommodation, who is therefore eligible
for the provision of accommodation
by a local council
home market home market /həυm mɑkt/ noun
the market in the country where the selling
company is based
Home Office Home Office /həυm ɒfs/ noun British
government ministry dealing with internal
affairs including law and order, the
police and prisons
Home Office pathologist Home Office pathologist /həυm
ɒfs pə|θɒlədst/ noun an official
government pathologist employed by the
Home Office to examine corpses
Home Secretary Home Secretary /həυm
sekrət(ə)ri/ noun a member of the British
government, the minister in charge of
the Home Office, dealing with law and
order, the police and prisons
COMMENT: In most countries the government
department dealing with the
internal order of the country is called
the Ministry of the Interior, with a Minister
of the Interior in charge.
homestead /həυmsted/ noun US the
house and land where a family lives
COMMENT: A homestead cannot be the
subject of a sale by court order to satisfy
creditors.
trade home trade /həυm tred/ noun trade
in the country where a company is based
homicidal homicidal /hɒm|sad(ə)l/ adjective
(of a person) likely or wanting to commit
murder
homicide 144
homicide homicide /hɒmsad/ noun 1. the accidental
or illegal killing of a person
He was found guilty of homicide. The
homicide rate has doubled in the last ten
years. 2. murder
COMMENT: Homicide covers the
crimes of murder, manslaughter and
infanticide.
Homicide Squad Homicide Squad /hɒm|sad
skwɒd/ noun US a department of a police
force which deals with cases of murder
honest honest /ɒnst/ adjective not lying or
cheating to play the honest broker to
act for the parties in a negotiation to try
to help them agree to a solution
honestly honestly /ɒnstli/ adverb acting in an
open and truthful way
honesty honesty /ɒnsti/ noun the fact of being
open and truthful The court praised
the witness for her honesty in informing
the police of the crime.
honorarium honorarium /ɒnə|reəriəm/ noun a
sum of money paid to a professional person
such as an accountant or a lawyer
which is less than a full fee
honour honour /ɒnə/ verb to accept and pay a
cheque or bill of exchange (NOTE: The
US spelling is honor.) to honour a
debt to pay a debt because it is owed and
is correct to honour a signature to pay
something because the signature is correct
hoodlum hoodlum /hudləm/ noun US a gangster
hooligan hooligan /hulən/ noun somebody
who behaves violently in public The
police put up barriers to prevent the football
hooligans from damaging property.
hooliganism /hulənz(ə)m/ noun
violent behaviour football hooliganism
violent behaviour by football supporters
in connection with football
matches
hopper hopper /hɒpə/ noun US a box where
bills are put after being introduced in the
House of Representatives
horse-trading horse-trading /hɔs tredŋ/ noun
bargaining between groups of people to
obtain a general agreement for something
After a period of horse-trading,
the committee agreed on the election of a
member of one of the smaller parties as
Chairman.
hospital block hospital block /hɒspt(ə)l blɒk/
noun the section of a prison which contains
the hospital
hospital order hospital order /hɒspt(ə)l ɔdə/
noun a court order putting an insane offender
in hospital instead of in prison
hostage hostage /hɒstd/ noun a person captured
by an enemy or by criminals and
kept until a ransom is paid She was taken
hostage by the guerillas. The bandits
took away the bank manager and
kept him hostage. The terrorists released
three hostages.
hostage taker hostage taker /hɒstd tekə/ noun
somebody who takes someone hostage
Two of the hostage takers were killed in a
shootout with the security forces.
hostile hostile /hɒstal/ adjective not friendly
hostile witness hostile witness /hɒstal wtnəs/
noun a witness called by a party, whose
evidence goes unexpectedly against that
party, and who can then be cross-examined
by his own side as if he were giving
evidence for the other side She was
ruled a hostile witness by the judge.
hot hot /hɒt/ adjective stolen or illegal
(informal ) hot jewels a hot car
hotchpot hotchpot /hɒtʃpɒt/ noun the act of
bringing together into one fund money to
be distributed under a will
hotchpot rule hotchpot rule /hɒtʃpɒt rul/ noun
the rule that money passed to one child
during his or her lifetime by a deceased
person should be counted as part of the
total estate to be distributed to all the
children in the case where the person
died intestate
hot money hot money /hɒt m ni/ noun 1. money
which is moved from country to country
to get the best interest rates 2. stolen
money, or money which has been obtained
illegally
hot pursuit hot pursuit /hɒt pə|sjut/ noun the
right in international law to chase a ship
into international waters, or to chase suspected
criminals across an international
border into another country
house house /haυz/ noun one of the two parts
of the British Parliament (the House of
Commons and the House of Lords) The
145 hung jury
minister brought a matter to the attention
of the House.
house arrest house arrest /haυs ə|rest/ noun the
situation of being ordered by a court to
stay in your house and not to leave it
The opposition leader has been under
house arrest for six years.
housebreaker housebreaker /haυsbrekə/ noun
US a burglar, a person who breaks into
houses and steals things
housebreaking housebreaking /haυsbrekŋ/ noun
US burglary, entering a house and stealing
things
household effects household effects /haυshəυld |
fekts/ plural noun furniture and other
items used in a house, and moved with
the owner when he or she moves house
householder householder /haυshəυldə/ noun
somebody who occupies a private house
House of Commons House of Commons /haυs əv
kɒmənz/ noun 1. the lower house of the
British Parliament, made up of 659 elected
members 2. the lower house of a legislature
(as in Canada)
COMMENT: Members of the House of
Commons (called MPs) are elected for
five years, which is the maximum
length of a Parliament. Bills can be
presented in either the House of Commons
or House of Lords, and sent to
the other chamber for discussion and
amendment. All bills relating to revenue
must be introduced in the House
of Commons, and most other bills are
introduced there also.
House of Lords House of Lords /haυs əv lɔdz/
noun the non-elected upper house of Parliament
in the United Kingdom, made up
of life peers, some hereditary peers and
some bishops
COMMENT: The composition of the
House of Lords was changed by the
House of Lords act 1999; hereditary
peers no longer sit there by right, although
92 remain, elected by their own
party or crossbench (non-party)
groups, or as Deputy Speakers, Committee
Chairs, or to fill two hereditary
royal appointments, the Earl Marshal
and the Lord Great Chamberlain. As a
court, the decisions of the House of
Lords are binding on all other courts,
and the only appeal from the House of
Lords is to the European Court of Justice.
House of Representatives House of Representatives /haυs
əv repr|zentətvz/ noun 1. US the
lower house of the Congress of the United
States, made up of 435 elected members
2. the lower house of a legislature
(as in Australia)
COMMENT: The members of the House
of Representatives (called Congressmen)
are elected for two years. All bills
relating to revenue must originate in
the House of Representatives; otherwise
bills can be proposed in either the
House or the Senate and sent to the
other chamber for discussion and
amendment.
house property house property /haυs prɒpəti/
noun private houses, not shops, offices
or factories
human error human error /hjumən erə/ noun a
mistake made by a person, not by a machine
human rights human rights /hjumən rats/ plural
noun the rights of individual men and
women to basic freedoms such as freedom
of association, freedom of speech
COMMENT: The Human Rights Act
1998, in force since October 2000, incorporated
into UK law the European
Convention for the Protection of Human
Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms. The Convention rights may
now be relied on by litigants in the UK
without the need to take a case to the
European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg.
human rights act human rights act /hjumən rats
kt/ noun legislation introduced into
domestic law for the whole of the UK in
October 2000, in order to comply with
the obligations set out in European Convention
of Human Rights. The Act creates
a statutory duty that all laws, past or
present, must be interpreted in a way that
is compatible to the Convention.
humble address humble address /h mbəl ə|dres/
noun a formal communication from one
or both Houses of Parliament to the
Queen
hung hung /h ŋ/ adjective with no majority
hunger strike hunger strike /h ŋə strak/ noun a
protest, often by a prisoner, where the
person refuses to eat until his or her demands
have been met He went on hunger
strike until the prison authorities allowed
him to receive mail.
hung jury hung jury /h ŋ dυəri/ noun a jury
which cannot arrive at a unanimous or
majority verdict
hung parliament 146
hung parliament hung parliament /h ŋ pɑləmənt/
noun a parliament where no single party
has enough votes to form a government
hurdle hurdle /h$d(ə)l/ noun something
which prevents something happening
The defendant will have to overcome two
hurdles if his appeal is to be successful.
hush money hush money /h ʃ m ni/ noun money
paid to someone to stop him or her
talking (informal )
hustings hustings /h stŋz/ noun at the
hustings at a parliamentary election
COMMENT: The hustings were formerly
the booths where votes were taken, or
the platform on which candidates
stood to speak, but now the word is
used simply to mean ‘an election’.
Hybrid Bill Hybrid Bill /habrd bl/ noun a term
used to refer to a Public Bill which affects
the private interests of a particular
person or organisation
offence hybrid offence /habrd ə|fens/
noun an offence which can be tried either
by magistrates or by a judge and jury
hypothecation /ha|pɒθə|keʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. the use of property such as securities
as collateral for a loan, without
transferring legal ownership to the lender,
as opposed to a mortgage, where the
lender holds the title to the property 2.
the action of earmarking money derived
from specific sources for related expenditure,
e.g. investing the taxes from private
cars or petrol sales solely in public transport
question hypothetical question /hapə
θetk(ə)l kwestʃ(ə)n/ noun a question
about a possible rather than an actual situation
which is posed for discussion during
a decision-making process
I
ibid /bd/, ibidem adverb just the
same, or in the same place in a book
ICC abbreviation International Criminal
Court
id /d/, idem pronoun the same thing, or
the same person
ID abbreviation identity
identification /a|dentf|keʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of identifying someone or
something
parade identification parade /a|dentf|
keʃ(ə)n pə|red/ noun an arrangement
where a group of people including a suspect
stand in a line at a police station so
that a witness can point out the person
whom he or she recognises
identify /a|dent|fa/ verb to say who
someone is or what something is She
was able to identify her attacker. Passengers
were asked to identify their suitcases.
The dead man was identified by
his fingerprints.
Identikit /a|dentkt/ noun a trademark
for a method of making a picture of
a criminal from descriptions given by
witnesses, using pieces of photographs
and drawings of different types of faces
The police issued an identikit picture of
the mugger. (NOTE: Now replaced by
Photofit pictures.)
identity /a|dentti/ noun who someone
is he changed his identity he assumed
a different name, changed his appearance,
etc., (usually done to avoid being
recognised) he was asked for
proof of identity he was asked to prove
he really was the person he said he was
case of mistaken identity situation
where a person is wrongly thought to be
someone else
identity of parties identity of parties /a|dentti əv
pɑtiz/ noun a situation where the parties
in different actions are the same
identity parade identity parade /a|dentti pə|red/
noun same as identification parade
identity theft identity theft /a|dentti θeft/ noun
the theft of personal data such as the details
of someone’s credit card
ignorance ignorance /nərəns/ noun lack of
knowledge ignorance of the law is no
excuse the fact that someone does not
know that he or she has committed an offence
does not make the offence any the
less
ignorantia legis non excusat ignorantia legis non excusat, ignorantia
legis neminem excusat, ignorantia
legis haud excusat phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘ignorance of the
law is not an excuse for anyone’
ILEX ILEX abbreviation institute of legal executives
illegal illegal /|li(ə)l/ adjective not legal in
criminal law the illegal carrying of
arms Illegal immigrants are deported.
illegal contract illegal contract /|li(ə)l kɒntrkt/
noun a contract which cannot be enforced
in law, e.g. a contract to commit a
crime
illegal immigrant illegal immigrant /|li(ə)l
mrənt/ noun somebody who enters a
country to live permanently without having
the permission of the government to
do so
illegality illegality /li|lti/ noun the fact of
being illegal
illegitimacy illegitimacy /l|dtməsi/ noun the
state of being illegitimate
illegitimate illegitimate /l|dtmət/ adjective
1. against the law 2. born to parents who
are not married to each other
illicit 148
COMMENT: Children who are illegitimate
can nevertheless inherit from
their parents.
illicit illicit /|lst/ adjective not allowed by
the law or by other rules illicit sale of
alcohol trade in illicit alcohol
ILO abbreviation International Labour
Organization
IMF abbreviation International Monetary
Fund
imitation /m|teʃ(ə)n/ noun something
which copies another beware of
imitations be careful not to buy low
quality goods which are made to look
like other more expensive items
immaterial immaterial /mə|təriəl/ adjective
not relevant or important immaterial
evidence evidence that is not relevant to
a particular case
immemorial /mə|mɔriəl/ adjective
so old it cannot be remembered from
time immemorial for so long that no one
can remember when it started Villagers
said that there had been a footpath
across the field from time immemorial.
existence immemorial existence
/məmɔriəl |zstəns/ noun the period
before 1189, the date from which
events are supposed to be remembered.
legal memory
immigrant immigrant /mrənt/ noun somebody
who moves to this country to live
permanently
immigrate /mret/ verb to move to
this country to live permanently. Compare
emigrate
immigration immigration /m|reʃ(ə)n/ noun an
act of moving into a country to live permanently
Laws Immigration Laws /m|reʃ(ə)n
lɔz/ plural noun legislation regarding
immigration into a country
immigration officer immigration officer /m|reʃ(ə)n
ɒfsə/ noun an official at an airport or
port, whose job is to check the passports
and visas of people entering the country
earnings immoral earnings /|mɒrəl $nŋz/
plural noun money earned from prostitution
immovable immovable /|muvəb(ə)l/ adjective
being unable to be moved
immovable property immovable property /|muvəb(ə)l
prɒpəti/ noun houses and other buildings
on land, as well as land itself
immunity immunity /|mjunti/ noun protection
from arrest or prosecution when
he offered to give information to the
police, he was granted immunity from
prosecution he was told he would not be
prosecuted
COMMENT: Immunity from prosecution
is also granted to magistrates, counsel
and witnesses as regards their statements
in judicial proceedings. Families
and servants of diplomats may be covered
by diplomatic immunity. In the
USA, immunity is the protection of
members of Congress against being
sued for libel or slander for statements
made on the floor of the House (in the
UK this is called privilege).
impanel impanel verb US same as empanel
impartial impartial /m|pɑʃ(ə)l/ adjective not
biased or prejudiced to give someone a
fair and impartial hearing A judgment
must be impartial.
impartiality impartiality /m|pɑʃi|lti/ noun the
state of being impartial The newspapers
doubted the impartiality of the
judge.
impartially impartially /m|pɑʃ(ə)li/ adverb not
showing any bias or favour towards
someone The adjudicator has to decide
impartially between the two parties.
impeach impeach /m|pitʃ/ verb 1. formerly,
to charge a person with treason before
Parliament 2. US to charge a head of
state with treason 3. US to charge any
government official with misconduct 4.
US to discredit a witness
impeachment impeachment /m|pitʃmənt/ noun
1. US a charge of treason brought against
a head of state 2. in the USA, a charge of
misconduct against any public official
impersonate impersonate /m|p$sənet/ verb to
pretend to be someone else He gained
entrance to the house by impersonating a
local authority inspector.
impersonation impersonation /m|p$sə|neʃ(ə)n/
noun the activity of pretending to be
someone else in order to deceive people
He was charged with impersonation of
a police officer.
impleader impleader /m|plidə/ noun US a procedure
to join a third party to an original
action, undertaken either by the plaintiff
149 imprisonment
or the defendant (NOTE: The British
equivalent is third party proceedings.)
implication implication /mpl|keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the possible effect of an action What
will the implications of this decision be?
2. an involvement with a crime or something
that is morally wrong The newspaper
revealed his implication in the affair
of the stolen diamonds. 3. a suggestion
that something such as a criticism or
accusation is true although it has not
been expressed directly I resent the implication
that I knew anything about the
report in advance.
implicit implicit /m|plst/ adjective implied
rather than clearly stated
implied implied /m|plad/ adjective being presumed
to exist or which can be established
by circumstantial evidence
implied contract implied contract /m|plad kən|
trkt/ noun an agreement which is
considered to be a contract, because the
parties intended it to be a contract or because
the law considers it to be a contract
implied malice implied malice /m|plad mls/
noun the intention to commit grievous
bodily harm on someone
implied term implied term /m|plad t$m/ noun a
term in a contract which is not clearly set
out in the contract. Compare express
term
implied terms and conditions implied terms and conditions /m|
plad t$mz ən kən|dʃ(ə)nz/ plural
noun terms and conditions which are not
written in a contract, but which are legally
taken to be present in the contract
implied trust implied trust /m|plad tr st/ noun
a trust which is implied by the intentions
and actions of the parties
imply imply /m|pla/ verb to suggest that
something may be true without stating it
clearly Counsel implied that the witness
had not in fact seen the accident
take place. Do you wish to imply that
the police acted improperly?
import licence import licence /mpɔt las(ə)ns/
noun a permit which allows a company
to bring a particular type of product into
a country
import permit import permit /mpɔt p$mt/
noun an official document which allows
goods to be imported
import quota import quota /mpɔt kwəυtə/
noun a fixed quantity of a particular type
of goods which the government allows to
be imported The government has imposed
a quota on the import of cars.
The quota on imported cars has been lifted.
import surcharge import surcharge /mpɔt
s$tʃɑd/ noun an extra charge on imported
goods
import trade import trade /mpɔt tred/ noun the
business of buying from other countries
importune importune /mpə|tjun/ verb (of
prostitutes looking for clients, or of men
looking for prostitutes) to ask someone
to have sexual relations
importuning importuning /mpə|tjunŋ/ noun
the crime of asking someone to have sexual
relations with you, usually for money
impose impose /m|pəυz/ verb 1. to ask someone
to pay a fine to impose a tax on bicycles
The court imposed a fine of
£100. They tried to impose a ban on
smoking. 2. to put a tax or a duty on
goods The government imposed a special
duty on oil. The customs have imposed
a 10% tax increase on electrical
items.
imposition imposition /mpə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun the
introduction of something such as a rule
or tax
impossibility of performance impossibility of performance /m|
pɒsəblti əv pə|fɔməns/ noun a situation
where a party to a contract is unable
to perform his or her part of the contract
impound impound /m|paυnd/ verb to take
something away and keep it until a tax is
paid or until documents are checked to
see if they are correct The customs impounded
the whole cargo.
impounding impounding /m|paυndŋ/ noun the
act of taking something and keeping it
imprison imprison /m|prz(ə)n/ verb to put
someone in prison He was imprisoned
by the secret police for six months.
imprisonment imprisonment /m|prz(ə)nmənt/
noun the punishment of being put in
prison The penalty for the first offence
is a fine of £200 or six weeks’ imprisonment.
a term of imprisonment time
which a prisoner has to spend in prison
improper 150
He was sentenced to the maximum term
of imprisonment.
COMMENT: Life imprisonment is a term
of many years, but in the UK not necessarily
for the rest of the prisoner’s
life.
improper improper /m|prɒpə/ adjective not
correct, not as it should be
improperly improperly /m|prɒpəli/ adverb not
correctly The police constable’s report
was improperly made out. She was accused
of acting improperly in going to
see the prisoner’s father.
impunity impunity /m|pjunti/ noun with
impunity without punishment No one
can flout the law with impunity.
imputation imputation /mpju|teʃ(ə)n/ noun a
suggestion that someone has done something
wrong
imputation of malice imputation of malice
/mpjuteʃ(ə)n əv mls/ noun the
suggestion that someone acted out of
malice
impute impute /m|pjut/ verb to suggest to
impute a motive to someone to suggest
that someone had a motive in acting as he
did
in absentia in absentia /n b|senʃə/ adverb in
someone’s absence She was tried and
sentenced to death in absentia.
inadmissible inadmissible /nəd|msb(ə)l/ adjective
not able to be used in court as evidence
inalienable inalienable /n|eliənəb(ə)l/ adjective
referring to a right which cannot be taken
away from a person or transferred to
someone else
inapplicable inapplicable /nə|plkəb(ə)l/ adjective
being unable to be applied The
government argued that the national legislation
had not been applied and was inapplicable
in this case.
Inc Inc abbreviation incorporated
in camera in camera /n km(ə)rə/ adverb with
no members of the public permitted to be
present The case was heard in camera.
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has been replaced by in private.)
incapable incapable /n|kepəb(ə)l/ adjective
not able He was incapable of fulfilling
the terms of the contract. A child is
considered legally incapable of committing
a crime.
incapacity incapacity /nkə|psti/ noun the
state of not being legally able to do
something The court had to act because
of the incapacity of the trustees.
incarcerate incarcerate /n|kɑsəret/ verb to put
in prison He was incarcerated in a
stone tower.
incarceration incarceration /n|kɑsə|reʃ(ə)n/
noun an act of putting a criminal in prison
inception inception /n|sepʃən/ noun a beginning
Some people believe that subsidiarity
has existed in the Community ever
since its inception.
incest incest /nsest/ noun a notifiable offence
of having sexual intercourse with a
close relative such as a daughter, son,
mother or father
in chambers in chambers /n tʃembəz/ adverb
in the office of a judge and not in a courtroom
The judge heard the application
in chambers.
inchoate inchoate /n|kəυət/ adjective just beginning
to form but not complete
inchoate instrument inchoate instrument /n|kəυət
nstrυmənt/ noun a document which is
not complete
inchoate offences inchoate offences /n|kəυət ə|
fenss/ plural noun offences such as incitement,
attempt or conspiracy to commit
a crime even though the crime itself
may not have been committed
incidence incidence /nsd(ə)ns/ noun how often
something happens The incidence
of cases of rape has increased over the
last years. A high incidence of accidents
relating to drunken drivers.
incident incident /nsd(ə)nt/ noun something
which happens at a particular time, e.g. a
crime, accident or violent event Three
incidents were reported when police vehicles
were attacked by a crowd. adjective
incident to something depending
on something else
incidental incidental /ns|dent(ə)l/ adjective
not important
incidental expenses incidental expenses /nsdent(ə)l
k|spensz/ plural noun small amounts
of money spent on different things at various
times in connection with an activity
151 incumbrance
an allowance for travel, meals and incidental
expenses
incident room incident room /nsd(ə)nt rum/
noun a special room in a police station to
deal with a particular crime or accident
incident tape incident tape /nsd(ə)nt tep/ noun
wide yellow and black tape that is used to
isolate an area and keep people away
from a crime scene (NOTE: The US term
is crime scene tape.)
incite incite /n|sat/ verb to encourage, persuade
or advise someone to commit a
crime
incitement incitement /n|satmənt/ noun the
crime of encouraging, persuading or advising
someone to commit a crime
COMMENT: It is not necessary for a
crime to have been committed for incitement
to be proved.
incitement to racial hatred incitement to racial hatred /n|
satmənt tə reʃ(ə)l hetrd/ noun
the offence of encouraging people by
words, actions or writing to attack others
because of their race
inciter inciter /n|satə/ noun somebody who
incites someone to commit a crime
income income /nk m/ noun money that a
person receives as salary, dividend or interest
income from rents money received
from allowing other people to use
property such as offices, houses or land
that you own
income bracket income bracket /nk m brkt/
noun a range between two amounts of
income, to which a specific tax percentage
applies People in the lowest income
bracket pay the lowest rate of tax.
income support income support /nk m sə|pɔt/
noun financial help given by the state to
families with low incomes. An individual
must not work more than sixteen hours
a week in order to qualify.
income tax income tax /nk m tks/ noun a tax
on salaries and wages, calculated at different
rates according to how much you
earn
incompetency incompetency /n|kɒmpt(ə)nsi/
noun the state of not being legally competent
to do something
incompetent incompetent /n|kɒmpt(ə)nt/ adjective
1. unable to carry out duties to the
required standard The sales manager is
quite incompetent. The company has
an incompetent sales director. 2. not legally
able to do something He is incompetent
to sign the contract.
incorporate /n|kɔpə|ret/ verb 1. to
bring something in to be part of something
else, e.g. to make a document part
of another document Income from the
1998 acquisition is incorporated into the
accounts. The list of markets is incorporated
into the main contract. 2. to
form a registered company a company
incorporated in the USA an incorporated
company J. Doe Incorporated
incorporation /n|kɔpə|reʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of incorporating a company
incorporeal /nkɔ|pɔriəl/ adjective
not having physical form, so being unable
to be touched
chattels incorporeal chattels /nkɔpɔriəl
tʃt(ə)lz/ plural noun items such as
patents and copyrights which have intellectual
rather than physical existence
hereditaments incorporeal hereditaments
/nkɔpɔriəl her|dtəmənts/ plural
noun rights such as patents or copyrights
which can form part of an estate and be
inherited
incorrigible incorrigible /n|kɒrdb(ə)l/ adjective
having bad behaviour and unwilling
to change it
incriminate /n|krmnet/ verb to
show that a person has committed a
criminal act He was incriminated by
the recorded message he sent to the victim.
incriminating incriminating /n|krmnetŋ/ adjective
which shows that someone has
committed a crime Incriminating evidence
was found in his car.
incumbent incumbent /n|k mbənt/ adjective
it is incumbent upon him he has to do
this, because it is his duty It is incumbent
on us to check our facts before making
an accusation. It is incumbent upon
justices to give some warning of their
doubts about a case. noun somebody
who holds an official position There
will be no changes in the governor’s staff
while the present incumbent is still in office.
incumbrance /n|k mbrəns/ noun
same as encumbrance
incur 152
incur incur /n|k$/ verb to make yourself liable
to to incur the risk of a penalty
to make it possible that you risk paying a
penalty to incur debts, costs to do
something which means that you owe
money, that you will have to pay costs
the company has incurred heavy costs
to implement the development programme
the company has had to pay
large sums of money
incuriam incuriam per incuriam
indebted indebted /n|detd/ adjective owing
money to someone to be indebted to a
property company
indebtedness indebtedness /n|detdnəs/ noun
the amount of money owed by someone
indecency indecency /n|dis(ə)nsi/ noun the
state of being offensive and shocking to
most people to commit an act of gross
indecency (of a man) to have unlawful
sexual contact with another man or with
a child
indecent indecent /n|dis(ə)nt/ adjective 1. offensive
and shocking to most people, especially
in relation to sexual matters 2.
not polite and considerate indecent
haste unsuitably fast action They accepted
the suggestion of compensation
with indecent haste.
indecent assault indecent assault /n|disənt ə|sɔlt/
noun the crime of assaulting a person together
with an indecent act or proposal
indecent exposure indecent exposure /n|dis(ə)nt k|
spəυə/ noun an offence where a male
person shows his sexual organs in a public
place
indefeasible right indefeasible right /ndfizb(ə)l
rat/ noun a right which cannot be made
void
indemnification indemnification /ndemnf|keʃən/
noun payment for damage
indemnify indemnify /n|demnfa/ verb to pay
for damage suffered to indemnify
someone for a loss
indemnity indemnity /n|demnti/ noun 1. compensation
for a loss or a wrong 2. a statement
of liability to pay compensation for
a loss or for a wrong in a transaction to
which you are a party She had to pay
an indemnity of £100. Compare guarantee.
letter of indemnity (NOTE: The
person making an indemnity is primarily
liable and can be sued by the person
with whom he makes the transaction.)
3. (in civil cases) the right of someone to
recover from a third party the amount
which is liable to be paid
indenture indenture /n|dentʃə/ noun a deed
made between two or more parties verb
to contract with a trainee who will work
for some years to learn a trade He was
indentured to a builder.
indentures indentures /n|dentʃəz/ noun a contract
by which a trainee craftsman works
for a master for some years to learn a
trade
independence independence /nd|pendəns/ noun
freedom from the rule, control or influence
of others The colony struggled to
achieve independence. Britain granted
her colonies independence in the years
after the Second World War. An independence
movement grew in the colony.
independent independent /nd|pendənt/ adjective
not controlled by anyone else
independent rights independent rights /nd|pendənt
rats/ plural noun rights of employed
people, students, retired people and people
with private incomes, to enter, live
and work in a EU country
indict indict /n|dat/ verb to charge someone
with a crime She was indicted for murder.
indictable offence indictable offence /n|datəb(ə)l ə|
fens/ noun formerly, a serious offence
which could be tried in the Crown Court
(NOTE: Now called notifiable offence.)
indictment indictment /n|datmənt/ noun a
written statement of the details of the
crime with which someone is charged in
the Crown Court The clerk to the justices
read out the indictment.
indirect discrimination indirect discrimination /ndarekt
sekjυəl ds|krm|neʃ(ə)n/ noun discrimination
caused by the application of
an abstract principle, where the result is
that people of different sexes are treated
differently
indirect sexual discrimination indirect sexual discrimination
/ndarekt sekjυəl ds|krm|
neʃ(ə)n/ noun an instance of sexual
discrimination that is covert, where employment
conditions are such that it
would be difficult for one sex to fulfil
them An example would be where promotion
is based on continuous employ-
153 in flagrante delicto
ment, meaning that a woman taking maternity
leave be less likely to get promoted
than a man where all else is equal.
direct sexual discrimination
individual exemption individual exemption
/ndvduəl |zempʃ(ə)n/ noun an
exemption granted to a person or small
business, exempting them from specific
obligations
retirement account individual retirement account
/ndvduəl r|taəmənt ə|kaυnt/
noun US a privately managed pension
plan, to which individuals can make contributions
which are separate from a
company pension plan. Abbreviation
IRA (NOTE: The British equivalent is a
personal pension plan.)
indorse /n|dɔs/ verb to write something
on the back of a document, especially
to note details of a claimant’s
claim on a writ The writ was indorsed
with details of the claimant’s claim. he
indorsed the cheque over to his solicitor
he signed the cheque on the back so
as to make it payable to his solicitor
indorsement /n|dɔsmənt/ noun the
act of writing notes on a document, especially
writing the details of a claimant’s
claim on a writ
induce induce /n|djus/ verb to help persuade
someone to do something He was induced
to steal the plans by an offer of a
large amount of money.
inducement inducement /n|djusmənt/ noun
something which helps to persuade
someone to do something They offered
him a company car as an inducement to
stay.
to break contract inducement to break contract /n|
djusmənt tə brek kɒntrkt/ noun
the tort of persuading someone to break
a contract he or she has entered into
industrial /n|d striəl/ adjective relating
to work
accident industrial accident /n|d striəl
ksd(ə)nt/ noun an accident which
takes place at work
arbitration tribunal industrial arbitration tribunal /n|
d striəl ɑb|treʃ(ə)n tra|bjun(ə)l/
noun a court which decides in industrial
disputes to accept the ruling of the arbitration
board
industrial development industrial development /n|
d striəl d|veləpmənt/ noun the planning
and building of new industries in
special areas
industrial disputes industrial disputes /n|d striəl d|
spjut/ plural noun arguments between
management and workers
industrial espionage industrial espionage /n|d striəl
espiənɑ/ noun the activity of trying to
find out the secrets of a competitor’s
work or products, usually by illegal
means
industrial estate industrial estate /n|d striəl |stet/
noun an area of land near a town specially
for factories and warehouses
industrial injuries industrial injuries /n|d striəl
ndəriz/ plural noun injuries caused to
employees at work
industrial property industrial property /n|d striəl
prɒpəti/ noun an item with intellectual
rather than physical existence such as a
patent, trademark or company name
which is owned by a company
industrial relations industrial relations /n|d striəl r|
leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun relations between
management and workers
industrial tribunal industrial tribunal /n|d striəl tra|
bjun(ə)l/ noun same as employment
tribunal
in esse in esse /n ese/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘in being’
infant infant /nfənt/ noun a person aged less
than eighteen years. Under this age a person
cannot make legal decisions for
themselves. (NOTE: This is an old term,
now replaced by minor.)
infanticide infanticide /n|fntsad/ noun the
notifiable offence of killing a child, especially
the killing of a child by its mother
before it is 12 months old
infer infer /n|f$/ verb to reach an opinion
about something He inferred from the
letter that the accused knew the murder
victim. Counsel inferred that the witness
had not been present at the time of
the accident.
inferior court inferior court /n|fəriə kɔt/ noun a
lower court such as a magistrates’ court
or County Court
in flagrante delicto in flagrante delicto /n flə|rnti d|
lktəυ/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘(caught) in the act of committing a
crime’
influence peddling 154
peddling influence peddling /nfluəns
pedlŋ/ noun the act of offering to use
personal influence, especially political
power, for payment in order to help a
person or group achieve something
inform /n|fɔm/ verb 1. to tell someone
officially I regret to inform you that
your tender was not acceptable. We are
pleased to inform you that your offer has
been accepted. We have been informed
by the Department of Trade that new tariffs
are coming into force. 2. to inform
on someone to tell the police that someone
has committed a crime
informant /n|fɔmənt/ noun a person
who gives information to someone secretly
Is your informant reliable?
forma pauperis in forma pauperis /n fɔmə
pɔpərs/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘as a poor person’
COMMENT: A term formerly used to allow
a person who could prove that he
had little money to bring an action
even if he could not pay the costs of
the case; now replaced by Legal Aid.
information /nfə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the details which explain something to
disclose a piece of information to answer
a request for information Have
you any information on or about deposit
accounts? I enclose this leaflet for your
information. For further information,
please write to Department 27. disclosure
of confidential information telling
someone information which should be
secret 2. the details of a crime drawn up
by the clerk and given to a magistrate
laying (an) information starting criminal
proceedings in a magistrates’ court
by informing the magistrate of the offence
bureau information bureau /nfə|meʃ(ə)n
bjυərəυ/ noun an office where someone
can answer questions from members
of the public
officer information officer /nfə|meʃ(ə)n
ɒfsə/ noun 1. a person whose job is to
give information about a company, an organisation
or a government department
to the public 2. a person whose job is to
give information to other departments in
the same organization
informed informed /n|fɔmd/ adjective having
the latest information Informed opinion
thinks that she will lose the appeal.
informed consent informed consent /n|fɔmd kən|
sent/ noun an agreement that an operation
can be carried out which is given by
a patient or the guardians of a patient after
they have been given all the information
they need to make the decision
informer informer /n|fɔmə/ noun somebody
who gives information to the police
about a crime or about criminals
infringe infringe /n|frnd/ verb to break a law
or a right to infringe a copyright to
copy a copyright text illegally to infringe
a patent to make a product which
works in the same way as a patented
product and not pay a royalty to the patent
holder
infringement infringement /n|frndmənt/ noun
an act of breaking a law or a right
infringement of copyright infringement of copyright /n|
frndmənt əv kɒprat/ noun the act
of illegally copying a work without proper
permission or the consent of the copyright
owner
infringement of patent infringement of patent /n|
frndmənt əv petənt/ noun the act
of illegally using, making or selling an
invention which is patented without the
permission of the patent holder
infringer infringer /n|frndə/ noun a person
who infringes a right such as a copyright
a copyright infringer
infringing goods infringing goods /n|frndŋ
υdz/ plural noun goods which are
made in infringement of a copyright or
patent
inherit inherit /n|hert/ verb to acquire something
from a person who has died When
her father died she inherited the shop.
He inherited £10,000 from his grandfather.
inheritance inheritance /n|hert(ə)ns/ noun
property which is received by someone
from a person who has died
inheritor inheritor /n|hertə/ noun somebody
who receives something from somebody
who has died
iniquity iniquity /n|kwti/ noun doing wrong
initial initial /|nʃ(ə)l/ adjective happening at
the beginning of something verb to
write your initials on a document to show
155 inquiry
you have read it and approved to initial
an amendment to a contract Please initial
the agreement at the place marked
with an X.
initial capital initial capital /|nʃ(ə)l kpt(ə)l/
noun capital which is used to start a business
He started the business with an initial
expenditure or initial investment of
£500.
initials initials /|nʃ(ə)lz/ plural noun first letters
of the words in a name What do the
initials QC stand for? The chairman
wrote his initials by each alteration in
the contract he was signing.
initio initio ab initio
injunction injunction /n|d ŋkʃ(ə)n/ noun a
court order telling someone to stop doing
something, or not to do something He
got an injunction preventing the company
from selling his car. The company
applied for an injunction to stop their
competitor from marketing a similar
product. interlocutory injunction,
temporary injunction injunction which
is granted until a case comes to court
injure injure /ndə/ verb to hurt someone
Two employees were injured in the fire.
injured party injured party /ndəd pɑti/ noun a
party in a court case which has been
harmed by another party
injurious injurious /n|dυəriəs/ adjective being
capable of causing injury
injurious falsehood injurious falsehood /n|dυəriəs
fɔlshυd/ noun a tort of making a
wrong statement about someone so as to
harm their reputation, usually in relation
to their business or property
injury injury /ndəri/ noun 1. violation of a
person’s rights 2. hurt caused to a person
injury benefit injury benefit /ndəri benft/
noun money paid to an employee who
has been hurt at work
injustice injustice /n|d sts/ noun the lack of
justice
inland freight charges inland freight charges /nlənd
fret tʃɑdz/ plural noun charges for
carrying goods from one part of the
country to another
Inland Revenue Inland Revenue /nlənd revənju/
noun the British government department
dealing with income tax
in loco parentis in loco parentis /n ləυkəυ pə|
rents/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘in the place of a parent’ The court is
acting in loco parentis.
Inner Temple Inner Temple /nə temp(ə)l/ Inns
of Court
innocence innocence /nəs(ə)ns/ noun the state
of being innocent He tried to establish
his innocence.
innocent innocent /nəs(ə)nt/ adjective not
guilty of a crime The accused was
found to be innocent. In English law,
the accused is presumed to be innocent
until he is proved to be guilty.
Inns of Court Inns of Court /nz əv kɔt/ plural
noun four societies in London, of which
the members are lawyers and are called
to the bar as barristers
innuendo innuendo /nju|endəυ/ noun spoken
words which are defamatory because
they have a double meaning An apparently
innocent statement may be defamatory
if it contains an innuendo.
in personam in personam /n p$|səυnm/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘against
a person’ action in personam court
case in which one party claims that the
other should do some act or should pay
damages. in rem
in private in private /n pravət/ adverb 1. with
no members of the public permitted to be
present The case was heard in private.
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced in camera or in
chambers.) 2. away from other people
(general meaning) He asked to see the
managing director in private.
input tax input tax /npυt tks/ noun VAT
paid on goods or services bought
inquest inquest /ŋkwest/ noun an inquiry by
a coroner into a death
COMMENT: An inquest has to take
place where death is violent or unexpected,
where death could be murder
or manslaughter, where a prisoner
dies and when police are involved.
inquire inquire /n|kwaə/, enquire verb 1. to
ask questions about something The police
are inquiring into his background.
2. to conduct an official investigation
into something
inquiry inquiry /n|kwaəri/, enquiry noun a
question about something The police
are making inquiries into the whereabouts
of the stolen car. to help police
inquisitorial procedure 156
with their inquiries to be taken to the
police station for questioning
COMMENT: If the police want someone
to help them with their inquiries and he
refuses, they can arrest him and force
him to go to the police station. Anyone
who helps the police with their inquiries
voluntarily has the right to leave the
police station when he wants (unless
the police arrest him).
inquisitorial procedure inquisitorial procedure /n|
kwztɔriəl prə|sidə/ noun in countries
where Roman law is applied, a procedure
by which an examining magistrate
has the duty to investigate a case
and produce the evidence. Compare accusatorial
procedure
inquorate inquorate /n|kwɔret/ adjective
without a quorum, i.e. without the minimum
number of people present who are
required to make the transaction legal
The meeting was declared inquorate and
had to be abandoned.
in re in re /n re/ phrase a Latin phrase
meaning ‘concerning’ or ‘in the case of’
in rem in rem /n rem/ phrase a Latin phrase
meaning ‘against a thing’ action in
rem court case in which one party claims
property or goods in the possession of
the other. in personam
insane insane /n|sen/ adjective suffering
from a state of mind which makes it impossible
for a person to know that they
are doing wrong and so cannot be held
responsible for their actions
insanity insanity /n|snti/ noun the state of
being insane
COMMENT: Where an accused is found
to be insane, a verdict of ‘not guilty by
reason of insanity’ is returned and the
accused is ordered to be detained at
Her Majesty’s pleasure.
inside inside /n|sad/ adjective known or
carried out by people who belong to a
particular group or organisation inside
information or knowledge special
knowledge about something because of
working for an organisation or being part
of a particular group adjective, adverb
in prison (slang) He spent six months
inside in 1996.
inside job inside job /n|sad dɒb/ noun a
crime which has been committed on a
company’s property by one of the employees
of the company
insider insider /n|sadə/ noun a person who
works in an organisation and therefore
knows its secrets
insider dealing insider dealing /n|sadə dilŋ/
noun the illegal buying or selling of
shares by staff of a company or other persons
who have secret information about
the company’s plans
inside story inside story /nsad stɔri/ noun
special knowledge about how an organisation
or group works John used to
work for them so he can give us the inside
story.
inside worker inside worker /nsad w$kə/ noun
a worker who works in an office or factory
and does not work outside or travel
about
insolvency insolvency /n|sɒlvənsi/ noun the
state of not being able to pay debts the
company was in a state of insolvency it
could not pay its debts
insolvent insolvent /n|sɒlvənt/ adjective not
able to pay debts The company was declared
insolvent. (NOTE: insolvent and
insolvency are general terms, but are
usually applied to companies; individuals
or partners are usually described as
bankrupt once they have been declared
so by a court.)
inspect inspect /n|spekt/ verb to examine in
detail to inspect a machine or a prison
to inspect the accounts of a company
to inspect products for defects to look
at products in detail to see if they have
any defects
inspection inspection /n|spekʃən/ noun 1. a
close examination of something, e.g. the
examination of the site of a crime by a
judge and jury to make an inspection or
to carry out an inspection of a machine
or a new prison inspection of a product
for defects to carry out a tour of inspection
to visit various places, offices
or factories to inspect them to issue an
inspection order to order a defendant to
allow a claimant to inspect documents,
where the claimant thinks the defendant
has not disclosed all relevant documents
2. the examination of documents after
disclosure Inspection was ordered to
take place seven days after disclosure.
inspection stamp inspection stamp /n|spekʃən
stmp/ noun a stamp placed on something
to show it has been inspected
157 insurance
inspector inspector /n|spektə/ noun 1. an official
who inspects inspector of taxes,
tax inspector official of the Inland Revenue
who examines tax returns and decides
how much tax people should pay 2.
a rank in the police force above a sergeant
and below chief inspector
Inspectorate of Prisons Inspectorate of Prisons /n|
spekt(ə)rət əv przənz/ noun a section
of the Prison Service which deals
with the inspection of prisons to see that
they are being run correctly and efficiently
inspector of factories inspector of factories /n|spektər
əv fkt(ə)riz/ noun a government official
who inspects factories to see if they
are safely run
inspector of weights and measures inspector of weights and measures
/n|spektər əv wets ən meəz/
noun a government official who inspects
weighing machines and goods sold in
shops to see if the quantities and weights
are correct
inst inst abbreviation instant
instance /nstəns/ noun 1. a particular
example or case In this instance we
will overlook the delay. 2. court of
first instance
in statu quo in statu quo /n sttu kwəυ/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘in the
present state’
institute institute /nsttjut/ verb to start
something to institute proceedings
against someone
institution institution /nst|tjuʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
an organisation or society set up for a
particular purpose the Community institutions
(in the EU) the four bodies
which legally form the European Community
– the Commission, the Council,
the European Parliament and the European
Court of Justice 2. building for a special
purpose
institutional institutional /nst|tjuʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective
referring to an institution institutional
buying, selling buying or selling
shares by financial institutions
institutionalised /nst|
tjuʃ(ə)nəlazd/ noun 1. unable to live
independently after having been in prison,
hospital or other institution for a long
time 2. happening so often that it is considered
to be normal even though wrong
or harmful institutionalised racism
instruct instruct /n|str kt/ verb 1. to give an
order to someone to instruct someone
to do something to tell someone officially
to do something He instructed the
credit controller to take action. 2. to
instruct a solicitor to give information
to a solicitor and to ask him to start legal
proceedings on your behalf to instruct
a barrister (of a solicitor) to give a barrister
all the details of a case which he or
she will plead in court
instructions instructions /n|str kʃənz/ plural
noun 1. order which tells what should be
done or how something is to be used
He gave instructions to his stockbroker
to sell the shares immediately. to await
instructions to wait for someone to tell
you what to do to issue instructions to
tell everyone what to do in accordance
with, according to instructions as the
instructions show failing instructions
to the contrary unless different instructions
are given forwarding instructions,
shipping instructions details of
how goods are to be shipped and delivered
2. the details of a case given by a client
to a solicitor, or by a solicitor to a barrister
instructions to the jury instructions to the jury /n|
str kʃənz tə də dυəri/ noun US a
speech by a judge at the end of a trial
where he or she reviews all the evidence
and arguments and notes important
points of law for the benefit of the jury
(NOTE: The British term is summing
up.)
instrument instrument /nstrυmənt/ noun 1. a
tool or piece of equipment The technical
staff have instruments to measure the
output of electricity. 2. a legal document
insulting behaviour insulting behaviour /n|s ltŋ b|
hevjə/ noun the offence of shouting or
making rude signs in a way which shows
that you are insulting someone
insurable insurable /n|ʃυərəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be insured
insurable interest insurable interest /n|ʃυərəb(ə)l
ntrəst/ noun an interest which a person
taking out an insurance policy must
have in what is being insured
insurance insurance /n|ʃυərəns/ noun an
agreement that in return for regular small
insurance broker 158
payments, a company will pay compensation
for loss, damage, injury or death
to take out an insurance against fire to
pay a premium, so that if a fire happens,
compensation will be paid
insurance broker insurance broker /n|ʃυərəns
brəυkə/ noun somebody who sells insurance
to clients
insurance claim insurance claim /n|ʃυərəns klem/
noun a request to an insurance company
to pay for damages or for loss
insurance company insurance company /n|ʃυərəns
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company whose
business is insurance
insurance cover insurance cover /n|ʃυərəns k və/
noun protection guaranteed by an insurance
policy Do you have cover against
theft?
insurance policy insurance policy /n|ʃυərəns
pɒlsi/ noun a document which shows
the conditions of an insurance contract
insurance premium insurance premium /n|ʃυərəns
primiəm/ noun a payment made by the
insured person or a company to an insurance
company
insurance rates insurance rates /n|ʃυərəns rets/
plural noun amount of premium which
has to be paid per £1,000 of insurance
insure insure /n|ʃυə/ verb to have a contract
with a company where, if regular small
payments are made, the company will
pay compensation for loss, damage, injury
or death to insure a house against
fire to insure baggage against loss to
insure against bad weather to insure
against loss of earnings He was insured
for £100,000. the life insured
the person whose life is covered by a life
assurance the sum insured the largest
amount which an insurer will pay under
the terms of an insurance
insurer insurer /n|ʃυərə/ noun a company
which insures someone or something
(NOTE: For life insurance, British English
prefers to use assurer.)
intangible intangible /n|tndb(ə)l/ adjective
being unable to be touched
intangible assets intangible assets /n|tndb(ə)l
sets/ plural noun assets which have a
value, but which have no physical presence,
e.g. goodwill, a patent or a trademark
integrity integrity /n|terti/ noun the original
state of something which has not been
adapted or changed in any way The
electronic signature confirms the integrity
of the document.
intellectual intellectual /nt|lektʃuəl/ adjective
belonging to the mind
intellectual property intellectual property /nt|lektjυəl
prɒpəti/ noun something such as a copyright,
patent or design which someone
has created or produced that no-one else
can legally copy, use or sell
intellectual property rights intellectual property rights /nt|
lektjυəl prɒpəti rats/ plural noun
the rights of ownership of something
such as a copyright, patent or design. Abbreviation
IPR
intelligible intelligible /n|teldb(ə)l/ adjective
able to be easily understood A key is required
to make an encrypted message intelligible.
intend intend /n|tend/ verb to plan to do
something The company intends to sue
for damages. We intend to offer jobs to
250 unemployed young people.
intended murder intended murder /n|tendd m$də/
noun US murder which was planned in
advance
intent intent /n|tent/ noun what is planned
intention intention /n|tenʃən/ noun 1. the wish
or plan to do something He was accused
of perjury with the intention of incriminating
his employer. 2. the belief
that something will happen as the result
of an action 3. the meaning of the words
in a document such as a will which may
not be the same as what the maker of the
document had actually written
COMMENT: Intention to create a legal
relationship is one of the essential elements
of a contract.
intentional intentional /n|tenʃən(ə)l/ adjective
deliberate an act of intentional cruelty
intentionally intentionally /n|tenʃən(ə)li/ adverb
deliberately She gave an intentionally
misleading account of what happened.
inter alia inter alia /ntə eliə/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘among other things’
inter-bank loan inter-bank loan /ntə bŋk ləυn/
noun a loan from one bank to another
intercept intercept /ntə|sept/ verb to stop
something as it is passing We have in-
159 interim order
tercepted a message from one of the enemy
agents in London.
interception /ntə|sepʃən/ noun the
action of intercepting a message
company comparisons inter-company comparisons /n|
t$ k mp(ə)ni kəm|prs(ə)nz/ plural
noun comparing the results of one
company with those of another in the
same product area
company dealings inter-company dealings /n|t$
k mp(ə)ni dilŋz/ plural noun dealings
between two companies in the same
group
interdict /ntədkt/ noun (in
Scotland) a ban, a written court order
telling someone not to do something
interest /ntrəst/ noun 1. special attention
The managing director takes no
interest in the staff club. The police
showed a lot of interest in the abandoned
car. public interest 2. a payment made
by a borrower for the use of money, calculated
as a percentage of the capital borrowed
3. money paid as income on investments
or loans to receive interest at
5% deposit which yields or gives or
produces or bears 5% interest account
which earns interest at 10% or which
earns 10% interest The bank pays 10%
interest on deposits. 4. a percentage
charge to be paid for borrowing money
5. the right or title to a property, money
invested in a company or financial share
in, and part control over, a company he
has a controlling interest in the company
he owns more than 50% of the
shares and so can direct how the company
is run to acquire a substantial interest
in the company to buy a large
number of shares in a company to declare,
disclose an interest to state in
public that you own shares in a company
which is being investigated, or that you
are connected with someone who may
benefit from your contacts verb to attract
someone’s attention He tried to
interest several companies in his new invention.
interested in paying attention
to The managing director is interested
only in increasing profitability.
bearing deposits interest-bearing deposits
/ntrəst beərŋ d|pɒzts/ plural noun
deposits which produce interest
interest charges interest charges /ntrəst tʃɑdz/
plural noun cost of paying interest
interested party interested party /ntrestd pɑti/
noun a person or company with a financial
interest in a company
interest-free credit interest-free credit /ntrəst fri
kredt/, interest-free loan /ntrəst
fri ləυn/ noun credit or a loan where no
interest is paid by the borrower
interest in remainder interest in remainder /ntrəst n r|
mendə/ noun an interest in land which
will come into someone’s possession
when another person’s interest ends
interest rate interest rate /ntrəst ret/ noun a
percentage charge to be paid for borrowing
money
interfere interfere /ntə|fə/ verb to get involved
with something which is not your
concern
interference interference /ntə|fərəns/ noun the
process of deliberately getting involved
with something that is not your concern
interference with vehicles an offence
where someone tries to break into a vehicle
with the intention of stealing it, or
part of it, or of stealing its contents
interfere with /ntə|fə wd/ verb 1.
to act in a way that stops something happening
or developing He was accused
of interfering with the course of justice.
2. to use or try to use something that does
not belong to you or to which you have
no right, especially if damage is caused
He had been seen interfering with the
lock. 3. to persuade someone such as a
witness or a juror to give false information
or change their opinion 4. to touch a
child in a sexual way
interim interim /ntərm/ adjective intended
to happen or be used only until something
more permanent is available in
the interim meanwhile, for the time being
interim dividend interim dividend /ntərm
dvdend/ noun a dividend paid at the
end of a half-year
interim injunction interim injunction /ntərm n|
d ŋkʃən/ noun an injunction which
prevents someone from doing something
until a specified date
interim order interim order /ntərm ɔdə/ noun
an order given which has effect while a
case is still being heard
interim payment 160
interim payment interim payment /ntərm
pemənt/ noun a part payment of a dividend
or of money owed
interim relief interim relief /ntərm r|lif/ noun
same as interim remedy
interim remedy interim remedy /ntərm remədi/
noun an action by a court to grant relief
to a party while a claim is being processed,
and even after judgment has been
given
COMMENT: Interim remedies include
interim injunctions, freezing injunctions,
search orders, inspection of
property, interim payments, etc.
interim report interim report /ntərm r|pɔt/
noun 1. a report (from a commission)
which is not final 2. a financial report
given at the end of a half-year
interlocutory interlocutory /ntə|lɒkjυt(ə)ri/ adjective
1. temporary or provisional 2.
happening at a court hearing which takes
place before full trial
interlocutory injunction interlocutory injunction
/ntəlɒkjυt(ə)ri n|d ŋkʃ(ə)n/ noun
an injunction which is granted for the period
until a case comes to court
judgment interlocutory judgment
/ntəlɒkjυt(ə)ri d dmənt/ noun a
judgment given during the course of an
action before full trial. Compare final
judgment
matter interlocutory matter
/ntəlɒkjυt(ə)ri mtə/ noun a subsidiary
dispute which is dealt with before
full trial
interlocutory proceedings interlocutory proceedings
/ntəlɒkjυt(ə)ri prə|sidŋz/ plural
noun court hearings that take place before
the full trial
intermeddle /ntə|med(ə)l/ verb to
deal in someone’s affairs If an executor
pays the debts of an estate, this can be
considered intermeddling, and thus is
acceptance of the office of executor.
intermediary /ntə|midiəri/ noun
somebody who is the link between parties
who do not agree or who are negotiating
He refused to act as an intermediary
between the two directors.
intern /n|t$n/ verb to put someone in
prison or other place of detainment without
trial, usually for political reasons
internal internal /n|t$n(ə)l/ adjective referring
to the inside internal affairs of a
country the way in which a country
deals with its own citizens it is not usual
for one country to criticize the internal
affairs of another
internal audit internal audit /n|t$n(ə)l ɔdt/
noun an audit carried out by a department
inside the company
internal auditor internal auditor /n|t$n(ə)l ɔdtə/
noun a member of staff who audits a
company’s accounts
international international /ntə|nʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective
working between countries
International Bar Association International Bar Association
/ntənʃ(ə)nəl bɑ ə|səυsieʃ(ə)n/
noun an international lawyers’ organisation
formed to promote international law
International Court of Justice International Court of Justice
/ntənʃ(ə)nəl kɔt əv d sts/
noun the court of the United Nations,
which sits in the Hague, Netherlands
International Labour Organization International Labour Organization
/ntənʃ(ə)nəl lebə ɔəna
zeʃ(ə)n/ noun a section of the United
Nations which tries to improve working
conditions and workers’ pay in member
countries. Abbreviation ILO
international law international law /ntənʃ(ə)nəl
lɔ/ noun law governing relations between
countries
international lawyer international lawyer
/ntənʃ(ə)nəl lɔjə/ noun a person
who specialises in international law
international politics international politics
/ntənʃ(ə)nəl pɒltks/ plural noun
relationships between governments of
different political parties and systems
internee internee /nt$|ni/ noun somebody
who is interned
internment internment /n|t$nmənt/ noun the
act of being putting someone in prison or
other place of detention without trial
inter partes inter partes /ntə pɑtez/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘between the parties’:
case heard where both parties are
represented The court’s opinion was
that the case should be heard inter partes
as soon as possible. ex parte
interpleader interpleader /ntə|plidə/ noun a
court action started by a person who
holds property which is claimed by two
or more people, or by a person who may
161 interview
be sued by two different parties (NOTE:
Do not confuse with the US term impleader.)
Interpol Interpol /ntəpɒl/ noun an international
police organisation whereby the
member countries co-operate in solving
crimes They warned Interpol that the
criminals might be disguised as women.
(NOTE: used without the)
interpret interpret /n|t$prt/ verb 1. to say
what you think a law or precedent means
The role of the ECJ is to interpret a
law, while the role of the national court is
to apply it. Courts in Member States
cannot give authoritative rulings on how
community law should be interpreted. 2.
to translate what someone has said into
another language My assistant knows
Greek, so he will interpret for us.
interpretation interpretation /n|t$pr|teʃ(ə)n/
noun what someone thinks is the meaning
of a law or precedent Interpretation
of the Treaty has been entrusted to the
European Court of Justice. to put an
interpretation on something to make
something have a different meaning
His ruling puts quite a different interpretation
on the responsibility of trustees.
Interpretation Act Interpretation Act /n|t$pr|
teʃ(ə)n kt/ noun an Act of Parliament
which rules how words used in other
Acts of Parliament are to be understood
interpretation clause interpretation clause /n|t$pr|
teʃ(ə)n klɔz/ noun a clause in a contract
stating the meaning to be given to
terms in the contract
interpreter interpreter /n|t$prtə/ noun somebody
who translates what someone has
said into another language My secretary
will act as interpreter. The witness
could not speak English and the court
had to appoint an interpreter.
interpretive interpretive /n|t$rprtv/ adjective
(in the EU) referring to interpretation
There is an interpretive obligation on
Member States to interpret national laws
in a way which accords with the aims
and objectives of the directives of the
EU.
interregnum interregnum /ntə|renəm/ noun 1.
a period between the death or deposition
of one monarch and the accession of the
next 2. a period during which no-one is
at the head of an organisation or area until
a new leader is appointed
interrogate interrogate /n|terəet/ verb to ask
questions in a severe manner The prisoners
were interrogated for three hours.
interrogation interrogation /n|terə|eʃ(ə)n/
noun severe questioning He confessed
to the crime during his interrogation.
Under interrogation, she gave the names
of her accomplices.
interrogator interrogator /n|terəetə/ noun
somebody who interrogates
interrogatories interrogatories /ntə|rɒət(ə)riz/
plural noun questions put in writing during
a civil action by one side to the other
and which have to be answered on oath
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has been replaced by further information.)
in terrorem in terrorem /n te|rɔrem/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘in order to cause
terror’: used when a threat is implied in a
contract in which case the contract is
invalid
interrupt interrupt /ntə|r pt/ verb to try to
speak or to shout when someone else is
talking
COMMENT: In the House of Commons,
an MP is allowed to interrupt another
MP only if he wants to ask the member
who is speaking to explain something
or to raise a point of order.
intervene intervene /ntə|vin/ verb 1. to come
between people or things so as to make a
change to intervene in a dispute to try
to settle a dispute 2. to become a party to
an action
intervener intervener /ntə|vinə/ noun somebody
who intervenes in an action to
which he or she was not originally a party
intervention intervention /ntə|venʃən/ noun an
act made to make a change the government’s
intervention in the foreign exchange
markets the central bank’s intervention
in the banking crisis the Association’s
intervention in the labour
dispute
interview interview /ntəvju/ noun a meeting
between a suspect and one or more police
officers, who ask him or her questions
interview room 162
COMMENT: Suspects must be cautioned
before an interview takes place.
The interview should be recorded and
the record must be shown to the suspect
at the end of the interview. If there
is any possibility that the police have
threatened the suspect so as to get a
confession, that confession will not be
admitted in court.
room interview room /ntəvju rum/
noun a room where a person is asked
questions or is interviewed
inter vivos inter vivos /ntə vivəυs/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘among living
people’
COMMENT: An inter vivos transfer of
property can be used as a way of
passing property to someone without
using a will; it does not necessarily
take effect when someone dies, but
can be put into effect as soon as it is
signed.
intestacy intestacy /n|testəsi/ noun dying
without having made a will
intestate intestate /n|testet/ adjective to
die intestate to die without having made
a will
COMMENT: When someone dies intestate,
the property automatically goes
to the surviving marital partner, unless
there are children.
intestate succession intestate succession /n|testət
sək|seʃ(ə)n/ noun the rules which apply
when someone dies without having made
a will
intimidate intimidate /n|tmdet/ verb to
frighten someone to make him do something
or to prevent him from doing something
The accused was said to have intimidated
the witnesses.
intimidation intimidation /n|tm|deʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of frightening someone to make
them do something or to prevent them
from doing something
intoxicated intoxicated /n|tɒksketd/ adjective
showing the effects of having drunk
alcohol
intoxication /n|tɒks|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the state of being drunk
transit in transit /n trnzt/ adverb goods
in transit goods being carried from one
place to another
intra vires intra vires /ntrə variz/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘within the permitted
powers’ The minister’s action was
ruled to be intra vires. ultra vires
intrinsic evidence intrinsic evidence /n|trnsk
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence used to interpret
a document which can be found in
the document itself. Compare extrinsic
evidence
invalid invalid /nvəld/ adjective 1. not legally
effective a claim which has been declared
invalid The permit is out-of-date
and therefore invalid. National courts
cannot find EU legislation to be invalid.
2. not based on the facts that are known
an invalid argument
invalidate invalidate /n|vldet/ verb to make
something invalid Because the company
has been taken over, the contract has
been invalidated.
invalidation invalidation /n|vl|deʃən/ noun
the act of making something invalid
invalidity invalidity /nvə|ldti/ noun the fact
of being invalid The invalidity of the
contract.
invasion of privacy invasion of privacy /n|ve(ə)n əv
prvəsi/ noun action which causes disturbance
to someone’s private life, e.g.
being followed intrusively by newspaper
reporters
inventory inventory /nvənt(ə)ri/ noun a complete
list of all the things occurring in
something such as a house for sale, an office
for rent, or the estate of a deceased
person verb to make a list of the contents
of a property
invest invest /n|vest/ verb to put money into
something such as a bank or a company
where it is expected to increase in value
He invested all his money in a shop.
She was advised to invest in real estate.
investigate investigate /n|vest|et/ verb to examine
something which may be wrong
investigation investigation /n|vest|eʃ(ə)n/
noun an examination to find out what is
wrong to conduct an investigation into
irregularities in share dealings
investigator investigator /n|vestetə/ noun
somebody who investigates a government
investigator
investor investor /n|vestə/ noun a person or
company which invests money
invitee invitee /nva|ti/ noun somebody
who has accepted an invitation to go into
a property
163 isolationist
involuntarily involuntarily /n|vɒlənt(ə)rəl/ adverb
not willingly The accused’s defence
was that she acted involuntarily.
involuntary involuntary /n|vɒlənt(ə)ri/ adjective
1. not done willingly 2. without wanting
to
involuntary conduct involuntary conduct /n|
vɒlənt(ə)ri kən|d kt/ noun conduct
beyond a person’s control, offered as a
defence to a criminal charge
involuntary manslaughter involuntary manslaughter /n|
vɒlənt(ə)ri mnslɔtə/ noun the killing
someone through negligence, without
having intended to do so
IOU IOU /a əυ ju/ noun a signed document
promising that you will pay back
money borrowed to pay a pile of IOUs
Full form I owe you
IPR IPR abbreviation intellectual property
rights
ipso facto ipso facto /psəυ fktəυ/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘by this very fact’
or ‘the fact itself shows’ The writing of
the letter was ipso facto an admission of
guilt. He was found in the vehicle at the
time of the accident and ipso facto was
deemed to be in charge of it.
ipso jure ipso jure /psəυ dυəre/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘by the operation
of the law itself’
irreconcilable irreconcilable /|rekən|saləb(ə)l/
adjective so opposed that agreement is
not possible irreconcilable differences
strong disagreement between a husband
and wife which leads to divorce
irrecoverable irrecoverable /r|k v(ə)rəb(ə)l/
adjective being impossible to get back
irrecoverable debt irrecoverable debt /r|
k v(ə)rəb(ə)l det/ noun a debt which
will never be paid
irredeemable irredeemable /r|diməb(ə)l/ adjective
being impossible to redeem
irredeemable bond irredeemable bond /r|diməb(ə)l
bɒnd/ noun a bond which has no date of
maturity and which therefore provides
interest but can never be redeemed at full
value
irredentism irredentism /r|dentz(ə)m/ noun
the act of trying to get back a colony or
territory which has been lost to another
country or which is felt to belong to the
country because of similar language, culture,
etc.
irredentist irredentist /r|dentst/ noun somebody
who wants a territory returned
irregular irregular /|rejυlə/ adjective not following
the usual rules, or not done in the
way regarded as being correct irregular
documentation This procedure is highly
irregular.
irregularity irregularity /|rejυ|lrti/ noun a
situation in which the usual rules or ways
of doing something have not been followed
(often plural ) to investigate irregularities
in the share dealings
irrelevant irrelevant /|reləvənt/ adjective not
relevant or important to what is being
considered
irresistible impulse irresistible impulse /rzstəb(ə)l
mp ls/ noun a strong wish to do something
which you cannot resist because of
insanity
irretrievable irretrievable /r|trivəb(ə)l/ adjective
which cannot be brought back to its
former state irretrievable breakdown
of a marriage situation where the two
spouses can no longer live together,
where the marriage cannot be saved and
therefore divorce proceedings can be
started
irrevocable irrevocable /|revəkəb(ə)l/ adjective
being impossible to change
irrevocable acceptance irrevocable acceptance /|
revəkəb(ə)l ək|septəns/ noun an acceptance
which cannot be withdrawn
irrevocable letter of credit irrevocable letter of credit /|
revəkəb(ə)l letər əv kredt/ noun a
letter of credit which cannot be cancelled
or changed
IRS IRS abbreviation US Internal Revenue
Service
Islamic Law Islamic Law /z|lmk lɔ/ noun the
law of some Muslim countries set out in
the Koran and the teachings of the prophet
Muhammad. The law cannot be
changed, but it can be interpreted in different
ways.
isolation isolation /asə|leʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the
state of being separated from other people
2. in isolation kept on your own
away from other people He had been
kept in isolation for several weeks.
isolationist isolationist /asə|leʃ(ə)nst/ noun
somebody who believes that his or her
country should not get involved in the af-
issuance 164
fairs of other countries, especially should
not fight wars to protect other countries
issuance issuance /ʃuəns/ noun the act of issuing
Upon issuance of the order, the
bailiffs seized the property.
issue issue /ʃu/ noun 1. a subject that is
discussed or argued about safety issues
collateral issue at issue under discussion
as the most important aspect of a
subject The point at issue is the ownership
of the property. to have issues
with or around something to disagree
or have problems with something
(informal ) I have issues around the
idea of completely free access. to make
an issue of something to treat something
as more important than it is I don’t
want to make an issue of it, but I thought
her information could have been more
detailed. to take issue with someone
or over something to disagree with
someone or about something I have to
take issue with you over the handling of
the case. Barristers took issue over the
proposals to change the system. 2. a
child or children of a parent He had issue
two sons and one daughter. She
died without issue. They have no issue.
(NOTE: In this meaning issue is either
singular or plural and is not used with
the.) 3. the act of giving something to
someone or making something available
The issue of new parking permits is expected
soon. issue of new shares,
share issue selling new shares in a company
to the public verb to announce or
give something officially to issue a letter
of credit to issue shares in a new
company to issue a writ against someone
The government issued a report on
London’s traffic. The Secretary of State
issued guidelines for expenditure. He
issued writs for libel in connection with
allegations made in a Sunday newspaper.
capital issued capital /ʃud kpt(ə)l/
noun the amount of capital which is given
out as shares to shareholders
price issued price /ʃud pras/ noun the
price of shares in a new company when
they are offered for sale for the first time
bank issuing bank /ʃuŋ bŋk/ noun a
bank which organises the selling of
shares in a new company
itemise /atəmaz/, itemize verb to
make a detailed list of things itemising
the sales figures will take about two
days.
account itemised account /atəmazd ə|
kaυnt/ noun a detailed record of money
paid or owed
of expenditure item of expenditure /atəm əv k|
spendtʃə/ noun something such as
goods or a service which has been paid
for and appears in the accounts
J
JJ /de/ abbreviation Justice Smith J
said he was not laying down guidelines
for sentencing. (NOTE: often put after the
name of a High Court judge: Smith J is
spoken as ‘Mr Justice Smith’)
jactitation jactitation /dkt|teʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of boasting that something is true
when it is not
jactitation of marriage jactitation of marriage
/dktteʃ(ə)n əv mrd/ noun the
act of boasting that you are married to
someone when you are not
jail jail /del/ noun a place where criminals
are kept before trial or after they have
been convicted He spent ten years in
jail. verb to put someone in prison
She was jailed for three years. He was
jailed for manslaughter. (NOTE: also
spelled gaol in British English)
jailbird jailbird /delb$d/ noun somebody
who is in prison or who has often been
sent to prison
jailbreak jailbreak /delbrek/ noun escape
from prison
jailer jailer /delə/ noun somebody who
works in a jail or who is in charge of a jail
jaywalker jaywalker /dewɔkə/ noun somebody
who walks across a street at a place
which is not a proper crossing place
jaywalking jaywalking /dewɔkŋ/ noun the
offence of walking across a street at a
place which is not a proper crossing
point for pedestrians
jeopardise jeopardise /depədaz/, jeopardize
verb to be likely to harm Her arrest for
drunken driving may jeopardise her
work as a doctor specialising in child
care.
jeopardy jeopardy /depədi/ noun to be in
jeopardy to be in danger of punishment
or of harm his driving licence is in
jeopardy he may lose his driving licence.
double jeopardy
Job Centre Job Centre /dɒb sentə/ noun a
government office which lists and helps
to fill jobs which are vacant
job evaluation job evaluation /dɒb vlju|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun the assessment of different
jobs within an organisation to see
what skills and qualifications are needed
to carry them out, with a view to establishing
appropriate salaries
job openings job openings /dɒb əυp(ə)nŋz/
plural noun jobs which are empty and
need filling
John Doe John Doe /dɒn dəυ/ noun a name
used as an example in fictitious cases
join join /dɔn/ verb to join someone to
an action to attach someone’s name as
one of the parties to an action
joinder joinder /dɔndə/ noun the act of
bringing together several actions or several
parties in one action. misjoinder,
nonjoinder
joint joint /dɔnt/ adjective 1. with two or
more organisations or people linked together
2. of two or more people who
work together or who are linked joint
beneficiary joint managing director
joint owner joint signatory noun a
place or building (slang) to case a
joint to look at a building carefully before
deciding how to break into it
joint account joint account /dɔnt ə|kaυnt/ noun
a bank account for two people
joint and several joint and several /dɔnt ən
sev(ə)rəl/ adjective as a group together
and also separately
joint and several liability joint and several liability /dɔnt
ən sev(ə)rəl laə|blti/ noun a situation
where two or more parties share a
single liability, and each party is also liable
for the whole claim
joint commission of inquiry 166
joint commission of inquiry joint commission of inquiry
/dɔnt kə|mʃ(ə)n əv n|kwaəri/,
joint committee /dɔnt kə|mti/
noun a commission or committee with
representatives of various organisations
on it
joint committee joint committee /dɔnt kə|mti/
noun a committee formed of equal numbers
of members of the House of Commons
and House of Lords
joint discussions joint discussions /dɔnt d|
sk ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun discussions between
employers and employees before
something is done
joint heir joint heir /dɔnt eə/ noun somebody
who is an heir with someone else
joint liability joint liability /dɔnt laə|blti/
noun a situation where two or more parties
share a single liability
jointly jointly /dɔntli/ adverb together with
one or more other people to own a
property jointly to manage a company
jointly They are jointly liable for damages.
jointly and severally liable liable
both as a group and as individuals
joint management joint management /dɔnt
mndmənt/ noun management by
two or more people
joint ownership joint ownership /dɔnt əυnəʃp/
noun a situation where two or more persons
own the same property
joint-stock bank joint-stock bank /dɔnt stɒk
bŋk/ noun a bank which is a public
company quoted on the Stock Exchange
joint-stock company joint-stock company /dɔnt stɒk
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company whose
shares are held by many people
joint tenancy joint tenancy /dɔnt tenənsi/
noun a situation where two or more persons
acquire an interest in a property together,
where if one of the joint tenants
dies, his or her share goes to those surviving.
tenancy in common
joint tortfeasors joint tortfeasors /dɔnt tɔt|
fizəz/ plural noun two or more people
who are responsible and liable for a tort
jointure jointure /dɔntʃə/ noun the estate
settled on a wife as part of the marriage
settlement
joint venture joint venture /dɔnt ventʃə/ noun
a very large business partnership where
two or more companies join together as
partners for a limited period
joy riding joy riding /dɔ radŋ/ noun the offence
of taking a car without the permission
of the owner and using it to drive
about
JPJP abbreviation justice of the peace
(NOTE: The plural is JPs.)
judge judge /d d/ noun 1. an official who
presides over a court and in civil cases
decides which party is in the right a
County Court judge a judge in the Divorce
Court The judge sent him to prison
for embezzlement. (NOTE: In the UK it
is planned to transfer the appointment
of judges to a Judicial Appointments
Board.) 2. one of the fifteen members of
the European Court of Justice, appointed
by the Member States verb to decide
He judged it was time to call an end to
the discussions.
COMMENT: In England, judges are appointed
by the Lord Chancellor. The
minimum requirement is that one
should be a barrister or solicitor of ten
years’ standing. The majority of judges
are barristers, but they cannot practise
as barristers. Recorders are practising
barristers who act as judges on a parttime
basis. The appointment of judges
is not a political appointment, and
judges remain in office unless they are
found guilty of gross misconduct.
Judges cannot be Members of Parliament.
In the USA, state judges can be
appointed by the state governor or can
be elected; in the federal courts and
the Supreme Court, judges are appointed
by the President, but the appointment
has to be approved by Congress.
Judge Advocate-General Judge Advocate-General /d d
dvəkət den(ə)rəl/ noun a lawyer
appointed by the state to advise on all legal
matters concerning the army
Judge Advocate-General of the Forces Judge Advocate-General of the
Forces /d d dvəkət den(ə)rəl
əv də fɔsz/ noun a lawyer appointed
by the state to advise on all legal matters
concerning the Army and Air Force
Judge Advocate of the Fleet Judge Advocate of the Fleet
/d d dvəkət əv də flit/ noun a
lawyer appointed by the state to advise
on all legal matters concerning the Royal
Navy
judge in chambers judge in chambers /d d n
tʃembəz/ noun a judge who hears a
case in private rooms without the public
being present and not in open court
167 junior executive
Judges’ Rules Judges’ Rules /d dz rulz/
noun an informal set of rules governing
how the police may question a suspect
judgment judgment /d dmənt/, judgement
noun an official decision of a court to
pronounce judgment, to give one’s
judgment on something to give an official
or legal decision about something
to enter judgement, to take judgment
to record an official judgment on a case
to enter judgment for the claimant to
make a legal judgment that the claimant’s
claim is accepted to enter judgment
against the claimant to make a legal
judgment that the claimant’s claim is
not accepted the claimant entered
judgment in default the claimant took
judgment (because the defendant failed
to defend the case)
judgment by default judgment by default /d dmənt
ba d|fɔlt/ noun US a judgment without
trial against a defendant who fails to
respond to a claim
judgment creditor judgment creditor /d dmənt
kredtə/ noun somebody who has been
given a court order making a debtor pay
a debt
judgment debtor judgment debtor /d dmənt
detə/ noun somebody who has been ordered
by a court to pay a debt
judgment summons judgment summons /d dmənt
s mənz/ noun a summons by a court to
enforce a court order, such as ordering a
judgment debtor to pay or to go to prison
(NOTE: The spelling judgment is used
by lawyers.)
judicata judicata res judicata
judicature judicature /dudkətʃə/ noun administration
of justice judicature paper
thick heavy paper on which court
documents are engrossed. Supreme
Court
judice judice sub judice
judicial judicial /du|dʃ(ə)l/ adjective 1. referring
to a judge or the law the Judicial
Committee of the House of Lords
the highest appeal court in England and
Wales 2. done in a court or by a judge
Judicial Committee of the House of Lords Judicial Committee of the House
of Lords /du|dʃ(ə)l kə|mti əv di
haυz lɔds/ noun the highest court of appeal
in both civil and criminal cases in
England and Wales
Committee of the Privy Council Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council /du|dʃ(ə)l kə|mti əv də
prvi kaυns(ə)l/ noun the appeal court
for appeals from courts outside the UK,
such as the courts of some Commonwealth
countries
immunity judicial immunity /du|dʃ(ə)l |
mjunti/ noun a safety from prosecution
granted to judges when acting in a
judicial capacity
notice judicial notice /du|dʃ(ə)l nəυts/
noun facts and matters which a judge is
presumed to know, so that evidence does
not have to be produced to prove them,
such as that New Year’s Day is January
1st or that a small baby is not capable of
walking
precedent judicial precedent /du|dʃ(ə)l
presd(ə)nt/ noun a precedent set by a
court decision, which can be reversed
only by a higher court
processes judicial processes /du|dʃ(ə)l
prəυsesz/ plural noun the ways in
which the law works
review judicial review /du|dʃ(ə)l r|vju/
noun a review by a higher court of the
actions of a lower court or of an administrative
body
separation judicial separation /du|dʃ(ə)l
sepə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a decree of a court
acknowledging the separation of a married
couple, but neither person is allowed
to marry again because they are not divorced.
Also called legal separation
judiciary /dυ|dʃəri/ noun the judiciary
all judges, the court system, the
judicial power in general
jump /d mp/ bail
junior /duniə/ adjective younger or
lower in rank John Smith, Junior the
younger John Smith (i.e. the son of John
Smith, Senior) noun 1. a barrister who
is not a Queen’s Counsel 2. a barrister
appearing with a leader also called junior
barrister
clerk junior clerk /duniə klɑk/ noun a
clerk, usually young person, who has
lower status than a senior clerk
executive junior executive /duniə |
zekjυtv/ noun a less important manager
in a company
junior partner 168
junior partner junior partner /duniə pɑtnə/
noun somebody who has a small part of
the shares in a partnership
jurat jurat /dυərt/ noun words at the end
of an affidavit, showing the details of
when and by whom it was sworn
juridical juridical /dυ|rdk(ə)l/ adjective referring
to the law or to judges
jurisdiction jurisdiction /dυərs|dkʃən/ noun
legal power over someone or something
within the jurisdiction of the court in
the legal power of a court outside the
jurisdiction of the court not covered by
the legal power of the court the prisoner
refused to recognize the jurisdiction
of the court the prisoner said that he or
she did not believe that the court had the
legal right to try them
jurisdictional jurisdictional /dυərs|dkʃənəl/
adjective referring to court’s jurisdiction
jurisprudence jurisprudence /dυərs|prudəns/
noun the study of the law and the legal
system
jurist jurist /dυərst/ noun a person who
has specialised in the study and practice
of law
juristic juristic /dυə|rstk/ adjective according
to the practice of law
juror juror /dυərə/ noun a member of a
jury
COMMENT: Jurors can be selected
from registered electors who are between
eighteen and sixty-five years
old and who have been resident in the
UK for five years. Barristers, solicitors,
judges, priests, doctors, Members of
Parliament, people who are insane are
among the categories of people disqualified
from being jurors.
jury jury /dυəri/ noun a group of twelve
citizens who are sworn to decide whether
someone is guilty or not guilty on the basis
of the evidence they hear in court he
has been called for jury service, for
jury duty US he has been asked to do his
duty as a citizen and serve on a jury
‘Members of the jury’ way of speaking
to a jury in court the foreman of the
jury the chief juror, elected by the other
jurors, who chairs the discussions of the
jury and pronounces the verdict in court
afterwards
COMMENT: Juries are used in criminal
cases, and in some civil actions, notably
actions for libel. They are also used
in some coroner’s inquests. The role of
the jury is use their common sense to
decide if the verdict should be for or
against the accused. Jurors have no
knowledge of the law and follow the
explanations given to them by the
judge. Anyone whose name appears
on the electoral register and who is between
the ages of 18 and 70 is eligible
for jury service. Judges, magistrates,
barristers and solicitors are not eligible
for jury service, nor are priests, people
who are on bail, and people suffering
from mental illness. People who are
excused jury service include members
of the armed forces, Members of Parliament
and doctors. Potential jurors
can be challenged if one of the parties
to the case thinks they are or may be
biased.
jury box jury box /dυəri bɒks/ noun a place
where the jury sit in the courtroom
juryman juryman /dυərimən/ noun a member
of a jury (NOTE: The plural is jurymen.)
jury room jury room /dυəri rum/ noun a room
where a jury meet to discuss the trial and
reach a verdict
jury service jury service /dυəri s$vs/ noun
the duty which each citizen has of serving
on a jury if asked to do so
jury vetting jury vetting /dυəri vetŋ/ noun the
examination of each of the proposed
members of a jury to see if he or she is
qualified to be a juror
jus jus /d s/ noun a Latin word meaning
‘law’ or ‘right’
jus accrescendi jus accrescendi /d s kre|sendi/
survivorship
just just /d st/ adjective fair or right to
show just cause to show a reason which
is fair and acceptable in law just war
war which is considered to be morally
right
justice justice /d sts/ noun 1. fair treatment
under the law to administer justice
to provide justice to bring a criminal
to justice to find a criminal and
charge him with an offence 2. a magistrate
3. a judge 4. the title given to a High
Court judge Mr Justice Adams
justice of the peace justice of the peace /d sts əv də
pis/ noun a magistrate or local judge.
Abbreviation JP
justices’ chief executive justices’ chief executive
/d stsz tʃif |zekjυtv/ noun a
senior administrator appointed by a mag-
169 juvenile offender
istrates’ courts committee to run the
courts in an area, but not to give legal advice
justices’ clerk justices’ clerk /d stsz clɑk/
noun an official of a magistrates’ court
who gives advice to the justices on law,
practice or procedure; he or she reports
to the justices’ chief executive of their
area
justiciable justiciable /d s|tʃəb(ə)l/ adjective
referring to a legal principle which can
be subject to laws Some people question
whether subsidiarity is justiciable.
justiciary justiciary /d s|tʃəri/ noun all judges
justifiable justifiable /d stfaəb(ə)l/ adjective
excusable
justifiable homicide justifiable homicide
/d stfaəb(ə)l hɒmsad/ noun the
act of killing a person for an acceptable
reason such as self-defence
justification justification /d stf|keʃ(ə)n/
noun an acceptable reason for doing
something in justification as an acceptable
excuse for something In justification,
the accused claimed that the
burglar had attacked him with an axe.
He wrote a letter in justification of his
decision. The defendant entered defence
of justification. with some justification
having a good reason for something
She claimed, with some justification,
that she could not have known
about the change as the letter had gone
to the wrong address.
justify justify /d st|fa/ verb to give an excuse
for the end justifies the means if
the result is right, the means used to
reach it are acceptable
justitia justitia fiat justitia
juvenile juvenile /duvənal/ noun, adjective
a young person under seventeen years of
age
Juvenile Court Juvenile Court /duvə|nal kɔt/
noun a court which tries young offenders
The appeal court quashed the care order
made by the juvenile court. (NOTE:
The Juvenile Court is now called the
Youth Court.)
juvenile delinquent juvenile delinquent /duvənal d|
lŋkwənt/ noun a young criminal who
commits minor crimes, especially
against property
juvenile offender juvenile offender /duvənal ə|
fendə/ noun the former term for a
young person tried in a Juvenile Court
(NOTE: Now replaced by young offender.)
K
kangaroo court kangaroo court /kŋə|ru kɔt/
noun an unofficial and illegal court set
up by a group of people
KCKC abbreviation King’s Counsel
keeper keeper /kipə/ noun somebody who
keeps something
Keeper of the Great Seal Keeper of the Great Seal /kipər
əv di ret sil/ noun the Lord Chancellor
Keogh plan Keogh plan /kiəυ pln/ noun US a
private pension programme which allows
self-employed businessmen and
professionals to set up pension plans for
themselves
kerb crawling kerb crawling /k$b krɔlŋ/ noun
driving slowly in order to importune
women standing on the pavement
key money key money /ki m ni/ noun a premium
paid when taking over the keys of a
flat or office which you are renting
kickback /kkbk/ noun an illegal
commission paid to someone, especially
a government official, who helps in a
business deal
kidnap kidnap /kdnp/ verb to take away
someone and keep them somewhere
against their will, usually asking for
money to be paid or conditions to be met
before they can be released
kidnapper kidnapper /kdnpə/ noun somebody
who kidnaps someone
kidnapping kidnapping /kdnpŋ/ noun the notifiable
offence of taking away a person
by force
kill kill /kl/ verb to make someone die He
was accused of killing his girlfriend with
a knife.
killer killer /klə/ noun somebody who kills
The police are searching for the girl’s
killer.
kin kin /kn/ plural noun relatives or close
members of the family. next of kin
King’s Counsel King’s Counsel /kŋz kaυnsəl/
noun abbreviation KC. Queen’s
Counsel (NOTE: There is no plural for
counsel which is always used in the
singular whether it refers to one barrister
or several, and it is never used with
the article the or a. On the other hand,
the abbreviation QC can have a plural:
Two QCs represented the defendant.)
kitemark kitemark /katmɑk/ noun a mark put
on British goods to show that they meet
official standards
kleptomania kleptomania /kleptəυ|meniə/ noun
a mental illness which makes someone
steal things
kleptomaniac kleptomaniac /kleptəυ|menik/
noun somebody who steals things because
he or she suffers from kleptomania
knock-for-knock agreement knock-for-knock agreement /nɒk
fə nɒk ə|rimənt/ noun an agreement
between two insurance companies that
they will not take legal action against
each other, and that each will pay the
claims of their own clients
knowingly knowingly /nəυŋli/ adverb deliberately
It was charged that he knowingly
broke the Official Secrets Act by publishing
the document in his newspaper.
L
labour labour /lebə/ noun 1. heavy work to
charge for materials and labour to
charge for both the materials used in a
job and also the hours of work involved
2. the workforce in general (NOTE: [all
senses] The US spelling is labor.)
skilled labour workers who have special
knowledge or qualifications
labourer labourer /lebərə/ noun somebody
who does unskilled work (NOTE: The US
spelling is laborer.)
labour-intensive industry labour-intensive industry /lebər
n|tensv ndəstri/ noun an industry
which needs large numbers of employees
or where labour costs are high in relation
to turnover
labour law labour law /lebə lɔ/, labour laws
/lebə lɔz/, labour legislation /lebə
led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun US law relating
to the employment of workers
laches laches /ltʃz/ noun long delay or neglect
in asserting a legal right. statute
of limitations
lading lading /ledŋ/ bill of lading
Lady Day Lady Day /ledi de/ noun 25th
March, one of the quarter days when rent
is paid for land
laissez-faire laissez-faire /lese feə/, laisserfaire
noun a political theory where a
government does nothing to control the
economy Laissez-faire policies resulted
in increased economic activity, but
contributed to a rise in imports.
land land /lnd/ noun an area of earth
COMMENT: Under English law, the
ownership of all land is vested in the
Crown; individuals or other legal persons
may however hold estates in
land, the most important of which are
freehold estates (which amount to absolute
ownership) and leasehold estates
(which last for a fixed period of
time). Ownership of land usually confers
ownership of everything above
and below the land. The process of
buying and selling land is ‘conveyancing’.
Any contract transferring land or
any interest in land must be in writing.
Interests in land can be disposed of by
a will.
agent land agent /lnd edənt/ noun
somebody who manages a farm or large
area of land for someone
certificate land certificate /lnd sə|tfkət/
noun a document which shows who
owns a piece of land, and whether there
are any charges on it
charges land charges /lnd tʃɑdz/ plural
noun covenants, mortgages, etc., which
are attached to a piece of land
card landing card /lndŋ kɑd/ noun a
card given to passengers who have
passed customs and can land from a ship
or an aircraft
landing charges landing charges /lndŋ tʃɑdz/
plural noun payment for putting goods
on land and for customs duties
landing order landing order /lndŋ ɔdə/ noun a
permit which allows goods to be unloaded
into a bonded warehouse without paying
customs duty
landlady /lndledi/ noun a woman
who owns a property which she lets
landlord /lndlɔd/ noun a person or
company which owns a property which
is let
and Tenant Act Landlord and Tenant Act
/lndlɔd ən tenənt kt/ noun an
Act of Parliament which regulates the
letting of property
decision landmark decision /lndmɑk d|
s(ə)n/ noun a legal or legislative decision
which creates an important legal
precedent
landowner 172
landowner landowner /lndəυnə/ noun somebody
who owns large areas of land
land register land register /lnd redstə/ noun
a register of land, showing who owns it
and what buildings are on it
land registration land registration /lnd red|
streʃ(ə)n/ noun a system of registering
land and its owners
Land Registry Land Registry /lnd redstri/
noun the British government office
where details of land and its ownership
are kept
lands lands /lndz/ plural noun large areas
of land owned by one owner
Lands Tribunal Lands Tribunal /lɑndz tra|
bjun(ə)l/ noun a court which deals
with compensation claims relating to
land
land tax land tax /lnd tks/ noun a tax on
the amount of land owned
land tenure land tenure /lnd tenjə/ noun a
way in which land is owned such as
leasehold or freehold
lapse lapse /lps/ noun 1. a lapse of time
a period of time which has passed 2. the
ending of a right, a privilege or an offer,
e.g. the termination of an insurance policy
because the premiums have not been
paid 3. the failure of a legacy because the
beneficiary has died before the testator
verb to stop being valid or effective to
let an offer lapse to allow time to pass so
that an offer is no longer valid lapsed
passport passport which is out of date
lapsed legacy lapsed legacy /lpst leəsi/ noun a
legacy which cannot be put into effect
because the person who should have received
it died before the person who
made the will
lapsed policy lapsed policy /lpst pɒlsi/, lapsed
insurance policy /lpst n|ʃυərəns
pɒlsi/ noun insurance which is no
longer valid because the premiums have
not been paid
larceny larceny /lɑs(ə)ni/ noun the crime of
stealing goods which belong to another
person She was convicted of larceny.
COMMENT: Larceny no longer exists in
English law, having been replaced by
the crime of theft.
last last /lɑst/ adjective, adverb coming at
the end of a series Out of a queue of
twenty people, I was served last. This is
our last board meeting before we move to
our new offices. This is the last case
which the magistrates will hear before
lunch.
last in first out last in first out /lɑst n f$st aυt/
phrase 1. in a redundancy situation, the
dismissal of the people who have been
most recently appointed before people
who have longer service 2. accounting
method where stock is valued at the price
of the latest purchases abbreviation
LIFO
last will and testament last will and testament /lɑst wl
ən testəmənt/ noun a document by
which a person says what they want to
happen to their property when they die
late late /let/ adjective 1. after the time
stated or agreed We apologise for the
late start of this meeting. there is a
penalty for late delivery if delivery is
later than the agreed date, the supplier
has to pay a fine 2. at the end of a period
of time latest date for signature of the
contract the last acceptable date for
signing the contract 3. dead She inherited
a fortune from his late uncle.
latent latent /let(ə)nt/ adjective existing but
not obvious or visible
latent ambiguity latent ambiguity /let(ə)nt mb|
juti/ noun a word or phrase in a contract
which can mean two or more things,
but which does not appear to be misleading
at first
latent defect latent defect /let(ə)nt difekt/
noun a fault which cannot be seen immediately
launder launder /lɔndə/ verb to transfer illegal
or stolen money into an ordinary
bank account, usually by a complex
process to avoid detection (slang) The
proceeds of the robbery were laundered
through a bank in the Caribbean.
law law /lɔ/ noun 1. a written or unwritten
rule by which a country is governed and
the activities of people and organisations
are controlled. A written law in the UK is
an Act of Parliament which has received
the Royal Assent, or, in the US, an Act of
Congress which has been signed by the
President or which has been passed by
Congress over the President’s veto. A
law has to be passed by Parliament.
The government has proposed a new law
to regulate the sale of goods on Sundays.
173 law of property
2. contract law, the law of contract
laws relating to agreements to take
someone to law to sue someone inside
the law, within the law obeying the laws
of a country against the law, outside
the law not according to the laws of a
country Dismissing an employee without
reason is against the law. The company
is operating outside the law. in
law according to the law What are the
duties in law of a guardian? to break
the law to do something which is against
the law He is breaking the law by selling
goods on Sunday. You will be
breaking the law if you try to take that
computer out of the country without an
export licence. 3. a general rule 4. the
law the police and the courts (informal )
The law will catch up with him in the
end. If you don’t stop making that noise
I’ll have the law on you. the strong,
long arm of the law ability of the police
to catch criminals and deal with crime
and order law and order /lɔ ənd ɔdə/ noun a
situation where the laws of a country are
being obeyed by most people There
was a breakdown of law and order following
the assassination of the president.
lawbreaker /lɔ|brekə/ noun somebody
who breaks the law
breaking law-breaking /lɔ brekŋ/ noun the
act of doing something which is against
the law
Law Centre Law Centre /lɔ sentə/ noun a local
office, especially in London, with fulltime
staff who advise and represent clients
free of charge
Commission Law Commission /lɔ kə|mʃ(ə)n/
noun a permanent committee which reviews
English law and recommends
changes to it
court law court /lɔ kɔt/ noun a place
where trials are held
COMMENT: In civil cases he decides
which party is right legally; in criminal
cases the decision is made by a jury,
and the judge passes sentence.
enforcement law enforcement /lɔ n|fɔsmənt/
noun the activity of making sure that
laws are obeyed
enforcement officers law enforcement officers /lɔr n|
fɔsmənt ɒfsəz/ plural noun people
who have the official role of making sure
that people obey the law, e.g. police officers
lawful lawful /lɔf(ə)l/ adjective acting within
the law
lawfully lawfully /lɔfυli/ adverb acting within
the law
lawful picketing lawful picketing /lɔf(ə)l pkətŋ/
noun picketing which is allowed by law
lawful practice lawful practice /lɔf(ə)l prkts/
noun an action which is permitted by the
law
lawful trade lawful trade /lɔf(ə)l tred/ noun
trade which is allowed by law
lawless lawless /lɔləs/ adjective not controlled
by the law or by the police The
magistrates criticised the lawless behaviour
of the football crowd.
lawlessness lawlessness /lɔləsnəs/ noun the
state of being lawless The government
is trying to fight lawlessness in large cities.
Law List Law List /lɔ lst/ noun an annual published
list of barristers and solicitors
Law Lords Law Lords /lɔ lɔdz/ plural noun
members of the House of Lords who are
or were judges, including the Lord Chancellor
and the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary
law-making law-making /lɔ mekŋ/ noun the
process of making of laws Parliament
is the law-making body in Great Britain.
lawman lawman /lɔmn/ noun US a policeman
(NOTE: The plural is lawmen.)
law merchant law merchant /lɔ m$tʃənt/ noun
same as mercantile law
Law Officers Law Officers /lɔr ɒfsəz/ plural
noun members of the British government,
but not members of the Cabinet:
the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General
in England and Wales, and the Lord
Advocate and Solicitor-General in Scotland
COMMENT: The Law Officers advise
the government and individual ministries
on legal matters. The Attorney-
General will prosecute in trials for serious
crimes.
law of master and servant law of master and servant /lɔ əv
mɑstə ən s$vənt/ noun same as employment
law
law of property law of property /lɔ əv prɒpəti/
noun a branch of the law dealing with the
rights of ownership
law of succession 174
law of succession law of succession /lɔ əv sək|
seʃ(ə)n/ noun law relating to how property
shall pass to others when the owner
dies
law of supply and demand law of supply and demand /lɔr
əv sə|pla ən d|mɑnd/ noun the general
rule that the amount of a product
which is available is related to the needs
of possible customers
law reform law reform /lɔ r|fɔm/ noun the
continuing process of revising laws to
make them better suited to the needs of
society
Law Reports Law Reports /lɔ r|pɔts/ plural
noun regular reports of new cases and
legislation
law school law school /lɔ skul/ noun US a
school where lawyers are trained
Law Society Law Society /lɔ sə|saəti/ noun an
organisation of solicitors in England and
Wales, which represents and regulates
the profession
Laws of Oleron Laws of Oleron /lɔz əv ɒlərɒn/
plural noun the first maritime laws,
drawn up in 1216 and used as a base for
subsequent international laws
law stationer law stationer /lɔ steʃ(ə)nə/ noun a
person who specialises in supplying stationery
to legal firms
lawsuit lawsuit /lɔsut/ noun US a case
brought to a court by a private person
to bring a lawsuit against someone to
tell someone to appear in court to settle
an argument to defend a lawsuit to appear
in court to state your case
lawyer lawyer /lɔjə/ noun a person who has
studied law and can act for people on legal
business
lay lay /le/ verb to lay down to state
clearly The conditions are laid down in
the document. The guidelines lay down
rules for dealing with traffic offences.
adjective not belonging to a specific profession
lay assessor lay assessor /le ə|sesə/ noun a person
who is not a lawyer who has technical
knowledge of a subject and advises a
court on specialised matters
lay magistrate lay magistrate /le mdstret/
noun an unpaid magistrate who is not
usually a qualified lawyer. Compare stipendiary
magistrate
layperson layperson /lemən/, layman, laywoman
noun somebody who does not
belong to the legal profession (NOTE:
The plural is laymen.)
lay representative lay representative /le repr|
zentətv/ noun a person representing
someone in a case in the small claims
track who is not a solicitor, barrister or
legal executive
LCLC abbreviation Lord Chancellor
L/C L/C abbreviation letter of credit
LCJ LCJ abbreviation Lord Chief Justice
lead lead /lid/ noun a piece of information
which may help solve a crime The police
are following up several leads in the
murder investigation. verb 1. to be the
first or in front The company leads the
market in cheap computers. 2. to be the
main person in charge of a group 3. to be
the main person in a team of barristers
appearing for one side in a case The
prosecution is led by J.M. Jones, QC.
Mr Smith is leading for the Crown. 4. to
start to do something such as present a
case in court Mr Jones led for the prosecution.
The Home Secretary will lead
for the Government in the emergency debate.
5. to bring evidence before a court
6. to try to make a witness answer a question
in court in a specific way Counsel
must not lead the witness. (NOTE: leading
– led – has led)
leader leader /lidə/ noun 1. somebody who
manages or directs others She is the
leader of the trade delegation to Nigeria.
The minister was the leader of the party
of lawyers on a tour of American
courts. 2. the main barrister, usually a
QC, in a team appearing for one side in a
case 3. a product which sells best a
market leader product which sells most
in a market or company which has the
largest share of a market
COMMENT: Normally a party leader has
a great deal of power when it comes to
making appointments and deciding
party policy. In Britain, the leader of a
party may feel bound to follow policy
decisions laid down by the party conference.
This may restrict the leader’s
room for manoeuvre.
leading leading /lidŋ/ adjective most important
Leading shares rose on the Stock
Exchange Leading businessmen feel
the end of the recession is near. Lead-
175 left of centre
ing shareholders in the company forced a
change in management policy. They
are the leading company in the field.
COMMENT: Leading questions may be
asked during cross-examination or
during examination in chief.
leading cases leading cases /lidŋ kesz/ plural
noun important cases which have set
precedents
leading counsel leading counsel /lidŋ kaυnsəl/
noun the main barrister, usually a QC, in
a team appearing for one side in a case
leading question leading question /lidŋ
kweʃtʃən/ noun a question put by a
barrister to a witness which strongly suggests
to the witness what the answer
ought to be, e.g. a question which can
only be answered ‘Yes’ or ‘No’
leak leak /lik/ noun the unofficial passing of
information which has not yet been published,
by officials, MPs or employees to
newspapers. TV or radio stations, or other
public forums. The government is investigating
the latest leak of documents
relating to the spy trial. verb to make
secret information public without being
authorised to do so The details of the
plan have been leaked to the press to test
public reaction.
lease lease /lis/ noun 1. a written contract
for letting or renting of a building, a
piece of land or a piece of equipment for
a period of time on payment of a fee
the lease expires, runs out in 2010 the
lease comes to an end in 2010 on expiration
of the lease when the lease comes
to an end. demise 2. to hold an oil
lease in the North Sea to have a lease on
a section of the North Sea to explore for
oil verb 1. to let or rent offices, land or
machinery for a period to lease offices
to small firms to lease equipment 2. to
use an office, land or machinery for a
time and pay a fee to the landlord or lessor
to lease an office from an insurance
company All our company cars are
leased.
lease back lease back /lis bk/ verb to sell a
property or machinery to a company and
then take it back on a lease They sold
the office building to raise cash, and then
leased it back for twenty-five years.
lease-back lease-back /lis bk/ noun an arrangement
by which property is sold and
then taken back on a lease They sold
the office building and then took it back
under a lease-back arrangement.
leasehold /lishəυld/ adjective, adverb
on the basis of a lease a leasehold
property to purchase a flat leasehold
noun a property which is held for a period
of time on the basis of a lease The
company has some valuable leaseholds
in the city centre.
enfranchisement leasehold enfranchisement
/lishəυld n|frntʃazmənt/ noun the
right of a leaseholder to buy the freehold
of the property which he or she is leasing
leaseholder /lishəυldə/ noun somebody
who holds a property on a lease
leasing /lisŋ/ noun the activity of let
someone use something for a period on
payment of a fee The company has
branched out into car leasing. adjective
providing something on the basis of
a lease to run a photocopier under a
leasing arrangement a computer-leasing
company
leave /liv/ noun 1. permission to do
something Counsel asked leave of the
court to show a film taken of the accident.
‘by your leave’ with your permission
leave to defend permission
from a court allowing someone to defend
himself against an accusation 2. a permitted
period of being away from work.
maternity leave, paternity leave,
sick leave leave of absence permission
to be away from work for a period
for an unexpected reason to go on
leave, to be on leave to be away from
work on holiday She is away on sick
leave or on maternity leave. verb 1. to
go away from somewhere or someone
The next plane leaves at 10.20. He left
his office early to go to the meeting. 2. to
give property to someone when you die
He left his house to his wife. I was left
£5,000 by my grandmother in her will. 3.
to resign She left her job and started up
a new business. (NOTE: leaving – left –
has left)
left left /left/ noun swing to the left
movement of support towards socialist
principles
of centre left of centre /left əv sentə/ adjective
tending towards socialism
legacy 176
legacy legacy /leəsi/ noun money or personal
property excluding land given by
someone to someone else in a will She
received a small legacy in her uncle’s
will.
COMMENT: Freehold land left to someone
in a will is a devise.
legal legal /li(ə)l/ adjective 1. according
to or allowed by the law The company’s
action was completely legal. 2. referring
to the law to take legal action, to start
legal proceedings to sue someone, to
take someone to court to take legal advice
to ask a lawyer to advise about a
problem in law legal department, legal
section section of a company dealing
with legal matters
legal adviser legal adviser /li(ə)l əd|vazə/
noun somebody who advises clients
about problems in law
legal age legal age /li(ə)l ed/ noun US the
age at which a person can sue or can be
sued or can undertake business
Legal Aid Legal Aid /li(ə)l ed/ noun a
former British government scheme
whereby a person with very little money
could have legal representation and advice
paid for by the state. Now administered
by the Legal Services Commission.
Legal Aid Centre Legal Aid Centre /li(ə)l ed
sentə/ noun formerly, a local office giving
advice to clients with legal problems,
assisting with Legal Aid applications and
recommending clients to solicitors. Legal
Services Commission
legal certainty legal certainty /li(ə)l s$t(ə)nti/
noun in European law, a principle which
states that vested rights are not retroactive,
that legislation shall not have retrospective
effect, and that the legitimate
expectations of a claimant must be respected
legal charge legal charge /li(ə)l tʃɑd/ noun a
charge created over property by a legal
mortgage
legal claim legal claim /li(ə)l klem/ noun a
statement that someone owns something
legally He has no legal claim to the
property.
legal claim to something legal claim to something /li(ə)l
klem tə s mθŋ/ noun a statement that
you think you own something legally
He has no legal claim to the property or
to the car.
costs legal costs /li(ə)l kɒsts/ noun
money spent on fees to lawyers
currency legal currency /li(ə)l k rənsi/
noun the money that is legally used in a
country
executive legal executive /li(ə)l |
zekjυtv/ noun a clerk in a solicitor’s
office who is not a solicitor and is not articled
to become one, but has passed the
examinations of the Institute of Legal
Executives
COMMENT: Legal executives deal with
a lot of the background work in solicitors’
offices, including probate, conveyancing,
matrimonial disputes, etc.
They can speak before a judge on
questions which are not contested.
expenses insurance legal expenses insurance
/li(ə)l k|spensz n|ʃυərəns/ noun
insurance which will pay the costs of a
court case
legal expert legal expert /li(ə)l eksp$t/ noun
somebody who has a wide knowledge of
the law
holiday legal holiday /li(ə)l hɒlde/ noun
a day when banks and other businesses
are closed
legalisation /liəla|zeʃ(ə)n/, legalization
noun the process of making
something legal the campaign for the
legalisation of abortion
legalise legalise /liəlaz/, legalize verb to
make something legal
legality /l|lti/ noun the fact of being
allowed by law There is doubt
about the legality of the company’s action
in dismissing him.
legally /liəli/ adverb according to
the law the contract is legally binding
according to the law, the contract has to
be obeyed the directors are legally responsible
the law says that the directors
are responsible
legal memory legal memory /li(ə)l mem(ə)ri/
noun the period since 1189, the accepted
date to which legal title can be traced
This practice has existed from before the
time of legal memory. immemorial existence
person legal person /li(ə)l p$s(ə)n/
noun a company or corporation considered
as a legal body
177 lender
legal personality legal personality /li(ə)l p$sə|
nləti/ noun existence as a body and so
ability to be affected by the law
legal proceedings legal proceedings /li(ə)l prə|
sidŋz/ plural noun a legal action The
court proceedings were adjourned.
legal representative legal representative /li(ə)l repr|
zentətv/ noun a barrister, solicitor, or
legal executive, who acts on behalf of a
party in a case
legal right legal right /li(ə)l rat/ noun a right
which exists under law
legal secretary legal secretary /li(ə)l
sekrət(ə)ri/ noun a secretary in a firm
of solicitors or the legal department of a
company
legal separation legal separation /li(ə)l sepə|
reʃ(ə)n/ noun same as judicial separation
Legal Services Commission Legal Services Commission
/li(ə)l s$vsz kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun a
body set up to run the Community Legal
Service and the Criminal Defence Service.
Abbreviation LSC. Former name
Legal Aid
legal status legal status /li(ə)l stetəs/ noun a
legal identity of a person or body such as
a company or partnership
legal tender legal tender /li(ə)l tendə/ noun
coins or notes which can be legally used
to pay a debt (NOTE: Small denominations
cannot be used to pay large
debts.)
legal writer legal writer /li(ə)l ratə/ noun
somebody who writes and publishes
commentaries on legal problems
legatee legatee /leə|ti/ noun somebody
who receives a legacy from someone
who has died
legis legis corpus legis, ratio legis
legislate legislate /ledslet/ verb to make a
law Parliament has legislated against
the sale of drugs or to prevent the sale of
drugs.
legislation legislation /led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun the
set of laws that have been agreed by Parliament
and are implemented by the
courts
legislative legislative /ledslətv/ adjective
used to make laws Parliament has a
legislative function.
legislative initiative legislative initiative /ledslətv |
nʃətv/ noun the power to propose legislation
Member States of the EU have
the right of initiative in all legal and internal
matters.
legislative veto legislative veto /ledslətv
vitəυ/ noun a clause written into legislation
relating to government agencies,
which states that the agency cannot act in
a way that the US Congress does not approve
legislator legislator /ledsletə/ noun a person
who makes or passes laws as a member
of a national or other legislative body
legislature legislature /ledslətʃə/ noun 1. the
part of a national or other government
which makes or changes laws Members
of the legislature voted against the
proposal. (NOTE: The other parts are the
executive and the judiciary.) 2. the
building where a Parliament meets The
protesters marched towards the State
Legislature.
legitimacy legitimacy /l|dtməsi/ noun 1. the
state of being legitimate The court
doubted the legitimacy of his claim. 2. a
court case to make someone legitimate
legitimate legitimate adjective /l|dtmət/ 1.
allowed by law He has a legitimate
claim to the property. 2. born to parents
who are married to each other He left
his property to his legitimate offspring.
illegitimate verb /l|dtmet/ to
make a child legitimate
legitimate expectations legitimate expectations /l|
dtmət ekspek|teʃ(ə)nz/ plural
noun expectations of an employee which
are usual and what one might expect employees
to have
legitimation legitimation /l|dt|meʃ(ə)n/, legitimisation
/l|dtma|zeʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of making a child legitimate,
e.g. by the marriage of the parents
lend lend /lend/ verb to allow someone to
use something for a period to lend
something to someone or to lend someone
something He lent the company
money or he lent money to the company.
She lent the company car to her daughter.
The bank lent him £50,000 to start
his business.
lender lender /lendə/ noun somebody who
lends money
lender of the last resort 178
lender of the last resort lender of the last resort /lendə əv
d lɑst r|zɔt/ noun a central bank
which lends money to commercial banks
lending lending /lendŋ/ noun the act of letting
someone use money for a time
lending limit lending limit /lendŋ lmt/ noun a
limit on the amount of money a bank can
lend
lessee lessee /le|si/ noun a person who pays
rent for a property he or she leases from
a lessor
lessor /le|sɔ/ noun somebody who
grants a lease on a property to a lessee
let let /let/ verb 1. to allow someone to do
something The magistrate let the prisoner
speak to his wife. 2. to lend a property
such as house, office, farm to someone
for a payment to let an office to allow
someone to use an office for a time
in return for payment of rent offices to
let offices which are available to be
leased by companies noun 1. a period
of the lease of a property They took the
office on a short let. 2. without let or
hindrance without any obstruction
out clause let-out clause /let aυt klɔz/ noun a
clause which allows someone to avoid
doing something in a contract He added
a let-out clause to the effect that the
payments would be revised if the exchange
rate fell by more than 5%.
letter letter /letə/ noun 1. a piece of writing
sent from one person or company to another
to give information 2. air letter
special thin blue paper which when folded
can be sent by air without an envelope
airmail letter letter sent by air 3. to
acknowledge receipt by letter to write a
letter to say that something has been received
4. a written or printed symbol
such as A, B, C Write your name and
address in block letters or in capital letters.
before action letter before action /letə b|fɔ
kʃən/ noun a letter written by a lawyer
to give a party the chance to pay the client
before he or she sues
letter of acknowledgement letter of acknowledgement /letər
əv ək|nɒldmənt/ noun a letter which
says that something has been received
letter of allotment letter of allotment /letər əv ə|
lɒtmənt/ noun a letter which tells
someone how many shares in a new company
he or she has been allotted
letter of application letter of application /letər əv pl|
keʃ(ə)n/ noun a letter in which someone
applies for a job or applies for shares
in a new company
letter of appointment letter of appointment /letər əv ə|
pɔntmənt/ noun a letter in which
someone is appointed to a job
letter of attorney letter of attorney /letər əv ə|t$ni/
noun a document showing that someone
has power of attorney
letter of comfort letter of comfort /letər əv k mfət/
noun a letter supporting someone who is
trying to get a loan
letter of complaint letter of complaint /letər əv kəm|
plent/ noun a letter in which someone
complains
letter of credit letter of credit /letə əv kredt/
noun a letter from a bank authorising
payment of a specific sum to a person or
company, usually in another country.
Abbreviation L/C
letter of demand letter of demand /letə əv d|mɑnd/
noun US a letter issued by a party or lawyer
demanding payment before taking
legal action
letter of indemnity letter of indemnity /letər əv n|
demnti/ noun a letter promising payment
of compensation for a loss
letter of intent letter of intent /letər əv n|tent/
noun a letter which states what someone
intends to do if a specific thing takes
place
letter of reference letter of reference /letər əv
ref(ə)rəns/ noun a letter in which an
employer or former employer recommends
someone for a new job
letter of renunciation letter of renunciation /letər əv r|
n nsi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun a form sent with
new shares, which allows the person who
has been allotted the shares to refuse to
accept them and so sell them to someone
else
letter of request letter of request /letə əv r|kwest/
noun a letter to a court in another country,
asking for evidence to be taken from
someone under that court’s jurisdiction
letters of administration letters of administration /letəz əv
ədmn|streʃ(ə)n/ noun a document
given by a court to allow someone to deal
with the estate of a person who has died
without leaving a will or where the exec-
179 licence
utor appointed under the will cannot act
(NOTE: not used in the singular)
letters patent letters patent /letəz petənt/ plural
noun an official document from the
Crown, which gives someone the exclusive
right to do something such as becoming
a lord or making and selling an
invention
letting agency letting agency /letŋ edənsi/
noun an agency which deals in property
to let
levy levy /levi/ noun a type of tax which is
collected by the government or an official
body verb to demand payment of a
tax or an extra payment and to collect it
to levy a duty on the import of computer
parts The government has decided
to levy a tax on imported cars.
lex lex /leks/ noun a Latin word meaning
‘law’
lex fori lex fori /leks fɔri/ noun the law of
the place where the case is being heard
lex loci actus lex loci actus /leks ləυka ktəs/
noun the law of the place where the act
took place
lex loci contractus lex loci contractus /leks ləυka
kən|trktəs/ noun the law of the place
where the contract was made
lex loci delicti lex loci delicti /leks ləυka d|
lekta/ noun the law of the place where
the crime was committed
liabilities liabilities /laə|bltiz/ plural noun
debts of a business The balance sheet
shows the company’s assets and liabilities.
liability liability /laə|blti/ noun 1. the fact of
being legally responsible for paying for
damage or loss incurred His insurers
have admitted liability but the amount of
damages has not yet been agreed. to
accept, to admit liability for something
to agree that you are responsible for
something to refuse liability for
something to refuse to agree that you are
responsible for something 2. he was
not able to meet his liabilities he could
not pay his debts to discharge one’s liabilities
in full to repay all debts
liability clause liability clause /laə|blti klɔz/
noun a clause in the articles of association
of a company which states that the
liability of its members is limited
liable liable /laəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. legally
responsible for something The customer
is liable for breakages. The chairman
was personally liable for the company’s
debts. He was found by the
judge to be liable for the accident. He
will be found liable if he assists a trustee
to commit a dishonest breach of trust. 2.
officially due to pay or do something
sales which are liable to stamp duty
Such an action renders him liable to a
fine.
libel libel /lab(ə)l/ noun 1. a published or
broadcast statement which damages
someone’s character She claimed that
the newspaper report was a libel. 2. the
act of making a libel action for libel,
libel action case in a law court where
someone says that another person has
written a libel about him verb to damage
someone’s character in writing or in
a broadcast (NOTE: libelling – libelled.
The US spelling is libeling – libeled.)
libeller libeller /lab(ə)lə/ noun somebody
who has libelled someone
libellous libellous /labələs/ adjective casting
a slur on someone’s character She said
that the report was libellous.
liberty liberty /lbəti/ noun the situation of
being free at liberty free, not in prison
They are still at liberty while waiting
for charges to be brought. liberty of
the individual freedom for each person
to act within the law liberty of the
press freedom of newspapers to publish
what they want within the law without
censorship liberty of the subject the
right of a citizen to be free unless convicted
of a crime which is punishable by
imprisonment
licence licence /las(ə)ns/, license US
/las(ə)ns/ noun 1. an official document
which allows someone to do something
or to use something He granted his
neighbour a licence to use his field. licence
to sell liquor, liquor licence document
given by the Magistrates’ Court
allowing someone to sell alcohol on licence
a licence to sell alcohol for drinking
on the premises, usually in a bar or
restaurant 2. permission given by someone
to another person to do something
which would otherwise be illegal 3. permission
for someone to leave prison be-
license 180
fore the end of his or her sentence 4.
goods manufactured under licence
goods made with the permission of the
owner of the copyright or patent
license license /las(ə)ns/ noun US spelling
of licence verb to give someone official
permission to do something licensed
to sell beers, wines and spirits
to license a company to produce spare
parts He is licensed to drive a lorry.
She is licensed to run an employment
agency.
licensed deposit-taker licensed deposit-taker /las(ə)nst
d|pɒzt tekə/ noun a business such as
a bank which takes deposits from individuals
and lends the money to others
licensed premises licensed premises /las(ə)nst
premisz/ plural noun a pub, restaurant,
bar or shop which has a licence to sell alcohol
licensee licensee /las(ə)n|si/ noun a person
who has a licence allowing them to carry
out an activity such as selling alcohol or
manufacturing or extracting something
licensing licensing /las(ə)nsŋ/ adjective relating
to licences
licensing agreement licensing agreement /las(ə)nsŋ ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement where a
person is granted a licence to manufacture
or use something
licensing hours licensing hours /las(ə)nsŋ aυəz/
plural noun hours of the day where alcohol
can be bought to be drunk on the
premises
licensing magistrates licensing magistrates /las(ə)nsŋ
mdstrets/ plural noun magistrates
who grant licences to persons or premises
for the sale of alcohol
licit licit /lst/ adjective legal
lie lie /la/ noun a statement which is not
true
lie detector lie detector /la d|tektə/ noun a machine
which detects if a person is telling
the truth
lien lien /liən/ noun the legal right to hold
someone’s goods and keep them until a
debt has been paid The garage had a
lien on her car until she paid the repair
bill.
lien on shares lien on shares /liən ɒn ʃeəz/ noun
a right of a company to sell shares which
have not been fully paid up, when the
shareholder refuses to pay for them fully
lieu lieu /lju/ noun in lieu of instead of
to give someone two months’ salary in
lieu of notice to give an employee money
equivalent to the salary for two
months’ work and ask him to leave immediately
lie upon the table lie upon the table /la |pɒn də
teb(ə)l/ verb (of a petition) to have
been put before the House of Commons
COMMENT: After a petition has been
presented by an MP it is said to ‘lie
upon the table’.
life life /laf/ noun 1. the time when a person
is alive for life for as long as someone
is alive His pension gives him a
comfortable income for life. the life assured,
the life insured the person whose
life has been covered by the life assurance
2. the period of time when something
is in existence the life of a loan
during the life of the agreement shelf
life of a product length of time when a
product can stay in the shop and still be
good to use
life annuity life annuity /laf ə|njuti/ noun annual
payments made to someone for the
rest of their life
life assurance life assurance /laf ə|ʃυərəns/ noun
insurance which pays a sum of money
when someone dies, or at a specified date
if the person is still alive
life imprisonment life imprisonment /laf m|
prz(ə)nmənt/ noun the punishment of
being sent to prison for a serious crime,
but not necessarily for the whole of your
life (NOTE: As a penalty for murder, life
imprisonment lasts on average ten
years in the UK)
life insurance life insurance /laf n|ʃυərəns/
noun same as life assurance
life interest life interest /laf ntrəst/ noun a situation
where someone benefits from a
property as long as he or she is alive
life peer life peer /laf pə/ noun a member of
the House of Lords who is appointed for
life and whose title does not pass to another
member of the family
preserver life preserver /laf pr|z$və/ noun a
heavy club or cosh
lifer /lafə/ noun somebody serving a
life sentence (slang)
LIFO LIFO abbreviation last in first out
181 liquidate
lift lift /lft/ verb 1. to take away or to remove
The government has lifted the
ban on imports of technical equipment.
The minister has lifted the embargo on
the export of firearms. Proceedings
will continue when the stay is lifted. 2. to
steal (informal)
lightning factor lightning factor /latnŋ fktə/
noun the possibility that even a good
case may fail for an unexpected reason,
which is one of the factors to be taken
into account when preparing a conditional
fee agreement (informal)
likelihood likelihood /laklihυd/ noun the fact
of being likely
likelihood of bias likelihood of bias /laklihυd əv
baəs/ noun the possibility that bias will
occur because of a connection between a
member of the court and a party in the
case
limit limit /lmt/ noun a point at which
something ends to set limits to imports,
to impose limits on imports to
allow only a specific amount of goods to
be imported he has exceeded his credit
limit he has borrowed more money
than he is allowed to do verb to stop
something from going beyond a specific
point The court limited damages to
£100. the banks have limited their
credit the banks have allowed their customers
only a limited amount of credit
limitation limitation /lm|teʃ(ə)n/ noun the act
of allowing only a limited amount of
something The contract imposes limitations
on the number of cars which can
be imported.
limitation of actions limitation of actions /lmteʃ(ə)n
əv kʃ(ə)nz/ noun a law which allows
only a specific amount of time, usually
six years, for someone to start legal proceedings
in order to claim property or
compensation for damage
limitation of liability limitation of liability /lmteʃ(ə)n
əv laə|blti/ noun 1. making someone
liable for only a part of the damage or
loss 2. making shareholders in a limited
company liable for the debts of the company
only in proportion to their shareholding
limitation period limitation period /lm|teʃ(ə)n
pəriəd/ noun a period during which
someone who has a right to claim against
another person must start court proceedings.
If the claim is not made in time, this
may be used as a defence argument.
limited limited /lmtd/ adjective restricted
limited liability limited liability /lmtd laə|blti/
noun the legal principle that individual
members of limited liability company
are liable for that company’s debts only
to the value of their shares
limited liability company limited liability company /lmtd
laə|blti k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company
where each shareholder is responsible
for repaying the company’s debts only to
the face value of the shares he or she
owns
limited market limited market /lmtd mɑkt/
noun a market which can take only a specific
quantity of goods
limited partner limited partner /lmtd pɑtnə/
noun a partner who has only limited liability
for the partnership debts
limited partnership limited partnership /lmtd
pɑtnəʃp/ noun a partnership where
the liability of some of the partners is
limited to the amount of capital they have
each provided to the business while other
working partners are fully liable for all
the obligations of the partnership. These
partners with limited liability may not
take part in the running of the business.
limited warranty limited warranty /lmtd wɒrənt/
noun a warranty which is limited in
some way such as being valid only for a
specific period of time or under special
conditions of use
limiting limiting /lmtŋ/ adjective restricting
a limiting clause in a contract The
short holiday season is a limiting factor
on the hotel trade.
Lincoln’s Inn Lincoln’s Inn /lnkənz n/ noun one
of the four Inns of Court in London
lineal descent lineal descent /lniəl d|sent/ noun
direct descent from parent to child
line management line management /lan
mndmənt/ noun a type of business
organisation where each manager is directly
responsible for a stage in the operation
of the business
liquid assets liquid assets /lkwd sets/ noun
cash, or bills which can be quickly converted
into cash
liquidate liquidate /lkwdet/ verb to liquidate
a company to wind up a company,
to close down a company and sell its as-
liquidated damages 182
sets to liquidate a debt to pay a debt in
full to liquidate assets, stock to sell
assets or stock to raise cash
liquidated damages liquidated damages /lkwdetd
dmdz/ plural noun specific amount
which has been calculated as the loss suffered
liquidation liquidation /lkw|deʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
liquidation of a debt payment of a
debt in full 2. the closing of a company
and selling of its assets the company
went into liquidation the company was
closed and its assets sold
liquidator liquidator /lkwdetə/ noun somebody
who administers the assets and supervises
the winding up of a company
liquidity liquidity /l|kwdti/ noun the situation
of having cash or assets which can
easily be sold to raise cash The company
was going through a liquidity crisis
and had to stop payments.
lis lis /ls/ noun a Latin word meaning
‘lawsuit’
lis alibi pendens lis alibi pendens /ls lba
pendenz/ noun a legal action has been
started in another place
lis pendens lis pendens /ls pendenz/ noun
pending suit
list list /lst/ noun 1. a set of several items
written one after the other list of debtors
to add an item to a list to cross
someone’s name off a list list of cases
to be heard 2. a particular court to which
cases are allocated according to their
subject 3. a catalogue verb 1. to write
a series of items one after the other The
catalogue lists products by category. 2.
to decide on the date at which a case will
be heard The case is listed to be heard
next week.
listed building listed building /lstd bldŋ/ noun
a building of special interest, often because
it is old, which the owners cannot
alter or demolish
listing listing /lstŋ/ noun the action of
scheduling a case to be heard on a specific
date
listing hearing listing hearing /lstŋ hərŋ/ noun
a hearing which may be held at which a
court decides on the date at which a case
will be heard
listing questionnaire listing questionnaire /lstŋ
k(w)estʃə|neə/ noun a questionnaire
sent by a court to the parties in a case allocated
to the fast track, in which they
must give details of things such as documents,
witnesses, expert evidence. The
questionnaire has to be filed with the
court within 14 days and is used by the
court to decide on scheduling the date
when the case will be heard.
list of documents list of documents /lst əv dɒkjυ|
ments/ noun a list prepared by parties
in a civil action giving disclosure of documents
relevant to the action
list of members list of members /lst əv membəz/
noun an annual return made by a company
listing its shareholders
litem litem ad litem
literal rule literal rule /lt(ə)rəl rul/ noun a rule
that, when interpreting a statute, the
court should give the words of the statute
their most obvious meaning
litigant litigant /ltənt/ noun somebody
who brings a lawsuit against someone
litigant in person litigant in person /ltənt n
p$s(ə)n/ noun a person bringing a lawsuit
who also speaks on his or her own
behalf in court without the help of a lawyer
litigate litigate /ltet/ verb to bring a lawsuit
against someone to have a dispute
settled
litigation litigation /lt|eʃ(ə)n/ noun the action
of bringing a lawsuit against someone
to have a dispute settled He has got
into litigation with the county council.
litigation friend litigation friend /lt|eʃ(ə)n
frend/ noun somebody who represents a
child or patient in court, and whose duty
is to act in the best interests of the child
or patient
litigation practitioner litigation practitioner /lt|
eʃ(ə)n prk|tʃ(ə)nə/ noun a lawyer
who specialises in litigation
litigious litigious /l|tdəs/ adjective very
willing to bring a lawsuit against someone
to settle a disagreement
living off immoral earnings living off immoral earnings /lvŋ
ɒf |mɒrəl $nŋz/ noun the offence of
making a living from money obtained
from prostitutes
LJLJ abbreviation Lord Justice (NOTE:
written after the surname of the judge in
legal reports: Smith LJ said he was not
laying down any guidelines for sentenc-
183 logrolling
ing but Smith LJ is spoken as ‘Lord
Justice Smith’.)
LJJ LJJ abbreviation lord justices
LL.B. LL.B., LL.M., LL.D. abbreviation letters
written after someone’s name, showing
that he or she has the degree of Bachelor
of Laws, Master of Laws or Doctor
of Laws
Lloyd’s Lloyd’s /lɔdz/ noun a central London
market for underwriting insurances
ship which is A1 at Lloyd’s ship which
is in best condition according to Lloyd’s
Register
Lloyd’s Register Lloyd’s Register /lɔdz redstə/
noun a classified list showing details of
all the ships in the world
Lloyd’s underwriter Lloyd’s underwriter /lɔdz
ndəratə/ noun a member of an insurance
group at Lloyd’s who accepts to underwrite
insurances
loan loan /ləυn/ noun money that has been
lent short-term loan, long-term loan
loans which have to be repaid within a
few weeks or some years verb to lend
loan stock loan stock /ləυn stɒk/ noun money
lent to a company at a fixed rate of interest
lobby lobby /lɒbi/ noun a group of people or
pressure group which tries to influence
MPs or the passage of legislation the
car lobby people who try to persuade
government that cars should be encouraged
and not restricted the environmentalist
lobby people who try to persuade
government that the environment
must be protected, pollution stopped, etc.
lobbyist lobbyist /lɒbist/ noun somebody
who is paid to represent a pressure group
local call local call /ləυk(ə)l kɔl/ noun a call
to a number on the same exchange
local court local court /ləυk(ə)l kɔt/ noun a
court such as a magistrates’ court which
hears cases coming from its local area
local custom local custom /ləυk(ə)l k stəm/
noun the way in which things are usually
done in a particular place
loc. cit. loc. cit. phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘in the place which has been mentioned’
(NOTE: used when referring to a point in
a legal text: ‘see also Smith J in Jones
v. Associated Steel Ltd loc. cit. line
26’)
locking up locking up /lɒkŋ p/ noun the
locking up of money in stock investing
money in stock so that it cannot be used
for other, possibly more profitable, investments
lock up lock up /lɒk p/ verb 1. to put someone
in prison or a psychiatric hospital 2.
to lock up a shop, an office to close
and lock the door at the end of the day’s
work to lock up capital to have capital
invested in such a way that it cannot be
used for other investments
lock-up lock-up /lɒk p/ adjective lock-up
shop shop which has no living accommodation
which the proprietor locks at
night when it is closed noun a prison
(informal)
loco loco in loco parentis
locum locum /ləυkəm/, locum tenens
/ləυkəm tenənz/ noun somebody who
takes the place of another person for a
time locums wanted in South London
locus /ləυkəs/ noun a Latin word
meaning ‘place’
locus sigilli locus sigilli /ləυkəs s|dla/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘place of
the seal’: used to show where to put the
seal on a document
standi locus standi /ləυkəs stnda/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘place to
stand’: the right to be heard in a court
The taxpayer does not have locus standi
in this court.
lodge /lɒd/ verb to deposit something
such as a document officially to lodge
caution to deposit a document with the
Land Registry which prevents land or
property being sold without notice to
lodge a complaint against someone to
make an official complaint about someone
to lodge money with someone to
deposit money with someone to lodge
securities as collateral to put securities
into a bank to be used as collateral for a
loan
lodger lodger /lɒdə/ noun somebody who
lives in a house or part of a house which
is owned by a resident landlord
logrolling logrolling /lɒrəυlŋ/ noun US the
act of attaching a bill to another more
popular bill before Congress in the hope
that the two will be passed together
loitering with intent 184
with intent loitering with intent /lɔtərŋ wd
n|tent/ noun the offence of walking
slowly, stopping frequently, especially to
solicit sexual relations
gold fixing London gold fixing /l ndən əυld
fksŋ/ noun a system where the world
price for gold is set each day in London
credit long credit /lɒŋ kredt/ noun credit
terms which allow the borrower a long
time to pay
dated bills long-dated bills /lɒŋ detd blz/
plural noun bills of exchange which are
payable in more than three months’ time
long-distance call long-distance call /lɒŋ dstəns
kɔl/ noun a call to a number in a different
zone or area
long lease long lease /lɒŋ lis/ noun a lease
which runs for fifty years or more to
take an office building on a long lease
longs /lɒŋz/ plural noun government
stocks which mature in over fifteen
years’ time
standing customer long-standing customer /lɒŋ
stndŋ k stəmə/ noun somebody
who has been a customer for many years
tenancy long tenancy /lɒŋ tenənsi/ noun
tenancy for a period of more than 21
years
long-term long-term /lɒŋ t$m/ adjective on
a long-term basis for a long period of
time
term debts long-term debts /lɒŋ t$m dets/
plural noun debts which will be repaid
many years later
term forecast long-term forecast /lɒŋ t$m
fɔkɑst/ noun a forecast for a period of
over three years
term liabilities long-term liabilities /lɒŋ t$m laə|
bltiz/ plural noun debts which are not
due to be repaid for some years
term loan long-term loan /lɒŋ t$m ləυn/
noun a loan to be repaid many years later
term objective long-term objective /lɒŋ t$m əb|
dektv/, short-term objective /ʃɔt
t$m əb|dektv/ noun an aim which
you hope to achieve within a few years or
a few months
term objectives long-term objectives /lɒŋ t$m əb|
dektvz/ plural noun aims which will
take years to fulfil
Long Vacation Long Vacation /lɒŋ və|keʃ(ə)n/
noun the summer holiday of the law
courts and universities
loophole loophole /luphəυl/ noun to find a
loophole in the law to find a means of
doing what you want to do, by finding a
way of getting round a law which otherwise
would prevent you from acting to
find a tax loophole to find a means of legally
not paying tax
loot loot /lut/ noun stolen money or goods
verb to steal goods from shops, warehouses
or homes during a period of unrest,
disaster or lack of government control
The stores were looted by a mob of
hooligans.
looter looter /lutə/ noun a person who steals
valuables from shops, warehouses or
homes during a period of unrest, disaster
or lack of government control
looting looting /lutŋ/ noun the act of stealing
valuable goods The police cordoned
off the area to prevent looting.
Lord Advocate Lord Advocate /lɔd dvəkət/
noun a member of the government who
is one of the two Law Officers in Scotland
Lord Chancellor Lord Chancellor /lɔd tʃɑnsələ/
noun the member of the British government
and cabinet who is responsible for
the administration of justice and the appointment
of judges in England and
Wales and who also presides over the debates
in the House of Lords. The post is
to be abolished and the role will be undertaken
by the Secretary of State for
Constitutional Affairs.
Lord Chief Justice Lord Chief Justice /lɔd tʃif
d sts/ noun the chief judge of the
Queen’s Bench Division of the High
Court who is also a member of the Court
of Appeal
Lord Justice Lord Justice /lɔd d sts/ noun
the title given to a judge who is a member
of the House of Lords and the Court of
Appeal (NOTE: It may be written abbreviated
as LJ, or LJJ for the plural, after
a surname: Smith LJ or Jones and
White LJJ.)
Lord Justice Clerk Lord Justice Clerk /lɔd d sts
klɑk/ noun the second most important
judge in the Scottish High Court of Justiciary
(NOTE: Lord Justice is written LJ
185 lynch law
after the name: Smith LJ = Lord Justice
Smith)
Lord Justice General Lord Justice General /lɔd d sts
den(ə)rəl/ noun the chief judge in the
Scottish High Court of Judiciary
Lord Lieutenant Lord Lieutenant /lɔd lef|tenənt/
noun the representative of the Crown in
a county
Lord of Appeal Lord of Appeal /lɔd əv ə|pil/ noun
a member of the House of Lords who sits
when the House is acting as a Court of
Appeal
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary Lord of Appeal in Ordinary /lɔd
əv ə|pil n ɔd(ə)n(ə)ri/ noun one of
eleven lords who are paid to sit as members
of the House of Lords when it acts
as a Court of Appeal
Lord Ordinary Lord Ordinary /lɔd ɔd(ə)n(ə)ri/
noun a judge of first instance in the outer
house of the Scottish Court of Session
Lord President Lord President /lɔd prezdənt/
noun a judge of the Scottish Court of
Session
Lord President of the Council Lord President of the Council
/lɔd prezdənt əv də kaυns(ə)l/
noun a senior member of the UK government,
who is a member of the House of
Lords and head of the Privy Council Office
and has other duties allocated by the
Prime Minister
Lords Lords /lɔdz/ plural noun 1. the House
of Lords The Lords voted to amend the
Bill. 2. members of the House of Lords
the Law Lords members of the House of
Lords who are or were judges, and are
entitled to sit on the Court of Appeal
lose lose /luz/ verb 1. not to be successful
in a legal case He lost his appeal to the
House of Lords. She lost her case for
compensation. 2. not to have something
any more to lose an order not to get an
order which you were hoping to get
During the strike, the company lost six
orders to American competitors. to
lose control of a company to find that
you have less than 50% of the shares and
so are no longer able to direct the company
she lost her job when the factory
closed she was made redundant 3. to
have less money He lost £25,000 in his
father’s computer company. the pound
has lost value the pound is worth less 4.
to drop to a lower price The dollar lost
two cents against the pound. Gold
shares lost 5% on the market yesterday.
(NOTE: losing – lost – has lost)
loss loss /lɒs/ noun 1. the car was written
off as a dead loss, a total loss the car
was so badly damaged that the insurers
said it had no value 2. loss in weight
goods which weigh less than when they
were packed loss in transport amount
of weight which is lost while goods are
being shipped
loss adjuster loss adjuster /lɒs ə|d stə/ noun
same as average adjuster
loss-leader loss-leader /lɒs lidə/ noun an article
which is sold very cheaply to attract
customers
lost profits lost profits /lɒst prɒfts/ plural
noun profits which would have been
made from a transaction which is the
subject of an action for breach of contract
Lower Chamber Lower Chamber /ləυə tʃembə/
noun the less important of the two houses
in a bicameral system of government.
Opposite Upper Chamber (NOTE: The
opposite is upper.)
LSC LSC abbreviation Legal Services Commission
lump sum lump sum /l mp s m/ noun an
amount of money that is paid in one single
payment, not in several small
amounts He received a lump sum payment
of £500. The company offer a
lump sum of £1,000 as an out-of-court
settlement.
lynch lynch /lntʃ/ verb to catch an accused
person and kill him, usually by hanging,
without a trial
lynch law lynch law /lntʃ lɔ/ noun the killing
of accused persons by a mob without a
trial
M
mace-bearer mace-bearer /mes beərə/ noun an
official who carries a mace in procession
readable codes machine-readable codes /mə|ʃin
ridəb(ə)l kəυds/ plural noun sets of
signs or letters such as bar codes or post
codes which can be read by computers
shop machine shop /mə|ʃin ʃɒp/ noun a
place where working machines are kept
Chairman Madam Chairman /mdəm
tʃeəmən/ noun a way of addressing a
woman who is in the chair at the meeting
Mafia /mfiə/ noun any organised
group of criminals the Russian drugs
mafia
magistrate /mdstret/ noun a
usually unpaid official who tries cases in
a police court
COMMENT: The Magistrates’ Courts
hear cases of petty crime, adoption,
affiliation, maintenance and violence
in the home; they hear almost all criminal
cases. The court can commit
someone for trial or for sentence in the
Crown Court. A stipendiary magistrate
is a qualified lawyer who usually sits
alone; lay magistrates usually sit as a
bench of three, and can only sit if there
is a justices’ clerk present to advise
them.
clerk magistrates’ clerk /mdstrets
klɑk/ noun an official of a magistrates’
court who gives advice to the magistrates
on law, practice or procedure
court magistrates’ court /mdstrets
kɔt/ noun 1. a building where magistrates
try cases 2. a court presided over
by magistrates
courts committee magistrates’ courts committee
/mdstrets kɔt kə|mti/ noun a
committee which organises the administration
of the courts in one or more petty
sessions areas
mail-order selling mail-order selling /mel ɔdə
selŋ/ noun the activity of selling by
taking orders and supplying a product by
post
maintenance maintenance /mentənəns/ noun 1.
the activity of keeping things going or
working The maintenance of law and
order is in the hands of the local police
force. 2. a payment made by a divorced
or separated husband or wife to the
former spouse, to help pay for living expenses
and the cost of bringing up the
children 3. formerly, the crime or tort of
unlawfully providing someone with
money to help that person to pay the
costs of suing a third party
maintenance agreement maintenance agreement
/mentənəns ə|rimənt/ noun an
agreement drawn up between a married
couple, detailing the financial arrangements
which will be set up if they separate
maintenance contract maintenance contract
/mentənəns kɒntrkt/ noun a contract
by which a company keeps a piece
of equipment in good working order
maintenance order maintenance order /mentənəns
ɔdə/ noun a court order which orders a
divorced or separated husband or wife to
pay maintenance to the former spouse
maintenance pending suit maintenance pending suit
/mentənəns pendŋ sut/ noun
maintenance obtained by a spouse in
matrimonial proceedings until there is a
full hearing to deal with the couple’s financial
affairs (NOTE: The US term is alimony.)
Majesty Majesty /mdəsti/ noun the title
given to a King or Queen His Majesty,
the King Their Majesties, the King and
Queen ‘Your Majesty, the Ambassador
has arrived’ on Her Majesty’s Serv-
187 manendi
ice (OHMS) words printed on official
letters from government departments.
Her Majesty’s pleasure
majeure /m|$/ force majeure
majority /mə|dɒrti/ noun 1. a larger
group than any other a majority of the
jury more than 50% of the jury the
board accepted the proposal by a majority
of three to two three members of
the board voted to accept and two voted
against a majority shareholder person
who owns more than half the shares
in a company 2. the age at which someone
becomes responsible for his actions
and can sue, be sued or undertake business
transactions
COMMENT: The age of majority in the
UK and USA is eighteen.
verdict majority verdict /mə|dɒrti
v$dkt/ noun a verdict reached by a
jury where at least ten jurors vote for the
verdict (NOTE: In US English plurality is
used to indicate a majority over another
candidate, and majority is used to indicate
having more votes than all other
candidates put together.)
shareholder major shareholder /medə
ʃeəhəυldə/ noun a shareholder with a
large number of shares
maladministration /mləd|mn|
streʃ(ə)n/ noun incompetent or illegal
administration
in se mala in se /mlə n se/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘wrongs in themselves’:
acts such as murder which are in
themselves crimes
prohibita mala prohibita /mlə prəυ|hbtə/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘forbidden
wrongs’: acts such as walking on the
grass in a park which are not crimes in
themselves, but which are forbidden
malfeasance /ml|fiz(ə)ns/ noun
an unlawful act
malice /mls/ noun the act of intentionally
committing an act from wrong
motives, or the intention to commit a
crime with malice aforethought with
the intention of committing a crime (especially
murder)
malicious /mə|lʃəs/ adjective intending
to cause harm
malicious damage malicious damage /mə|lʃəs
dmd/ noun the deliberate and intentional
harming of property
maliciously maliciously /mə|lʃəsli/ adverb in a
malicious way, with the intention of
causing harm He claimed that he had
been prosecuted maliciously.
malicious prosecution malicious prosecution /mə|lʃəs
prɒs|kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun the tort of charging
someone with a crime out of malice
and without proper reason
malicious wounding malicious wounding /mə|lʃəs
wundŋ/ noun the offence of inflicting
grievous bodily harm on someone with
the purpose of causing them injury
malpractice malpractice /ml|prkts/ noun (referring
to a lawyer, doctor, accountant
or other professional person) acting in
an unprofessional or illegal way
managing clerk managing clerk /mndŋ klɑk/
noun a former term for a legal executive
mandamus mandamus /mn|deməs/ Latin
word meaning ‘we command’: a court
order from the Divisional Court of the
Queen’s Bench Division, ordering a
body such as a lower court or tribunal to
perform a legal duty The Chief Constable
applied for an order of mandamus directing
the justices to rehear the case.
mandate mandate noun /mndet/ the authority
given to a person or persons to act on
behalf of the person or persons giving the
authority and carry out their wishes
The government has a mandate from the
people to carry out the plans put forward
in its manifesto. to seek a new mandate
to try to be re-elected to a position
verb /mn|det/ to give a person or
persons the authority to carry out a specific
action on behalf of another person
or persons and according to their wishes
The government has been mandated to
revise the tax system.
mandatory mandatory /mndət(ə)ri/ adjective
obligatory
mandatory injunction mandatory injunction
/mndət(ə)ri n|d ŋkʃən/ noun an
order from a court which compels someone
to do something
mandatory meeting mandatory meeting /mndət(ə)ri
mitŋ/ noun a meeting which must be
held or which all members have to attend
manendi manendi animus manendi
manifest 188
manifest manifest /mnfest/ adjective obvious
a manifest injustice
manipulate manipulate /mə|npjυ|let/ verb to
manipulate the accounts to make false
accounts so that the company seems
profitable to manipulate the market
to work to influence share prices in your
favour
manslaughter manslaughter /mnslɔtə/ noun the
notifiable offence of killing someone
without having intended to do so, or of
killing someone intentionally but with
mitigating circumstances He was accused
of manslaughter. She was convicted
of the manslaughter of her husband.
manual labour manual labour /mnjυəl lebə/
noun work done by hand
manual labourer manual labourer /mnjυəl
lebərə/ noun somebody who does
work with their hands
Mareva injunction Mareva injunction /mə|revə n|
d ŋkʃ(ə)n/ noun formerly, a court order
to freeze the assets of a person who
has gone overseas or of a company based
overseas to prevent them being taken out
of the country (NOTE: Called after the
case of Mareva Compania Naviera SA
v. International Bulk-Carriers SA. Since
the introduction of the new Civil Procedure
Rules in April 1999, this term has
been replaced by freezing injunction.)
marine insurance marine insurance /mə|rin n|
ʃυərəns/ noun insurance of ships and
their cargoes
marine underwriter marine underwriter /mə|rin
ndəratə/ noun somebody who insures
ships and their cargoes
marital marital /mrt(ə)l/ adjective referring
to a marriage
marital privileges marital privileges /mrt(ə)l
prvəlds/ plural noun privilege of a
spouse not to give evidence against the
other spouse in some criminal proceedings
marital rape marital rape /mrt(ə)l rep/ noun
the act of a husband forcing his wife to
have sexual intercourse without her consent
maritime law maritime law /mrtam lɔ/ noun
the set of laws referring to ships, ports,
etc.
maritime lawyer maritime lawyer /mrtam lɔjə/
noun a lawyer who specialises in legal
matters concerning ships and cargoes
maritime lien maritime lien /mrtam liən/
noun the right to seize a ship against an
unpaid debt
maritime trade maritime trade /mrtam tred/
noun the activity of carrying commercial
goods by sea
mark mark /mɑk/ noun a cross (‘X’) put on
a document in place of a signature by
someone who cannot write
market market /mɑkt/ noun 1. to pay
black market prices to pay high prices
to get items which are not easily available
2. a buyer’s market market where
goods are sold cheaply because there is
little demand a seller’s market market
where the seller can ask high prices because
there is a large demand for the
product 3. the foreign exchange markets
market where people buy and sell
foreign currencies 4. to buy shares in
the open market to buy shares on the
Stock Exchange, not privately
marketable title marketable title /mɑktəb(ə)l
tat(ə)l/ noun a title to a property which
can be sold, i.e. it is free of major encumbrances
market capitalisation market capitalisation /mɑkt
kptəla|zeʃ(ə)n/ noun the value of a
company calculated by multiplying the
price of its shares on the Stock Exchange
by the number of shares issued
market day market day /mɑkt de/ noun the
day when a market is regularly held
market dues market dues /mɑkt djuz/ plural
noun rent for a place in a market
market overt market overt /mɑkt əυ|v$t/ noun
a market in which a sale gives good title
to a buyer, even though the seller’s title
may be defective
COMMENT: This was only applied to
certain open-air antique markets, and
has been abolished.
market price market price /mɑkt pras/ noun
the price at which a product can be sold
market value market value /mɑkt vlju/ noun
the value of an asset, product or company,
if sold today
marksman marksman /mɑksmən/ noun 1.
somebody who can shoot a gun very accurately
2. a person who cannot write
189 matter of fact
and who has to put an ‘X’ in place of a
signature
mark up mark up /mɑk p/ verb to mark
up a bill US to make changes to a bill as
it goes through committee
marriage marriage /mrd/ noun the act or
state of being joined together as husband
and wife by marriage because of being
married She became a British citizen
by marriage.
marriage of convenience marriage of convenience
/mrd əv kən|viniəns/ noun a form
of marriage arranged for the purpose of
acquiring the nationality of a spouse or
for some other financial reason
marriage settlement marriage settlement /mrd
set(ə)lmənt/ noun an agreement which
is made before marriage where money or
property is given on trust for the benefit
of the future spouse
marshal marshal /mɑʃ(ə)l/ noun US 1. an official
who carries out the orders of a
court (NOTE: The British equivalent is a
bailiff.) 2. a federal officer with the same
functions as a sheriff at state level
marshalling marshalling /mɑʃ(ə)lŋ/ noun the
action of a beneficiary of an estate to recover
money due to them which was paid
to a creditor
Marshal of the Admiralty Court Marshal of the Admiralty Court
/mɑʃ(ə)l ɔv di dm(ə)rəlti kɔt/
noun an official in charge of the Admiralty
Court
martial martial /mɑʃ(ə)l/ adjective relating to
the armed services
martial law martial law /mɑʃ(ə)l lɔ/ noun rule
of a country or part of a country by the
army on the orders of the government
when ordinary civil law has been suspended
The president imposed or declared
martial law in two provinces.
The government lifted martial law.
mass jailbreak mass jailbreak /ms del|brek/
noun the escape from prison of several
prisoners at the same time
master master /mɑstə/ noun 1. an official in
the Queen’s Bench Division or Chancery
Division of the High Court whose work
is to examine and decide on preliminary
matters before trial 2. main or original
master copy of a file main copy of a
computer file, kept for security purposes
master and servant master and servant /mɑstər ən
s$vənt/ noun employer and employee
Master of the Rolls Master of the Rolls /mɑstə əv də
rəυlz/ noun a senior judge who presides
over the Civil Division of the Court of
Appeal and is responsible for admitting
solicitors to the Roll of Solicitors
Masters of the Bench Masters of the Bench /mɑstəz əv
də bentʃ/ plural noun senior members
of one of the Inns of Court
material material /mə|təriəl/ adjective important
or relevant
material alteration material alteration /mə|təriəl
ɔltə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun a change made to a
legal document which alters the rights or
duties in it
material evidence material evidence /mə|təriəl
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence which has
important relevance to a case
material witness material witness /mə|təriəl
wtnəs/ noun a witness whose evidence
is important to the case
maternity leave maternity leave /mə|t$nti liv/
noun a period when a woman is away
from work to have a baby
matricide matricide /mtrsad/ noun the murder
of your own mother
matrimonial matrimonial /mtr|məυniəl/ adjective
referring to marriage
matrimonial causes matrimonial causes /mtr|
məυniəl kɔzs/ plural noun proceedings
concerned with rights of partners in
a marriage, e.g. divorce or separation
proceedings
matrimonial home matrimonial home /mtr|
məυniəl həυm/ noun the place where a
husband and wife live together
matrimony matrimony /mtrməni/ noun the
state of being legally married
matter matter /mtə/ noun 1. a problem it
is a matter of concern to the members
of the committee the members of the
committee are worried about it 2. a question
or problem to be discussed the
most important matter on the agenda
We shall consider first the matter of last
month’s fall in prices. verb to be important
Does it matter if one month’s
sales are down?
matter of fact matter of fact /mtə əv fkt/ noun
a question of fact which has to be decided
matters of fact 190
matters of fact matters of fact /mtəz əv fkt/
plural noun facts relevant to a case which
is being tried at court
matters of law matters of law /mtəz əv lɔ/ noun
the law relevant to a case which is tried at
court It is a matter of fact whether the
parties entered into the contract, but it is
a matter of law whether or not the contract
is legal.
mature mature /mə|tjυə/ verb to be due for
payment bill which will mature in three
months
maturity maturity /mə|tjυərti/ noun the time
when a bill, government stock or insurance
is due for payment
maxim maxim /mksm/ noun a short phrase
which formulates a principle, e.g. ‘let the
buyer beware’
maximum maximum /mksməm/ noun the
largest possible quantity, price or
number adjective largest possible the
maximum penalty
mayhem mayhem /mehem/ noun 1. a general
riot or disturbance 2. the violent removal
of a person’s arm or leg
mayoralty mayoralty /meər(ə)lti/ noun the position
of a mayor the time for which
someone is mayor
McNaghten McNaghten M’Naghten Rules
means means /minz/ plural noun money
which is available
measure measure /meə/ noun 1. a way of calculating
size or quantity 2. an action to
achieve something, e.g. a law passed by
Parliament or a statutory instrument a
government measure to reduce crime in
the inner cities to take measures to
prevent something happening to act to
stop something happening to take
emergency measures to act rapidly to
stop a dangerous situation developing
an economy measure action to try to
save money or materials as a precautionary
measure to prevent something
taking place
measurement of profitability measurement of profitability
/meəmənt əv prɒftə|blti/ noun a
way of calculating how profitable something
is
measure of damages measure of damages /meə əv
dmdz/ noun a calculation of how
much money a court should order one
party to pay another to compensate for a
tort or breach
mechanical reproduction rights mechanical reproduction rights
/m|knk(ə)l riprə|d kʃ(ə)n rats/
plural noun the rights to make a recording
of a piece of music or a photocopy or
other copy of something, usually for a
fee
mechanic’s lien mechanic’s lien /m|knks liən/
lien
mediate mediate /midiet/ verb to try to make
the two sides in an argument come to an
agreement to mediate between the
manager and his staff The government
offered to mediate in the dispute.
mediation mediation /mid|eʃ(ə)n/ noun an
attempt by a third party to make the two
sides in an argument agree The employers
refused an offer of government mediation.
The dispute was ended through
the mediation of a disinterested party.
medical certificate medical certificate /medk(ə)l sə|
tfkət/ noun a certificate from a doctor
to show that an employee has been ill
medical inspection medical inspection /medk(ə)l n|
spekʃ(ə)n/ noun the examination of a
place of work to see if the conditions are
safe
medical officer of health medical officer of health
/medk(ə)l ɒfsə əv helθ/ noun the
person responsible for the health services
in a town. Abbreviation MOH
medium-term medium-term /midiəm t$m/ adjective
for a period of one or two years
meeting meeting /mitŋ/ noun 1. the coming
together of a group of people 2. to hold
a meeting to organise a meeting of a
group of people The meeting will be
held in the committee room. to open a
meeting to start a meeting to conduct
a meeting to be in the chair for a meeting
to close a meeting to end a meeting
to put a resolution to a meeting to ask
a meeting to vote on a proposal
member member /membə/ noun 1. somebody
who belongs to a group or a society 2. an
organisation which belongs to a society
the member countries or the Member
States of the EU the members of the
United Nations the member firms of the
Stock Exchange
Member of the European Parliament Member of the European Parliament
/membə əv də jυərəpiən
191 Metropolitan Police
pɑləmənt/ noun a person elected to
represent a Euro-constituency in the European
Parliament. Abbreviation MEP
Member State Member State /membə stet/ noun
(in the EU) a state which is a member of
the European Union
memorandum memorandum /memə|rndəm/
noun a short note
memorandum of association memorandum of association
/memərndəm əv ə|səυsi|eʃ(ə)n/
noun a legal document setting up a limited
company and giving details of its
aims, capital structure, and registered office
memorandum of satisfaction memorandum of satisfaction
/memərndəm əv sts|fkʃən/
noun a document showing that a company
has repaid a mortgage or charge
(NOTE: The plural is memoranda.)
menace menace /mens/ noun a threat or action
which frightens someone demanding
money with menaces crime of
getting money by threatening another
person
mens rea mens rea /mens reə/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘guilty mind’: the mental
state required to be guilty of committing
a crime (intention, recklessness or
guilty knowledge). See Comment at
crime. Compare actus reus
mental mental /ment(ə)l/ adjective referring
to the mind
mental cruelty mental cruelty /ment(ə)l kruəlti/
noun US cruelty by one spouse to the
other, which may harm his or her mental
state (NOTE: It is grounds for divorce in
the USA.)
mental disorder mental disorder /ment(ə)l ds|
ɔdə/ noun a temporary or permanent
change in a person’s mental state which
makes them function less effectively
than they would usually
mentally mentally /ment(ə)li/ adverb in the
mind Mentally ill criminals are committed
to special establishments.
mention mention /menʃən/ noun a short hearing
at court
mentis mentis compos mentis
MEP MEP abbreviation Member of the European
Parliament
mercantile law mercantile law /m$kəntal lɔ/
noun law relating to commerce
mercantile law
merchantable quality merchantable quality
/m$tʃəntəb(ə)l kwɒlti/ noun a quality
of goods for sale, which are suitable
for the purpose for which they are to be
used and conform to the description and
price given fro them in the manufacturer’s
catalogue
merchant marine merchant marine /m$tʃənt mə|
rin/ noun all the commercial ships of a
country
mercy mercy /m$si/ noun the act of treating
or punishing someone less severely than
you could
mercy killing mercy killing /m$si klŋ/ noun
same as euthanasia
merge merge /m$d/ verb to join together
The two companies have merged. The
firm merged with its main competitor.
merger merger /m$də/ noun 1. the joining
of a small estate to a large one As a result
of the merger, the company is the
largest in the field. 2. the joining together
of two or more companies
merit award merit award /mert ə|wɔd/ noun US
extra money given to an employee because
he or she has worked well
merit increase merit increase /mert nkris/ noun
US an increase in pay given to someone
because his or her work is good
merits of the case merits of the case /merts əv də
kes/ plural noun main question which
is at issue in an action
mesne mesne /min/ adjective in the middle
action for mesne profits action to recover
money that should be paid to a landowner
in place of rent by a person who is
in wrongful possession
mesne process mesne process /min prəυses/
noun a process in a legal action, which
comes after the first writ but before the
outcome of the action has been decided
messuage messuage /meswd/ noun a house
where people live, and the land and
buildings attached to it
metropolitan metropolitan /metrə|pɒlt(ə)n/ adjective
referring to a large city
Metropolitan District Council Metropolitan District Council
/metrəpɒlt(ə)n dstrkt kaυns(ə)l/
noun a large administrative area covering
an urban area in England or Wales
Metropolitan Police Metropolitan Police
/metrəpɒlt(ə)n pə|lis/ noun the po-
Metropolitan Police Commissioner192
lice force of Greater London, which is
directly responsible to the Home Secretary
(NOTE: The higher ranks in the Metropolitan
Police are Deputy Assistant
Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner,
and Commissioner.) solicitor for
the Metropolitan Police solicitor responsible
for prosecutions brought by
the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Metropolitan Police Commissioner
/metrəpɒlt(ə)n pə|lis kə|
mʃ(ə)nə/ noun the head of the Metropolitan
Police, appointed directly by the
Home Secretary (NOTE: The other high
ranks in the Metropolitan Police are Assistant
Commissioner and Deputy Assistant
Commissioner.)
Michaelmas Michaelmas /mk(ə)lməs/ noun 1.
29th September, one of the quarter days
when rent is payable on land 2. one of the
four sittings of the law courts 3. one of
the four law terms
Middle Temple Middle Temple /md(ə)l temp(ə)l/
noun one of the four Inns of Court in
London
Midland and Oxford Circuit Midland and Oxford Circuit
/mdlənd ənd ɒksfəd s$kt/ noun in
the UK, one of the six circuits of the
Crown Court to which barristers belong,
with its centre in Birmingham
Midsummer day Midsummer day /md|s mə de/
noun 24th June, one of the four quarter
days when rent is payable on land
militant militant /mltənt/ noun a person who
uses extreme methods to actively support
and work for a cause adjective using
extreme methods in supporting a cause
military police military police /mlt(ə)ri pə|lis/
noun soldiers who act as policemen to
keep order among other soldiers
minder minder /mandə/ noun a person employed
as a bodyguard to protect someone
(slang)
minimis minimis de minimis non curat lex
minimum minimum /mnməm/ noun the
smallest possible quantity, price or
number to keep expenses to a minimum
to reduce the risk of a loss to a minimum
adjective smallest possible
minimum payment minimum payment /mnməm
pemənt/ noun the smallest payment
necessary
minimum sentence minimum sentence /mnməm
sentəns/ noun the shortest possible
sentence allowed in law for an offence
minimum wage minimum wage /mnməm wed/
noun the lowest hourly wage that a company
can legally pay its workers
mining concession mining concession /manŋ kən|
seʃ(ə)n/ noun the right to dig a mine on
a piece of land which you do not own
ministerial tribunal ministerial tribunal /mnstəriəl
tra|bjun(ə)l/ noun a tribunal set up by
a government minister to hear appeals
from local tribunals
Minister of State Minister of State /mnstə əv
stet/ noun somebody who is in charge
of a section of a government department
Minister without Portfolio Minister without Portfolio
/mnstə w|daυt pɔt|fəυliəυ/ noun a
minister who does not have responsibility
for any particular department
Ministry of Defence Ministry of Defence /mnstri əv
d|fens/ noun a government department
in charge of the armed forces
Ministry of the Interior Ministry of the Interior /mnstri
əv də n|təriə/ noun in some countries,
a government department dealing with
law and order, usually including the police
minor minor /manə/ adjective less important
minor expenditure minor shareholders
a loss of minor importance
not a very serious loss noun a person
less than eighteen years old
minority minority /ma|nɒrti/ noun 1. the state
of being less than eighteen years old A
person is not liable for debts contracted
during minority. 2. a period during
which someone is less than eighteen
years old 3. a number or quantity which
is less than half of the total A minority
of board members opposed the chairman.
in the minority being fewer than
half The small parties are in the minority
on the local council.
minority shareholder minority shareholder /ma|nɒrəti
ʃeəhəυldə/ noun somebody who owns
a group of shares but less than half of the
shares in a company
minority shareholding minority shareholding /ma|nɒrəti
ʃeəhəυldŋ/ noun a group of shares
which are less than one half of the shares
in a company
193 misrepresent
minor official minor official /manə ə|fʃ(ə)l/ noun
a person in a low position in a government
department
minute minute /mnt/ noun to take the
minutes to write notes of what happened
at a meeting the chairman signed the
minutes of the last meeting he signed
them to show that they were a correct
record of what was said and what decisions
were taken this will not appear
in the minutes of the meeting this is unofficial
and will not be noted as having
been said verb to put something into
the minutes of a meeting The chairman’s
remarks about the auditors were
minuted. I do not want that to be minuted,
I want that not to be minuted do
not put that remark into the minutes of
the meeting
minutebook minutebook /mntbɒk/ noun a book
in which the minutes of a meeting are
kept
minutes minutes /mnts/ plural noun the
record of what was said at a meeting
minutes of order minutes of order /mnts əv ɔdə/
plural noun a draft order submitted to a
court when a party wishes the court to
make an order
misadventure misadventure /msəd|ventʃə/ noun
an accident death by misadventure
accidental death The coroner’s verdict
was death by misadventure.
misappropriate misappropriate /msə|prəυpriet/
verb to steal or use illegally money
which is not yours, but with which you
have been trusted
misappropriation misappropriation /msəprəυpri|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun the illegal use of money
by someone who is not the owner but
who has been trusted to look after it
misbehaviour misbehaviour /msb|hevjə/ noun
bad behaviour, especially a criminal offence
committed by a public official
miscalculate miscalculate /ms|klkjυlet/ verb
to calculate wrongly The salesperson
miscalculated the discount, so we hardly
broke even on the deal.
miscalculation miscalculation /ms|klkjυ|
leʃ(ə)n/ noun a mistake in calculating
miscarriage of justice miscarriage of justice /mskrd
əv d sts/ noun 1. a decision wrongly
or unjustly reached by a court 2. a decision
which goes against the rights of a
party in a case, in such a way that the decision
may be reversed on appeal
mischief rule mischief rule /mstʃf rul/ noun the
rule that when interpreting a statute, the
court should try to see what the wrong
was that the statute tried to remedy and
what the remedy was that Parliament has
enacted
misconduct misconduct /ms|kɒnd kt/ noun an
illegal action which can harm someone
misdeed misdeed /ms|did/ noun a crime
misdemeanour misdemeanour /msd|minə/ noun
a minor crime He was charged with
several misdemeanours, including driving
without a valid licence and creating
a disturbance. (NOTE: The US spelling is
misdemeanor.)
misdescription misdescription /msd|skrpʃ(ə)n/
noun a false or misleading description of
the subject of a contract
misdirect misdirect /msda|rekt/ verb to give
wrong directions to a jury on a point of
law
misdirection misdirection /msd|rekʃ(ə)n/ noun
the giving of wrong directions to a jury
on a point of law
misfeasance misfeasance /ms|fiz(ə)ns/ noun
acting improperly or illegally in performing
an action that is in itself lawful
misinterpret misinterpret /msn|t$prt/ verb to
understand something wrongly The
fire-fighters misinterpreted the instructions
of the police.
misinterpretation misinterpretation /msn|t$pr|
teʃ(ə)n/ noun a wrong interpretation or
understanding of something clause
which is open to misinterpretation
clause which can be wrongly interpreted
misjoinder /ms|dɔndə/ noun
wrongly joining someone as a party to an
action
misprision misprision /ms|pr(ə)n/ noun generally,
the situation of knowing that a
crime is being committed, but doing
nothing about it
misprision of treason misprision of treason /ms|
pr(ə)n əv triz(ə)n/ noun the crime
of knowing that treason has been committed
and not reporting it
misrepresent misrepresent /msrepr|zent/ verb
to report facts wrongly
misrepresentation 194
misrepresentation misrepresentation /ms|reprzen|
teʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of making a
wrong statement with the intention of
persuading someone to enter into a contract
mistake in venue mistake in venue /m|stek n
venju/ noun the starting of legal proceedings
in the wrong court
mistaken identity mistaken identity /m|stekən a|
dentti/ noun a situation where someone
is wrongly thought to be another person
He was arrested for burglary, but
released after it had been established
that it was a case of mistaken identity.
mistrial mistrial /mstraəl/ noun a trial which
is not valid
misuse misuse /ms|jus/ noun wrong use
misuse of funds or of assets
mitigate mitigate /mtet/ verb to make a
crime or a punishment less serious
mitigating circumstances mitigating circumstances
/mtetŋ s$kəmstnsz/ plural
noun things which make a crime less serious
or which can excuse a crime
mitigation mitigation /mt|eʃ(ə)n/ noun a reduction
of a sentence or of the seriousness
of a crime In mitigation, counsel
submitted evidence of his client’s work
for charity. Defence counsel made a
speech in mitigation.
mitigation of damages mitigation of damages
/mteʃ(ə)n əv dmdz/ noun a
reduction in the extent of damages
awarded
mixed hereditaments mixed hereditaments /mkst her|
dtəmənts/ noun properties which are
used for both domestic and business purposes
M’Naghten Rules M’Naghten Rules /mək|nɔtən
rulz/ noun rules which a judge applies
in deciding if a person charged with a
crime is insane
COMMENT: To prove insanity, it has to
be shown that because of a diseased
mind, the accused did not know what
he was doing or did not know that his
action was wrong. Based on the case
of R v. M’Naghten (1843) in which the
House of Lords considered and ruled
on the defence of insanity.
mob mob /mɒb/ noun US the Mafia
mobster mobster /mɒbstə/ noun US a member
of an organised crime group
mock auction mock auction /mɒk ɔkʃən/ noun a
sale where gifts are given to purchasers
or where only some purchasers are allowed
to make bids
modus operandi modus operandi /məυdəs ɒpə|
rndi/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘way of working’: especially a particular
way of committing crimes which can
identify a criminal
modus vivendi modus vivendi /məυdəs v|vendi/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘way of
living’, an informal agreement between
two or more parties such as employers
and employees to exist peacefully together
After years of confrontation,
they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.
MOH MOH abbreviation medical officer of
health
moiety moiety /mɔəti/ noun half
molest molest /mə|lest/ verb to threaten violent
behaviour against a child or a woman,
especially a spouse, in a sexual way
He was accused of molesting children in
the park.
molestation molestation /məυle|steʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of threatening violent behaviour
towards a child or a woman, especially a
spouse
molester molester /mə|lestə/ noun somebody
who molests a convicted child molester
money claim money claim /m ni klem/ noun a
claim which involves the payment of
money. e.g. a claim for repayment of a
debt or a claim for damages.
moneylender moneylender /m ni|lendə/ noun
somebody who lends money at interest
money markets money markets /m ni mɑkts/
plural noun markets for buying and selling
short-term loans
money order money order /m ni ɔdə/ noun a
document which can be bought for sending
money through the post
monies monies /m niz/ plural noun sums of
money monies owing to the company
to collect monies due
monogamy monogamy /mə|nɒəmi/ noun a system
of society where a person is allowed
one spouse only. Compare bigamy, polygamy
Monopolies Commission Monopolies Commission, Monopolies
and Mergers Commission
noun a British body which examines
195 mortgage payments
takeovers and mergers to make sure that
a monopoly is not being created (NOTE:
US English uses trust more often than
monopoly.)
monopolisation monopolisation /mə|nɒpəla|
zeʃ(ə)n/, monopolization noun the
process of making a monopoly
monopolise monopolise /mə|nɒpəlaz/ verb to
get control of all the supply of a product
monopoly monopoly /mə|nɒpəli/ noun 1. a situation
where one person or company controls
all the market in the supply of a
product to have the monopoly of alcohol
sales or to have the alcohol monopoly
The company has the absolute monopoly
of imports of French wine. 2. the
right given to one person or company to
control all the market in the supply of a
product
monopsony monopsony /mə|nɒpsəni/ noun a situation
where one person or company
controls all the purchasing in a market
Monroe doctrine Monroe doctrine /m n|rəυ
dɒktrn/ noun US the principle that the
USA has an interest in preventing outside
interference in the internal affairs of
other American states
COMMENT: So called because it was
first proposed by President Monroe in
1823.
moonlight moonlight /munlat/ verb to do a
second job for cash, often in the evening,
as well as a regular job, usually not declaring
the money earned to the income
tax authorities (informal )
moonlighter moonlighter /munlatə/ noun
somebody who moonlights
moonlighting moonlighting /munlatŋ/ noun the
activity of doing a second job without
telling the tax authorities He makes
thousands a year from moonlighting.
moot moot /mut/ adjective legally insignificant
because of having already been decided
or settled
moot case moot case /mut kes/ noun a legal
case to be discussed on its own, to establish
a precedent
moral moral /mɒrəl/ adjective referring to
the difference between what is right and
what is wrong The high moral standard
which should be set by judges.
moral rights moral rights /mɒrəl rats/ noun the
rights of a copyright holder to be identified
as the creator of the work, not to
have the work subjected to derogatory
treatment, and to prevent anyone else
from claiming to be the author of the
work. Also called paternity
morals morals /mɒrəlz/ plural noun standards
of behaviour to corrupt someone’s
morals to make someone willing
to commit a crime or to act against usual
standards of behaviour
moratorium moratorium /mɒrə|tɔriəm/ noun a
temporary stop to repayments of money
owed The banks called for a moratorium
on payments. (NOTE: The plural is
moratoria.)
mortality tables mortality tables /mɔ|tləti
teb(ə)lz/ plural noun charts, used by
insurers, that show how long a person
can be expected to live, on average
mortem mortem post mortem
mortgage mortgage /mɔd/ noun 1. an
agreement where someone lends money
to another person so that he or she can
buy a property, the property being used
as the security to take out a mortgage
on a house 2. money lent in this way to
buy a house with a £20,000 mortgage
to foreclose on a mortgaged property
to take possession of a property because
the owner cannot pay the interest on the
money which he or she has borrowed using
the property as security to pay off
a mortgage to pay back the principal and
all the interest on a loan to buy a property
verb to accept a loan with a property as
security The house is mortgaged to the
bank. He mortgaged his house to set up
in business.
mortgage bond mortgage bond /mɔd bɒnd/
noun a certificate showing that a mortgage
exists and that the property is security
for it
mortgage debenture mortgage debenture /mɔd d|
bentʃə/ noun a debenture where the
lender can be repaid by selling the company’s
property
mortgagee mortgagee /mɔə|di/ noun a person
or company which lends money for
someone to buy a property and takes a
mortgage of the property as security
mortgage payments mortgage payments /mɔd
pemənts/, mortgage repayments
/mɔd r|pemənts/ plural noun
mortgagor 196
money paid each month as interest on a
mortgage, together with repayment of a
small part of the capital borrowed
mortgagor mortgagor /mɔdə/ noun somebody
who borrows money, giving a property
as security
mortis mortis /mɔts/ donatio mortis
causa, rigor mortis
most favoured nation most favoured nation /məυst
fevəd neʃ(ə)n/ noun a country which
has the best trade terms
most-favoured-nation clause most-favoured-nation clause
/məυst fevəd neʃ(ə)n klɔz/ noun
an agreement between two countries that
each will offer the best possible terms in
commercial contracts
Mother of Parliaments Mother of Parliaments /m də əv
pɑləmənts/ noun the British Parliament
at Westminster
motion motion /məυʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the action
of moving 2. a proposal which will be
put to a meeting for that meeting to vote
on to propose or to move a motion to
speak against or for a motion The
meeting voted on the motion. the motion
was carried, was defeated by 220
votes to 196 the motion was approved or
not approved 3. an application to a judge
in court, asking for an order in favour of
the person making the application to
table a motion US 1. to put forward a
proposal for discussion by putting details
of it on the table at a meeting 2. to remove
a proposal from discussion by a
meeting for an indefinite period
motion of censure motion of censure /məυʃ(ə)n əv
senʃə/ noun a proposal from the Opposition
to pass a vote to criticise the government
movable movable /muvəb(ə)l/, moveable
adjective being able to be moved
movable property movable property /muvəb(ə)l
prɒpəti/ noun chattels and other objects
which can be moved, as opposed to land
movables movables /muvəb(ə)lz/ plural noun
same as movable property
move move /muv/ verb 1. to go from one
place to another The company is moving
from London Road to the centre of
town. We have decided to move our
factory to a site near the airport. 2. to
propose formally that a motion be accepted
by a meeting He moved that the
accounts be agreed. I move that the
meeting should adjourn for ten minutes.
3. to make an application to the court
movements of capital movements of capital
/muvmənts əv kpt(ə)l/ plural
noun changes of investments from one
country to another
mover mover /muvə/ noun somebody who
proposes a motion
MPMP abbreviation Member of Parliament
or military police
MRMR abbreviation Master of the Rolls
(NOTE: usually written after the surname:
Lord Smith, MR but spoken as
‘the Master of the Rolls, Lord Smith’)
Mr Big Mr Big /mstə b/ noun a criminal
whose name is not known, who is the
person in control of a large criminal operation
(informal)
mug mug /m / noun (informal ) 1. somebody
who is easily cheated 2. a face
verb to attack and rob someone The
tourists were mugged in the station. He
was accused of mugging an old lady in
the street. (NOTE: mugging – mugged)
mugger mugger /m ə/ noun somebody who
attacks and robs someone
mugging mugging /m ŋ/ noun the act of attacking
and robbing someone The
number of muggings has increased
sharply over the last few years.
mug shot mug shot /m ʃɒt/ noun a photograph
of a criminal taken after he or she
has been detained, kept in the police
records
mule mule /mjul/ noun a person who takes
illegal drugs from one country to another
by hiding them on or in their body
multiple ownership multiple ownership /m ltp(ə)l
əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where something
is owned by several parties
multi-track multi-track /m lti trk/ noun (in civil
cases) the case management system
which applies to cases involving sums of
more than £15,000 or which present particular
complications
COMMENT: The multi-track is the track
for most High Court actions including
claims regarding professional negligence,
fatal accidents, fraud, defamation
and claims against the police. The
timetable for a multi-track action is as
follows: the court fixes a date for a
case management conference, then
197 mutual wills
one for listing questionnaires to be
sent and filed, and finally a date for the
trial.
law municipal law /mju|nsp(ə)l lɔ/
noun law which is in operation within a
state. Compare international law
muniments /mjunmənts/ plural
noun title deeds
murder /m$də/ noun 1. the notifiable
offence of killing someone illegally and
intentionally He was charged with
murder. She was found guilty of murder.
The murder rate has fallen over the
last year. 2. an act of killing someone illegally
and intentionally Three murders
have been committed during the last
week. first degree murder, second
degree murder verb to kill someone
illegally and intentionally He was accused
of murdering his wife.
murderer murderer /m$dərə/ noun somebody
who commits a murder
murderess murderess /m$dəres/ noun a woman
who commits a murder
mutineer mutineer /mjut|nə/ noun somebody
who takes part in a mutiny
mutiny mutiny /mjutni/ noun an agreement
between two or more members of the
armed forces to disobey commands of
superior officers and to try to take command
themselves verb to carry out a
mutiny
mutuality mutuality /mjutʃu|lti/ noun a
state where two parties are bound contractually
to each other
mutual wills mutual wills /mjutʃuəl wlz/ plural
noun wills made by two people, usually
each leaving their property to the other
(NOTE: Mutual wills are less capable of
being revoked than normal wills.)
N
named named /nemd/ adjective person
named in the policy person whose name
is given on an insurance policy as the
person insured
nark nark /nɑk/ noun a person, often a criminal,
who gives information about other
criminals to the police (slang)
national national /nʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective referring
to a particular country noun somebody
who is a citizen of a state The
government ordered the deportation of
all foreign nationals. Any national of a
Member State has the right to work in
another Member State, under the same
conditions as nationals of that state.
Compare non-national
National Anthem National Anthem /nʃ(ə)nəl
nθəm/ noun a piece of music (sometimes
with words which are sung to it)
which is used to represent the nation officially,
and is played at official ceremonies
Everyone stood up when the National
Anthem was played. The British
National Anthem is ‘God Save the
Queen’.
National Audit Office National Audit Office /nʃ(ə)nəl
ɔdt ɒfs/ noun an independent body,
headed by the Comptroller and Auditor-
General, which examines the accounts of
government departments
National Crime Squad National Crime Squad /nʃ(ə)nəl
kram skwɒd/ noun a section of the
national police which deals with crime
on a nation-wide basis and is not part of
any local police force. Abbreviation
NCS
National Criminal Intelligence Service National Criminal Intelligence
Service /nʃ(ə)nəl krmn(ə)l n|
teld(ə)ns s$vs/ noun a central police
department which keeps records of
criminals from national and international
sources and makes them available to police
forces all over the country. Abbreviation
NCIS
Insurance contributions National Insurance contributions
/nʃ(ə)nəl n|ʃυərəns
kɒntrbjuʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun money
paid into the National Insurance scheme
by the employer and the worker. Abbreviation
NIC
nationalise /nʃ(ə)nəlaz/, nationalize
verb to put a privately owned industry
under state ownership and control
Offender Management Service National Offender Management
Service /nʃ(ə)nəl ə|fendə
mndmənt s$vs/ noun in the UK,
a service merging the Prison and Probation
services which is responsible for improving
the rehabilitation of offenders in
order to reduce repeat offences and crime
state nation state /neʃ(ə)n stet/ noun a
country which is an independent political
unit, usually formed of people with
the same language and traditions
born subject natural-born subject /ntʃ(ə)rəl
bɔn s bdkt/ noun a term formerly
applied to a person born in the UK or a
Commonwealth country who was a British
citizen by birth
child natural child /ntʃ(ə)rəl tʃald/
noun a child, especially an illegitimate
child, of a particular parent
naturalisation /ntʃ(ə)rəla|
zeʃ(ə)n/, naturalization noun the
granting of citizenship of a state to a foreigner
She has applied for naturalisation.
You must fill in the naturalisation
papers.
naturalised /ntʃ(ə)rəlazd/, naturalized
adjective having legally become
a citizen of another country He is a naturalised
American citizen.
199 negotiation
natural justice natural justice /ntʃ(ə)rəl
d sts/ noun the general principles of
justice
natural law natural law /ntʃ(ə)rəl lɔ/ noun
generally accepted rules of human behaviour,
applied in all societies
natural parent natural parent /ntʃ(ə)rəl
peərənt/ noun same as biological parent
natural person natural person /ntʃ(ə)rəl
p$s(ə)n/ noun a human being, as opposed
to a legal or artificial ’person’ such
as a company In this case, the term ‘establishment’
is not confined to legal persons,
but is extended to natural persons.
natural right natural right /ntʃ(ə)rəl rat/ noun
the general right that people have to live
freely, usually stated in a written constitution
NCIS NCIS abbreviation National Criminal
Intelligence Service
NCS NCS abbreviation National Crime
Squad
negative easement negative easement /neətv
izmənt/ noun an easement where the
servient owner stops the dominant owner
from doing something
negative integration negative integration /neətv nt|
reʃ(ə)n/ noun the removal of trade
barriers within the European Union, according
to the interpretation of legislation
by the European Court of Justice
neglect neglect /n|lekt/ noun 1. failure to do
a duty The children were suffering from
neglect. 2. a lack of care towards someone
or something verb 1. to fail to take
care of someone He neglected his three
children. 2. to neglect to do something
to forget or omit to do something
which has to be done He neglected to
return his income tax form.
neglected neglected /n|lektd/ adjective not
well looked after The local authority
applied for a care order for the family of
neglected children.
negligence negligence /neldəns/ noun 1.
failure to give proper care to something,
especially a duty or responsibility, with
the result that a person or property is
harmed) 2. the tort of acting carelessly
towards others so as to cause harm, entitling
the injured party to claim damages
negligent negligent /neldənt/ adjective failing
to give proper care or attention to
something The defendant was negligent
in carrying out his duties as a trustee.
negligently negligently /neldənt(ə)li/ adverb
in a way which shows negligence The
guardian acted negligently towards his
ward.
negotiability negotiability /n|əυʃiə|blti/ noun
the ability of a document to be legally
transferred to a person simply by passing
it to him
negotiable negotiable /n|əυʃiəb(ə)l/ adjective
1. able to be changed by discussion not
negotiable fixed and unable to be
changed The terms of the agreement
are not negotiable. 2. able to be exchanged
for money not negotiable not
able to be exchanged for cash (sometimes
written on a cheque to indicate
that only the person named on the
cheque can cash it)
negotiable cheque negotiable cheque /n|əυʃiəb(ə)l
tʃek/ noun a cheque made payable to
bearer, i.e. to anyone who holds it
negotiable instrument negotiable instrument /n|
əυʃiəb(ə)l nstrυmənt/ noun a document
such as a bill of exchange or cheque
which can be legally transferred to another
owner simply by passing it to him
or her or by endorsing it, or which can be
exchanged for cash
negotiable paper negotiable paper /n|əυʃiəb(ə)l
pepə/ noun a document which can be
transferred from one owner to another
for money
negotiate negotiate /n|əυʃiet/ verb to negotiate
with someone to discuss a problem
formally with someone, so as to
reach an agreement The management
refused to negotiate with the union. to
negotiate terms and conditions, to negotiate
a contract to discuss and agree
the terms of a contract
negotiation negotiation /n|əυʃi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun a
discussion of terms and conditions to
reach an agreement contract under
negotiation contract which is being discussed
a matter for negotiation something
which must be discussed before a
decision is reached to enter into negotiations,
to start negotiations to start
discussing a problem to resume nego-
negotiator 200
tiations to start discussing a problem
again, after talks have stopped for a time
to break off negotiations to refuse to
go on discussing a problem to conduct
negotiations to negotiate
negotiator /n|əυʃietə/ noun somebody
who discusses with the aim of
reaching an agreement
watch neighbourhood watch /nebəhυd
wɒtʃ/ noun a system where the people
living in an area are encouraged to look
out for criminals or to report any breakdown
of law and order
contradicente nemine contradicente /nemne
kɒntrd|sente/, nem con /nem
kɒn/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘with no one contradicting’: phrase used
to show that no one voted against the
proposal The motion was adopted nem
con.
dat quod non habet nemo dat quod non habet
/neməυ dt kwɒd nɒn hbet/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘no one
can give what he does not have’: the rule
that no one can pass or sell to another
person something such as stolen goods to
which he or she has no title
neo- /niəυ/ prefix meaning ‘new’ or ‘in
a new form’ a neo-fascist movement
a neo-Nazi organisation
neocolonialism /niəυkə|
ləυniəlz(ə)m/ noun the policy of controlling
weaker countries as if they were
colonies
net /net/, nett adjective, adverb remaining
after money has been deducted
for tax, expenses, etc. The company’s
net profit was £10,000.
earnings net earnings /net $nŋz/ noun total
earnings after tax and other deductions
estate net estate /net |stet/ noun the estate
of a deceased person less administration
charges and funeral costs
gain net gain /net en/ noun the total
number of seats gained after deducting
seats lost The government lost twenty
seats and gained thirty one, making a net
gain of eleven. Opposite gross (NOTE:
The opposite is gross.)
price net price /net pras/ noun a price
which cannot be reduced by a discount
net profit net profit /net prɒft/ noun a result
where income from sales is larger than
all expenditure
neutral neutral /njutrəl/ adjective not taking
sides in a dispute
neutralism neutralism /njutrəlz(ə)m/ noun a
state of affairs where a country does not
belong to one or other of the superpower
groupings
new trial new trial /nju traəl/ noun a trial
which can be ordered to take place in civil
cases, when the first trial was improper
in some way
next friend next friend /nekst frend/ noun
somebody who brings an action on behalf
of a minor
next of kin next of kin /nekst əv kn/ noun the
person or persons who are most closely
related to someone His only next of kin
is an aunt living in Scotland. The police
have informed the next of kin of the
people killed in the accident. (NOTE: can
be singular or plural)
NIC NIC abbreviation National Insurance
contributions
nick nick /nk/ noun a police station verb
1. to steal 2. to arrest
night duty night duty /nat djuti/ noun work
done at night PC Smith is on night duty
this week.
night rate night rate /nat ret/ noun cheap telephone
calls at night
night safe night safe /nat sef/ noun a safe in
the outside wall of a bank, where money
and documents can be deposited at night,
using a special door
nil return nil return /nl r|t$n/ noun a report
showing no sales, no income, no tax, etc.
nisi nisi decree nisi, foreclosure order
nisi
nobble nobble /nɒb(ə)l/ verb to interfere
with, bribe or influence a juror or jury
(slang) He tried to nobble one of the jurors.
no-claims bonus no-claims bonus /nəυ klemz
bəυnəs/ noun the reduction of premiums
paid because no claims have been
made against an insurance policy
noise abatement noise abatement /nɔz ə|betmənt/
noun measures taken to reduce unacceptable
or vibrations, or to protect peo-
201 non-molestation order
ple form exposure to it A noise abatement
notice was served on the club.
noise pollution noise pollution /nɔz pə|luʃ(ə)n/
noun unpleasant sounds which cause
discomfort
prosequi nolle prosequi /nɒli prɒskwa/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘do not
pursue’: power used by the Attorney-
General to stop a criminal trial
nominal /nɒmn(ə)l/ adjective 1. (of
an amount) very small We make a
nominal charge for our services. They
are paying a nominal rent. 2. referring to
the official value of something rather
than the actual value property with a
nominal value of £1 million 3. referring
to something that is not what it seems
He was the nominal leader of the group
but his wife made all the important decisions.
damages nominal damages /nɒmn(ə)l
dmdz/ plural noun a very small
amount of damages, awarded to show
that the loss or harm suffered was technical
rather than actual
nominate nominate /nɒmnet/ verb to officially
suggest someone for a position or a
prize He was nominated as Labour
candidate. to nominate someone to a
post to appoint someone to a post without
an election to nominate someone
as proxy to name someone as your proxy
nominator /nɒmnetə/ noun somebody
who is entitled to receive money
and writes a nomination
nominee nominee /nɒm|ni/ noun 1. a person
who has been officially suggested for a
position or a prize 2. a person who is appointed
to deal with financial matters on
behalf of another person He is the Party
leader’s nominee for the post.
nominee account nominee account /nɒm|ni ə|
kaυnt/ noun an account held on behalf
of another person
shareholder nominee shareholder /nɒmni
ʃeəhəυldə/ noun a person named as the
owner of shares, when the shares are in
fact owned by another person
acceptance non-acceptance /nɒn ək|septəns/
noun a situation where the person who
should pay a bill of exchange does not
accept it
non-arrestable offence non-arrestable offence /nɒn ə|
restəb(ə)l ə|fens/ noun a crime for
which a person cannot be arrested without
a warrant
COMMENT: Non-arrestable offences
are usually crimes which carry a sentence
of less than five years imprisonment.
non-capital crime non-capital crime /ə|fens/, offence
noun a crime or offence for which the
punishment is not death
non compos mentis non compos mentis /nɒn kɒmpəs
ments/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘mad’ or ‘not fully sane’
non-conformance non-conformance /nɒn kən|
fɔməns/ noun the act of not conforming
He was criticised for non-conformance
with the regulations.
non-consummation non-consummation /nɒn kɒnsə|
meʃ(ə)n/ noun non-consummation
of marriage not having sexual intercourse
(between husband and wife)
non-contributory pension scheme non-contributory pension
scheme /nɒn kən|trbjυt(ə)ri
penʃən skim/ noun a pension scheme
where the employee does not make any
contributions and the company pays everything
direction non-direction /nɒn da|rekʃən/
noun (of a judge) the fact of not giving
instructions to a jury about how to consider
something
non-disclosure non-disclosure /nɒn ds|kləυə/
noun the failure to disclose information
which one has a duty to disclose
non-executive director non-executive director /nɒn |
zekjυtv da|rektə/ noun a director
who attends board meetings and gives
advice, but does not work full time for a
company
nonfeasance nonfeasance /nɒn|fizəns/ noun
failure to do something which should be
done by law
nonjoinder nonjoinder /nɒn|dɔndə/ noun a
plea that a claimant has not joined all the
necessary parties to his or her action
non-molestation order non-molestation order /nɒn
məυle|steʃ(ə)n ɔdə/ noun an order
made by a court to prevent one party, particularly
a co-habitant or spouse, from
threatening, attacking or making contact
with the other
non-national 202
non-national non-national /nɒn nʃ(ə)nəl/ noun
somebody who is not a citizen of a particular
state Non-nationals can be
barred from working in an EU country if
they do not speak the language.
non-negotiable instrument non-negotiable instrument /nɒn
n|əυʃəb(ə)l nstrυmənt/ noun a
document such as a crossed cheque
which is not payable to bearer and so
cannot be exchanged for cash
non-payment non-payment /nɒn pemənt/ noun
non-payment of a debt not paying a
debt due
non-proliferation treaty non-proliferation treaty /nɒn prə|
lfə|reʃ(ə)n triti/ noun a treaty to
prevent the possession and development
of nuclear weapons spreading to countries
which do not yet possess them
non-recurring items non-recurring items /nɒn r|k$rŋ
atəmz/ noun special items in a set of
accounts which appear only once
non-refundable non-refundable /nɒn r|f ndəb(ə)l/
adjective being ineligible for refund
non-resident non-resident /nɒn rezd(ə)nt/
noun somebody who is not considered a
resident of a country for tax purposes
non-retroactivity non-retroactivity /nɒn retrəυk|
tvti/ noun (in the EU) the state of not
being retroactive
non-returnable non-returnable /nɒn r|t$nəb(ə)l/
adjective being impossible to return
non-returnable packing non-returnable packing /nɒn r|
t$nəb(ə)l pkŋ/ noun packaging
which is to be thrown away when it has
been used and not returned to the person
who sent it
nonsufficient funds nonsufficient funds /nɒnsə|fʃənt
f ndz/ noun US a sum of money in an
account which is less than is needed to
pay a cheque which has been presented
nonsuit nonsuit, nonsuited to be nonsuit,
to be nonsuited 1. situation in civil
proceedings where a claimant fails to establish
a cause of action and is forced to
abandon his proceedings 2. situation in
criminal proceedings where a judge directs
a jury to find the defendant not
guilty
non-taxable non-taxable /nɒn tksəb(ə)l/ adjective
being ineligible for tax
non-verbal evidence non-verbal evidence /nɒn v$b(ə)l
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence produced in
court in the form of maps, photographs
or other documents
COMMENT: Verbal evidence may be
written or spoken. British lawyers refer
specifically to spoken evidence as oral
evidence.
non-voting shares non-voting shares /nɒn vəυtŋ
ʃeəz/ plural noun shares which do not
allow the shareholder to vote at meetings
North-Eastern Circuit, Northern Circuit North-Eastern Circuit, Northern
Circuit /nɔθ istən s$kt/ noun two
of the six circuits of the Crown Court to
which barristers belong, with centres in
Leeds and Manchester
noscitur a sociis noscitur a sociis /nɒskt$ ɑ
səυsis/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘the meaning of the words can be understood
from the words around them’: ambiguous
words or phrases can be clarified
by referring to the context in which they
are used
notarial notarial /nəυ|teəriəl/ adjective referring
to notaries public
notarial act notarial act /nəυ|teəriəl kt/ noun
an act which can be carried out only by a
notary public
notary public notary public /nəυtəri p blk/, notary
noun a lawyer, usually but not necessarily
a solicitor, who has the authority
to draw up and witness specific types of
document and so make them official
(NOTE: The plural is notaries public.)
note note /nəυt/ verb to note a bill to attach
a note to a dishonoured bill of exchange,
explaining why it has not been
honoured
note of costs note of costs /nəυt əv kɒsts/ noun
a bill or invoice
note of hand note of hand /nəυt əv hnd/ noun
a document stating that someone promises
to pay an amount of money on a specified
date
not guilty not guilty /nɒt lti/ guilty
notice notice /nəυts/ noun 1. a piece of
written information The company secretary
pinned up a notice about the pension
scheme. 2. information given to
warn someone officially that something
is going to happen, e.g. that a contract is
going to end, that terms of a contract are
going to be changed, that an employee
will leave a job at a specific date, or that
a tenant must leave the property being
occupied to give someone notice, to
203 nuncupative will
serve notice on someone to give someone
a legal notice to give a tenant notice
to quit, to serve a tenant with notice
to quit to inform a tenant officially
that he has to leave the premises by a
specified date she has handed in, given
her notice she has said she will quit
her job until further notice until different
instructions are given at short
notice with very little warning you
must give seven days’ notice of withdrawal
you must ask to take money out
of the account seven days before you
want it 3. a legal document informing
someone of something to give notice
of appeal to start official proceedings for
an appeal to be heard 4. knowledge of a
fact
notice of allocation notice of allocation /nəυts əv
lə|keʃ(ə)n/ noun an official letter
from a court, telling the parties to which
of three management tracks their case
has been allocated
notice of dishonour notice of dishonour /nəυts əv ds|
ɒnə/ noun a letter or document warning
a person to pay a cheque or risk being
sued
notice of motion notice of motion /nəυts əv
məυʃ(ə)n/ noun a document telling the
other party to a case that an application
will be made to the court
notice of opposition notice of opposition /nəυts əv
ɒpə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun a document opposing
a patent application
notice of service notice of service /nəυts əv
s$vs/ noun a document issued by a
court to show that a claim has been
served
notice to quit notice to quit /nəυts tə kwt/ noun
formal notice served by a landlord on a
tenant before proceedings are started for
possession
notifiable notifiable /nəυtfaəb(ə)l/ adjective
being necessary to be notified
notifiable offence notifiable offence /nəυtfaəb(ə)l ə|
fens/ noun a serious offence which can
be tried in the Crown Court
not proven not proven /nɒt pruv(ə)n/ adjective
referring to a verdict that a prosecution
has not produced sufficient evidence
to allow the accused to be proved guilty
notwithstanding notwithstanding /nɒtwd|stndŋ/
preposition in spite of The case proceeded
notwithstanding the objections of
the defendant. adverb despite the fact
or thing previously mentioned We had
to close the advice centre for lack of
funds, its excellent work notwithstanding.
novation novation /nəυ|veʃ(ə)n/ noun a transaction
in which a new contract is agreed
by all parties to replace an existing contract,
e.g. where one of the parties to the
old contract is released from their liability
under the old contract and this liability
is assumed by a third party
no win no fee no win no fee /nəυ wn nəυ fi/
noun same as conditional fee agreement
NSF NSF abbreviation US nonsufficient
funds
nuisance nuisance /njus(ə)ns/ noun something
which causes harm or inconvenience
to someone or to property
null null /n l/ adjective without legal value
or effect the contract was declared
null and void the contract was said to be
no longer valid to render a decision
null to make a decision useless, to cancel
a decision
nullification nullification /n lf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of making something invalid
nullify nullify /n lfa/ verb to make something
lose its legal value or effect
nullity /n lti/ noun 1. an action which
is void or invalid 2. a situation where a
marriage is ruled never to have been in
effective existence
nuncupative will nuncupative will /n nk pətv wl/
noun a will made orally in the presence
of a witness, e.g. a will made by a soldier
in time of war
O
oath oath /əυθ/ noun a solemn legal promise
that someone will say or write only what
is true he was on oath, under oath he
had promised in court to say what was
true to administer an oath to someone
to make someone swear an oath to
take the oath to swear allegiance to the
Queen before taking one’s seat as an MP
After taking the oath, the new MP signs
the test roll.
oath of allegiance oath of allegiance /əυθ əv ə|
lidəns/ noun 1. an oath which is
sworn to put the person under the orders
or rules of a country, an army, etc all officers
swore an oath of allegiance to the
new president 2. an oath sworn by all
MPs before they can take their seats in
the House of Commons (or alternatively
they can affirm)
obiter dicta obiter dicta /ɒbtə dktə/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘things which are
said in passing’: part of a judgment
which is not essential to the decision of
the judge and does not create a precedent.
ratio decidendi (NOTE: The singular
is obiter dictum.)
object object noun /ɒbdekt/ purpose or aim
verb /əb|dekt/ to say that you do not
accept or agree with something to object
to a clause in a contract to object
to a juror to ask for a juror not to be appointed
because he or she may be biased
objection /əb|dekʃən/ noun to
raise an objection to something to object
to something One of the parties
raised an objection to the wording of the
agreement.
objective /əb|dektv/ noun something
which you try to do adjective
considered from a general point of view
and not from that of the person involved
to carry out an objective review of current
legislation The judge asked the
jury to be objective in considering the evidence
put before them. You must be
objective in assessing the performance
of the staff.
objects clause objects clause /ɒbdkts klɔz/
noun a section in a company’s memorandum
of association which says what
work the company will do
obligate obligate /ɒblet/ verb to be obligated
to do something especially US to
have a legal duty to do something
obligation obligation /ɒbl|eʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a
duty to do something to be under an
obligation to do something to feel it is
your duty to do something he is under
no contractual obligation to buy he has
signed no agreement to buy to fulfil
one’s contractual obligations to do
what is stated in a contract two weeks’
free trial without obligation situation
where the customer can try the item at
home for two weeks without having to
buy it at the end of the test 2. a debt to
meet one’s obligations to pay one’s
debts
obligatory obligatory /ə|blət(ə)ri/ adjective
necessary according to the law or rules
Each new member of staff has to pass an
obligatory medical examination.
obligee obligee /ɒbl|di/ noun somebody
who is owed a duty
obligor obligor /ɒbl|ɔ/ noun somebody
who owes a duty to someone
obscene obscene /əb|sin/ adjective likely to
offend public morals and accepted standards
of decency, or to deprave or corrupt
someone The magazine was classed as
an obscene publication. The police
seized a number of obscene films.
obscene publication obscene publication /əb|sin
p bl|keʃ(ə)n/ noun a book or maga-
205 occupational pension
zine which is liable to deprave or corrupt
someone who sees or reads it The magazine
was classed as an obscene publication
and seized by customs.
obscenity obscenity /əb|senti/ noun the state
of being obscene The magistrate commented
on the obscenity of some parts of
the film.
obscenity laws obscenity laws /əb|senti lɔz/ plural
noun law relating to obscene publications
or films
observance observance /əb|z$v(ə)ns/ noun doing
what is required by a law The government’s
observance of international
agreements.
observe observe /əb|z$v/ verb 1. to obey a
rule or a law failure to observe the correct
procedure All members of the association
should observe the code of
practice. 2. to watch or to notice what is
happening Officials have been instructed
to observe the conduct of the election.
observer observer /əb|z$və/ noun somebody
who observes Two official observers
attended the meeting.
obsolete obsolete /ɒbsəlit/ adjective no longer
being used or in force and replaced by
something else The law has been made
obsolete by new developments in forensic
science.
obstruct obstruct /əb|str kt/ verb to stop
something progressing The parked
cars are obstructing the traffic. obstructing
the police the offence of doing
something which prevents a police officer
carrying out his or her duty
obstruction obstruction /əb|str kʃən/ noun 1.
something which gets in the way The
car caused an obstruction to the traffic.
2. an act of obstructing someone obstruction
of the police doing anything
which prevents a police officer from doing
his or her duty
obstructive obstructive /əb|str ktv/ adjective
deliberately causing problems obstructive
behaviour
obtain obtain /əb|ten/ verb 1. to get something
to obtain supplies from abroad
to obtain an injunction against a company
We find these items very difficult to
obtain. He obtained control by buying
the family shareholding. to obtain a
property by fraud, by deception to
trick someone into handing over possession
of property obtaining a pecuniary
advantage by deception offence of
deceiving someone so as to derive a financial
benefit 2. to exist, be generally
accepted, or have legal status a rule obtaining
in international law This right
does not obtain in judicial proceedings.
obtaining by deception obtaining by deception /əb|tenŋ
ba d|sepʃən/ noun the act of acquiring
money or property by tricking someone
into handing it over
obtaining credit obtaining credit /əb|tenŋ kredt/
noun an offence whereby an undischarged
bankrupt obtains credit above a
limit of £50
occasion occasion /ə|ke(ə)n/ noun the time
when something takes place The opening
of the trial was the occasion of protests
by the family of the accused. verb
to make something happen He pleaded
guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily
harm.
occasional occasional /ə|ke(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective
happening from time to time
occasional licence occasional licence /ə|ke(ə)n(ə)l
las(ə)ns/ noun a licence to sell alcohol
at a specific place and time only
occupancy occupancy /ɒkjυpənsi/ noun 1. the
act of occupying a property such as a
house, office, or room in a hotel with
immediate occupancy empty and available
to be occupied immediately 2. the
fact of occupying a property which has
no owner and so acquiring title to the
property
occupant occupant /ɒkjυpənt/ noun a person
or company which occupies a property
occupation occupation /ɒkjυ|peʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the act of occupying a property which
has no owner, and so acquiring title to the
property 2. the work that someone does
occupational occupational /ɒkjυ|peʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective
referring to a job occupational
accident accident which takes place at
work occupational disease a disease
which affects people in some jobs occupational
hazards dangers which apply
to specific jobs
occupational pension occupational pension
/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl penʃə/ noun a pension
which is paid by the company by
which an employee has been employed
occupational pension scheme 206
occupational pension scheme occupational pension scheme
/ɒkjυpeʃ(ə)nəl penʃən skim/ noun
a pension scheme where the employee
gets a pension from the company he or
she has worked for
occupation order occupation order /ɒkjυ|peʃ(ə)n
ɔdə/ noun a court order in marital proceedings
which decides the rights of a
spouse to use the marital home. It may
exclude them entirely or allow them access
to the whole or part of the home.
Former name exclusion order
occupier occupier /ɒkjυpaə/ noun somebody
who lives in a property
COMMENT: The occupier has the right
to stay in or on a property, but is not
necessarily an owner.
occupier’s liability occupier’s liability /ɒkjυpaəz
laə|blti/ noun the duty of an occupier
to make sure that visitors to a property
are not harmed
occupy occupy /ɒkjυpa/ verb to enter and
stay in a property illegally The rebels
occupied the Post Office. Squatters are
occupying the building.
offence offence /ə|fens/ noun an illegal act
He was charged with three serious offences.
The minister was arrested and
charged with offences against the Official
Secrets Act. (NOTE: The US spelling
is offense.) offence against the person
a criminal act which harms a person
physically, e.g. murder or actual bodily
harm offence against property a criminal
act which damages or destroys property,
e.g. theft, forgery or criminal damage
offence against public order a
criminal act which disturbs the general
calm of society, e.g. riot or affray offence
against the state an attack on the
lawful government of a country, e.g. sedition
or treason offence triable either
way an offence which can be tried before
a magistrates’ court or a Crown Court
offend offend /ə|fend/ verb to commit a crime
offender offender /ə|fendə/ noun somebody
who commits a crime
offensive weapon offensive weapon /ə|fensv
wepən/ noun an object which can be
used to harm a person or property carrying
offensive weapons the offence of
holding a weapon or something such as a
bottle which could be used as a weapon
COMMENT: Many things can be considered
as offensive weapons if they are
used as such: a brick, a bottle, a piece
of wire, etc.
offer offer /ɒfə/ noun 1. a statement by one
party to a contract that he or she proposes
to do something (NOTE: The offer (and
acceptance by the other party) is one of
the essential elements of a contract.) 2.
the house is under offer someone has
made an offer to buy the house and the
offer has been accepted provisionally
open to offers willing to discuss changing
something that has been put forward
or near offer (o.n.o.) or an offer of a
price which is slightly less than the price
asked asking price: #200 o.n.o. 3. he
received six offers of jobs, six job offers
six companies told him he could
have a job with them verb 1. to propose
something to someone, or propose to do
something he offered to buy the house
to offer someone £100,000 for his
house he offered £10 a share to offer
someone a job to tell someone that he or
she can have a job in your company 2. to
say that you are willing to sell something
We offered the house for sale.
offeree offeree /ɒfə|ri/ noun somebody who
receives an offer
offer for sale offer for sale /ɒfə fə sel/ noun a situation
where a company advertises new
shares for sale
offer of amends offer of amends /ɒfə əv ə|mendz/
plural noun an offer to write an apology
by someone who has libelled another
person
offeror offeror /ɒfərə/ noun somebody who
makes an offer
offer price offer price /ɒfə pras/ noun the price
at which new shares are put on sale
offer to buy offer to buy /ɒfə tə ba/ noun a
statement that you are willing to pay a
specific amount of money to buy something
to make an offer for a company
to accept an offer of £1,000 for the car
He made an offer of £10 a share. We
made a written offer for the house.
£1,000 is the best offer I can make.
offer to sell offer to sell /ɒfə tə sel/ noun a statement
that you are willing to sell something
office office /ɒfs/ noun 1. a set of rooms
where a company works or where busi-
207 officio
ness is done 2. a room where someone
works and does business Come into my
office. She has a pleasant office which
looks out over the park. The senior
partner’s office is on the third floor. 3.
information office, inquiry office office
where someone can answer questions
from members of the public 4. a post or
position He holds or performs the office
of treasurer. compensation for
loss of office payment to a director who
is asked to leave a company before his or
her contract ends
office creeper office creeper /ɒfs kripə/ noun a
well-dressed, well-spoken thief who pretends
to be someone such as a sales or repair
person and steals valuable items
such as laptop computers from offices
office junior office junior /ɒfs duniə/ noun a
young man or woman who does all types
of work in an office
Office of Fair Trading Office of Fair Trading /ɒfs əv feə
tredŋ/ noun the British government
department which protects consumers
against unfair or illegal business
office of profit office of profit /ɒfs əv prɒft/, office
of profit under the Crown /ɒfs
əv prɒft ndə d kraυn/ noun a government
post which disqualifies someone
from being a Member of Parliament
officer officer /ɒfsə/ noun 1. somebody who
has an official position the company
officers, the officers of a company the
main executives or directors of a company
2. an official, usually unpaid, of a club
or society The election of officers of an
association.
office security office security /ɒfs s|kjυərti/
noun the means taken to protect an office
against theft of equipment, personal
property or information
office space office space /ɒfs spes/ noun the
space available for offices or occupied by
offices
office staff office staff /ɒfs stɑf/ noun people
who work in offices
official official /ə|fʃ(ə)l/ adjective 1. done because
it has been authorised by a government
department or organisation He
left official documents in his car. She
received an official letter of explanation.
speaking in an official capacity
speaking officially to go through official
channels to deal with officials, especially
when making a request 2. done or
approved by a director or by a person in
authority This must be an official order
– it is written on the company’s notepaper.
noun somebody working in a government
department
official copy official copy /ə|fʃ(ə)l kɒp/ noun a
copy of an official document which has
been sealed by the office which issued it
Official Journal Official Journal /ə|fʃ(ə)l d$n(ə)l/
noun a publication which lists the regulations,
statutory instruments and directives
of the EC
officially officially /ə|fʃ(ə)li/ adverb in an official
way Officially he knows nothing
about the problem, but unofficially he
has given us a lot of advice about it.
official mediator official mediator /ə|fʃ(ə)l
midietə/ noun a government official
who tries to make the two sides in an industrial
dispute agree
Official Receiver Official Receiver /ə|fʃ(ə)l r|sivə/
noun a government official who is appointed
to close down a company which
is in liquidation or deal with the affairs of
a bankrupt
official referee official referee /ə|fʃ(ə)l refə|ri/
noun a judge with specialist knowledge
who is appointed by the High Court to try
complicated, usually technical, cases of
a particular type
official return official return /ə|fʃ(ə)l r|t$n/ noun
an official report or statement
official secret official secret /ə|fʃ(ə)l sikrət/
noun a piece of information which is
classified as important to the state and
which it is a crime to reveal
Official Secrets Act Official Secrets Act /ə|fʃ(ə)l
sikrəts kt/ noun an Act of Parliament
which governs the publication of
secret information relating to the state
Official Solicitor Official Solicitor /ə|fʃ(ə)l sə|lstə/
noun a solicitor who acts in the High
Court for parties who have no-one to act
for them, usually because they are under
a legal disability
official strike official strike /ə|fʃ(ə)l strak/ noun
a strike which has been approved by the
union
officio officio /ə|fʃəυ/ ex officio, functus
officio
off-licence 208
off-licence off-licence /ɒf las(ə)ns/ noun 1. a
licence to sell alcohol for drinking away
from the place where you buy it 2. a shop
which sells alcohol for drinking at home
offspring offspring /ɒf|sprŋ/ noun a child or
children of a parent His offspring inherited
the estate. They had two offspring.
(NOTE: offspring is both singular
and plural)
off the record off the record /ɒf də rekɔd/ adverb
unofficially or in private He made some
remarks off the record about the rising
crime figures.
Old Bailey Old Bailey /əυld beli/ noun the
Central Criminal Court in London
old lag old lag /əυld l/ noun a criminal
who has served many (short) prison sentences,
one who will never go straight
(informal )
oligarchical oligarchical /ɒl|ɑkk(ə)l/, oligarchic
/ɒl|ɑkk/ adjective referring to
an oligarchy
ombudsman ombudsman /ɒmbυdzmən/ noun an
official who investigates complaints by
the public against government departments
or other large organisations. Also
called Parliamentary Commissioner
COMMENT: There are in fact several
ombudsmen: the main one is the Parliamentary
Commissioner, but there
are also others, such as the Health
Service Commissioner, who investigates
complaints against the Health
Service, and the Local Ombudsman
who investigates complaints against
local authorities, the Banking Ombudsman,
who investigates complaints
against banks, etc. In 1990, a
Legal Services Ombudsman was appointed
to investigate complaints
against non-legal professional people
who supply legal services, such as
conveyancing. Although an ombudsman
will make his recommendations
to the department concerned, and may
make his recommendations public, he
has no power to enforce them. The
Parliamentary Commissioner may
only investigate complaints which are
addressed to him through an MP; the
member of the public first brings his
complaint to his MP, and if the MP cannot
get satisfaction from the department
against which the complaint is
made, then the matter is passed to the
Ombudsman.
omission omission /əυ|mʃ(ə)n/ noun the failure
to do something
one minute speech one minute speech /w n mnət
spitʃ/ noun US a short speech by a
member of the House of Representatives
on any subject at the beginning of the
day’s business
o.n.o. o.n.o. abbreviation or near offer
onus onus /əυnəs/ noun responsibility for
doing something difficult onus of
proof, onus probandi the duty to prove
that what has been alleged in court is correct
The onus of proof is on the claimant.
burden of proof
op. cit. op. cit. phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘in the work mentioned’ (NOTE: used
when referring to a legal text: ‘see
Smith LJ in Jones v. Amalgamated
Steel Ltd op. cit. p. 260’)
open open /əυpən/ adjective in open
court in a courtroom with members of
the public present verb to begin speaking
Counsel for the prosecution opened
with a description of the accused’s family
background. to open negotiations to
begin negotiating
open account open account /əυpən ə|kaυnt/
noun an amount owed with no security
offered
open cheque open cheque /əυpən tʃek/ noun a
cheque which is not crossed and can be
exchanged for cash anywhere
open court open court /əυpən kɔt/ noun a
court where the hearings are open to the
public
open credit open credit /əυpən kredt/ noun
bank credit given to good customers
without security up to a maximum sum
open-ended open-ended /əυpən endd/, openend
US /əυpən end/ adjective with no
fixed limit, or with some items not specified
an open-ended agreement
open hearing open hearing /əυpən hərŋ/ noun
a hearing that the public and journalists
may attend
opening opening /əυp(ə)nŋ/ noun a market
opening possibility of starting to do
business in a new market adjective
happening at the beginning of something
the judge’s opening remarks the
opening speech from the defence counsel
or from the Home Secretary
opening balance opening balance /əυp(ə)nŋ
bləns/ noun the balance at the beginning
of an accounting period
209 oppose
opening bid opening bid /əυp(ə)nŋ bd/ noun
the first bid at an auction
opening entry opening entry /əυp(ə)nŋ entri/
noun the first entry in an account
opening price opening price /əυp(ə)nŋ pras/
noun the price at the start of a day’s trading
opening stock opening stock /əυp(ə)nŋ stɒk/
noun the details of stock at the beginning
of an accounting period
open policy open policy /əυpən pɒlsi/ noun a
marine insurance policy, where the value
of what is insured is not stated
open prison open prison /əυpən prz(ə)n/ noun
a prison with minimum security where
category ‘D’ prisoners can be kept
open ticket open ticket /əυpən tkt/ noun a
ticket which can be used on any date
open verdict open verdict /əυpən v$dkt/ noun
a verdict in a coroner’s court which does
not decide how the dead person died
The court recorded an open verdict on
the two policemen.
operandi operandi modus operandi
operating operating /ɒpəretŋ/ noun the general
running of a business or of a machine
operating budget operating budget /ɒpəretŋ
b dt/ noun income and expenditure
which is expected to be incurred over a
period of time
operating costs operating costs /ɒpəretŋ kɒsts/
plural noun costs of the day-to-day organisation
of a company
operating loss operating loss /ɒpəretŋ lɒs/ noun
a loss made by a company in its usual
business
operation operation /ɒpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun in
operation working, being used The
system will be in operation by June.
The new system came into operation on
June 1st.
operational operational /ɒpə|reʃ(ə)nəl/ adjective
the system became operational
on June 1st the system began working
on June 1st
operational budget operational budget /ɒpəreʃ(ə)nəl
b dt/ noun expenditure which is expected
to be made in running a business,
office or other organisation such as police
force
costs operational costs /ɒpəreʃ(ə)nəl
kɒsts/ plural noun costs of running a
business or a police force
planning operational planning
/ɒpəreʃ(ə)nəl plnŋ/ noun the activity
of planning how something is to be
run
research operational research
/ɒpəreʃ(ə)nəl r|s$tʃ/ noun a study of
a method of working to see if it can be
made more efficient and cost-effective
review operations review /ɒpəreʃ(ə)nz r|
vju/ noun an assessment of the way in
which a company or department works to
see how it can be made more efficient
and profitable
words operative words /ɒp(ə)rətv
w$dz/ plural noun words in a conveyancing
document which transfer the land
or create an interest in the land
opinion /ə|pnjən/ noun 1. to be of
the opinion to believe or to think The
judge was of the opinion that if the evidence
was doubtful the claim should be
dismissed. 2. a piece of expert advice
to ask an adviser for his opinion on a
case The lawyers gave their opinion.
Counsel prepared a written opinion. 3. a
judgment delivered by a court, especially
the House of Lords 4. (in the EU) an
opinion of the European Community
which is not legally binding
poll opinion poll /ə|pnjən pəυl/ noun the
activity of asking a sample group of people
what they feel about something in order
to assess the opinion of the whole
population
opponent /ə|pəυnənt/ noun somebody
who is against you or who votes
against what you propose The prosecution
tried to discredit their opponents in
the case.
oppose /ə|pəυz/ verb 1. to try to stop
something happening We are all opposed
to the takeover. Counsel for the
claimant opposed the defendant’s application
for an adjournment. the police
opposed bail, opposed the granting of
bail the police said that bail should not
be granted to the accused 2. to vote
against something A minority of board
members opposed the motion.
opposition 210
opposition /ɒpə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun
strong disagreement with a suggestion or
plan, often including action to try to
change or stop it There was considerable
opposition to the plan for reorganising
the divorce courts. The voters
showed their opposition to the government
by voting against the proposal in
the referendum.
option /ɒpʃən/ noun an offer to someone
of the right to enter into a contract at
a later date option to purchase, to sell
giving someone the possibility to buy or
sell something within a period of time or
when a specific event happens to grant
someone a six-month option on a
product to allow someone six months to
decide if he or she wants to be the agent
for a product, or if he or she wants to
manufacture the product under licence
to take up an option, to exercise an option
to accept the option which has been
offered and to put it into action He exercised
his option or he took up his option
to acquire sole marketing rights to
the product. I want to leave my options
open I want to be able to decide
what to do when the time is right to
take the soft option to decide to do
something which involves the least risk,
effort or problems
contract option contract /ɒpʃən kɒntrkt/
noun the right to buy or sell shares at a
fixed price
oral /ɔrəl/ adjective spoken
evidence oral evidence /ɔrəl evd(ə)ns/
noun spoken evidence, as opposed to
written evidence
orally /ɔrəli/ adverb in speech, not in
writing
order /ɔdə/ noun 1. a general state of
calm, where everything is working as
planned and ruled There was a serious
breakdown of law and order. offence
against public order, public order offence
riot, street fight, etc. 2. orders
legislation made by ministers, under
powers delegated to them by Act of Parliament,
but which still have to be ratified
by Parliament before coming into force
3. to call a meeting to order to start
proceedings officially to bring a meeting
to order to get a meeting back to discussing
the agenda again (after an interruption)
order ! order! call by the
Speaker of the House of Commons to
bring the meeting to order 4. pay to
Mr Smith or order pay money to Mr
Smith or as he orders pay to the order
of Mr Smith pay money directly into Mr
Smith’s account
order book order book /ɔdə bυk/ noun a list
showing the House of Commons business
for the term of Parliament
Order in Council Order in Council /ɔdə n
kaυns(ə)l/ noun legislation approved
by the Queen in Council, which is allowed
by an Act of Parliament and does
not have to be ratified by Parliament
order of certiorari order of certiorari /ɔdə əv s$ʃiə|
reəra/ noun an order which transfers a
case from a lower court to the High Court
for investigation into its legality He applied
for judicial review by way of certiorari.
The court ordered certiorari following
judicial review, quashing the order
made by the juvenile court.
order of committal order of committal /ɔdə əv kə|
mt(ə)l/ noun same as committal order
order of discharge order of discharge /ɔdə əv
dstʃɑd/ noun a court order releasing
a person from bankruptcy
order paper order paper /ɔdə pepə/ noun the
agenda of business to be discussed each
day in the House of Commons
ordinance ordinance /ɔdnəns/ noun 1. a special
decree of a government 2. US a rule
made by a municipal authority, and effective
only within the jurisdiction of
that authority
ordinarily ordinarily /ɔd(ə)n(ə)rli/ adverb
normally or usually
ordinarily resident ordinarily resident /ɔd(ə)n(ə)rli
rezd(ə)nt/ noun someone who is usually
resident in a particular country
ordinary ordinary /ɔd(ə)n(ə)ri/ adjective normal
or not special
ordinary member ordinary member /ɔd(ə)n(ə)ri
membə/ noun somebody who pays a
subscription to belong to a club or group
ordinary resolution ordinary resolution /ɔd(ə)n(ə)ri
rezə|luʃ(ə)n/ noun a resolution which
can be passed by a simple majority of
shareholders
211 outside worker
ordinary shareholder ordinary shareholder /ɔd(ə)n(ə)ri
ʃeəhəυldə/ noun somebody who owns
ordinary shares in a company
organised crime organised crime /ɔənazd
kram/ noun criminal activities which
are run as a business, with groups of specialist
criminals, assistants, security
staff, etc., all run by a group of directors
or by a boss
organised labour organised labour /ɔənazd
lebə/ noun all the employees who are
members of trade unions
original original /ə|rdən(ə)l/ noun the first
copy made Send the original and file
two copies.
original evidence original evidence /ə|rdən(ə)l
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence given by a
witness, based on facts which he or she
knows to be true as opposed to hearsay
originate originate /ə|rdnet/ verb to begin to
exist
originating application originating application /ə|
rdnetŋ pl|keʃ(ə)n/ noun a
way of beginning some types of case in
the County Court
originating summons originating summons /ə|
rdnetŋ s mənz/ noun a summons
whereby a legal action is commenced,
usually in the Chancery Division of the
High Court in cases relating to land or
the administration of an estate
orphan orphan /ɔf(ə)n/ noun a child whose
parents have died
ostensible ostensible /ɒ|stensb(ə)l/ adjective
appearing to be something, but not really
so
ostensible partner ostensible partner /ɒ|stensb(ə)l
pɑtnə/ noun a person who appears to
be a partner in a business by allowing his
or her name to be used but really has no
interest
otherwise otherwise / dəwaz/ adverb in another
way John Smith, otherwise
known as ‘the Butcher’. except as otherwise
stated except where it is stated in
a different way unless otherwise
agreed unless different terms are agreed
ouster ouster /aυstə/ noun the removal of an
occupier from a property so that he or
she has to sue to regain possession, used
especially in matrimonial proceedings
against a violent spouse He had to apply
for an ouster order. The judge made
an ouster order. Compare eject
Outer House Outer House /aυtə haυz/ noun part
of the Scottish Court of Session, formed
of five judges
outlaw outlaw /aυtlɔ/ noun an old term for a
person who was thrown out of society as
a punishment verb to say that something
is unlawful The government has
proposed a bill to outlaw drinking in
public.
outline planning permission outline planning permission
/aυt(ə)lan plnŋ pə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun
general permission to build a property on
a piece of land, but not final because
there are no details provided
out of court out of court /aυt əv kɔt/ adverb,
adjective settled without going to court
to end a dispute a settlement was
reached out of court a dispute was settled
between two parties privately without
continuing a court case
out of pocket out of pocket /aυt əv pɒkt/ adjective,
adverb having paid out money personally
out-of-pocket expenses the
amount of money to pay an employee
back for his or her own money which has
been spent on company business
output tax output tax /aυtpυt tks/ noun VAT
charged by a company on goods or services
sold
outright outright /aυt|rat/ adverb, adjective
completely to purchase something
outright, to make an outright purchase
to buy something completely, including
all rights in it
outside outside /aυtsad/ adjective, adverb
not in a prison or institution on the outside
outside a prison or institution They
need help with returning to life on the
outside.
outside dealer outside dealer /aυtsad dilə/ noun
somebody who is not a member of the
Stock Exchange but is allowed to trade
outside director outside director /aυtsad da|
rektə/ noun a director who is not employed
by the company
outside line outside line /aυtsad lan/ noun a
line from an internal office telephone
system to the main telephone exchange
outside worker outside worker /aυtsad w$kə/
noun a worker who does not work in a
company’s offices
outstanding 212
outstanding outstanding /aυt|stndŋ/ adjective
not yet paid or completed matters outstanding
from the previous meeting
questions which were not settled at the
previous meeting
outstanding debts outstanding debts /aυt|stndŋ
dets/ plural noun debts which are waiting
to be paid
outstanding offences outstanding offences /aυt|
stndŋ ə|fenss/ plural noun offences
for which a person has not yet been convicted,
which can be considered at the
same time as a similar offence for which
he or she faces sentence
Oval Office Oval Office /əυvəl ɒfs/ noun the
room in the White House which is the
personal office of the President of the
United States (NOTE: also used to mean
the President himself: The Oval Office
was not pleased by the attitude of the
Senate.)
overall majority overall majority /əυvərɔl mə|
dɒrti/ noun same as absolute majority
overdue overdue /əυvə|dju/ adjective having
not been paid on time interest payments
are three weeks overdue interest
payments which should have been made
three weeks ago. Compare outstanding
overreaching overreaching /əυvə|ritʃŋ/ noun a
legal principle where an interest in land
is replaced by a direct right to money
override override /əυvə|rad/ verb 1. to be
more important than something else
They believe public safety overrides individual
preference. 2. to use official power
to change someone else’s decision
The appeal court overrode the decision
of the lower court.
COMMENT: If the President of the USA
disapproves of a bill sent to him by
Congress for signature, he can send it
back with objections within ten days of
receiving it. Then if the Congress
votes with a two-thirds majority in both
Houses to continue with the bill, the bill
becomes law and the President’s veto
is overridden.
overrider overrider /əυvəradə/, overriding
commission /əυvəradŋ kə|mʃ(ə)n/
noun a special extra commission which
is above all other commissions
overriding interest overriding interest /əυvəradŋ
ntrəst/ noun an interest which comes
before that of another party His wife established
an overriding interest in the
property against the bank’s charge on it.
(NOTE: overriding – overrode – has
overridden)
overrule overrule /əυvə|rul/ verb 1. (of a
higher court) to set a new precedent by
deciding a case on a different principle
from one laid down by a lower court
The Supreme Court can overrule any
other court in the USA. 2. (in a meeting)
not to allow something because you are
more powerful than others Mr Smith
tried to object but his objection was
overruled by the chairman. Community
law must overrule national constitutions
of Member States.
overseas call overseas call /əυvəsiz kɔl/ noun
a call to another country
overt overt /əυ|v$t/ adjective clear and obvious
overt act overt act /əυ|v$t kt/ noun an act
which is obviously aimed at committing
a criminal offence
overtime overtime /əυvətam/ adverb to
work overtime to work longer hours
than in the contract of employment
overtime pay overtime pay /əυvətam pe/ noun
pay for extra time worked
overturn overturn /əυvə|t$n/ verb to cancel a
judgment on appeal
own own /əυn/ verb to have or to possess a
wholly-owned subsidiary a subsidiary
which belongs completely to the parent
company a state-owned industry an
industry which is nationalised
owner owner /əυnə/ noun somebody who
owns something goods sent at owner’s
risk situation where it is the owner
of the goods who has to insure them
while they are being shipped
owner-occupier owner-occupier /əυnər ɒkjυpaə/
noun somebody who owns the property
which he or she occupies
ownership ownership /əυnəʃp/ noun the act of
owning something the ownership of
the company has passed to the banks
the banks have become owners of the
company
oyez oyez /əυ|jez/ French word meaning
‘hear!’: used at the beginning of some
types of official proceedings
P
pack pack /pk/ verb to fill a group such as
a committee or a jury with members who
are sympathetic to your views The leftwing
group packed the general purposes
committee with activists.
pact pact /pkt/ noun a formal agreement
between two parties or countries The
countries in the region signed a non-aggression
pact. The two minority parties
signed an electoral pact not to oppose
each other in specific constituencies.
pais pais estoppel
palimony palimony /plməni/ noun the money
that a court orders a man to pay regularly
to a woman with whom he has been
living and from whom he has separated
pan- pan- /pn/ prefix meaning ‘covering
all’
pandering pandering /pndərŋ/ noun the
crime of attempting to solicit customers
for prostitutes
panel panel /pn(ə)l/ empanel
Papal Nuncio Papal Nuncio /pep(ə)l n nsiəυ/
noun an ambassador sent by the Pope to
a country
paper paper /pepə/ noun 1. a thin material
for writing on or for wrapping 2. an outline
report The Treasurer asked his
deputy to write a paper on new funding.
The planning department prepared a
paper for the committee on the possible
uses of the site. Green Paper, White
Paper 3. papers documents The solicitor
sent me the relevant papers on the
case. The police have sent the papers
on the fraud to the Director of Public
Prosecutions. He has lost the customs
papers. The office is asking for the VAT
papers. 4. on paper as explained in
writing, but not tested in practice On
paper the system is ideal, but we have to
see it working before we will sign the
contract. 5. documents such as bills of
exchange or promissory notes which can
represent money 6. paper money, paper
currency banknotes 7. a newspaper
feed paper feed /pepə fid/ noun a device
which puts paper into a printer or copying
machine
paper loss paper loss /pepə lɒs/ noun the loss
made when an asset has fallen in value
but has not been sold
money paper money /pepə m ni/ noun
money in notes, not coins
profit paper profit /pepə prɒft/ noun the
profit made when an asset has increased
in value but has not been sold
paralegal paralegal /prə|li(ə)l/ adjective related
to, but not part of, the law noun
somebody with no legal qualifications
who works in a lawyer’s office
paramount paramount /prəmaυnt/ adjective
superior
parasitic rights parasitic rights /prə|stk rats/
noun (in the EU) the rights of persons to
live in a EU country if they are dependent
for their means of living on persons
who have the right to reside and to have
employment
pardon pardon /pɑd(ə)n/ noun the action of
forgiving an offence by a Parliament or
by a monarch verb to forgive an offence
The political prisoners were pardoned
by the president.
COMMENT: Not the same as ‘quashing’
a conviction, which means that the
conviction has been made void; both
‘pardoning’ and ‘quashing’ have the
same effect.
parens patriae parens patriae /prenz ptri/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘parent
of the nation’, referring to a king, queen
or other head of state as the sovereign
parent 214
and guardian of children or people suffering
from a legal disability
parent parent /peərənt/ noun parents father
and mother
parental responsibility parental responsibility /pə|
rent(ə)l r|spɒns|blti/ noun a concept
introduced by the Children’s Act
1989, which encompasses all the rights,
duties and responsibilities that by law a
parent of a child is entitled to have.
Former name custody (NOTE: Parental
responsibility is automatically acquired
by both parents if married and in cases
of unmarried couples, given to the
mother alone. An unmarried father is
able to acquire parental responsibility
by consent of the mother or by obtaining
a parental responsibility order
which is issued by a court.)
company parent company /peərənt
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which
owns more than half of another company’s
shares
parentis in loco parentis
passu pari passu /pri psu/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘equally’ or ‘with
no distinction between them’ The new
shares will rank pari passu with the existing
ones.
parity parity /prti/ noun the fact of being
equal the female staff want parity
with the men they want to have the same
rates of pay and conditions as the men
the pound fell to parity with the dollar
the pound fell to a point where one
pound equalled one dollar
offence parking offence /pɑkŋ ə|fens/
noun an offence caused when parking a
vehicle, e.g. parking on yellow lines, or
too near to street corners or pedestrian
crossings
parliament parliament /pɑləmənt/ noun an
elected group of representatives who
form the legislative body which votes the
laws of a country. In the UK, it is formed
of the House of Commons and House of
Lords.
parliamentary /pɑlə|ment(ə)ri/ adjective
referring to parliament
agent parliamentary agent
/pɑləment(ə)ri ed(ə)nt/ noun a
person, usually a solicitor or barrister,
who advises private individuals who
wish to promote a Bill in Parliament
Parliamentary Commissioner Parliamentary Commissioner
/pɑlə|ment(ə)ri kə|mʃ(ə)nə/, Parliamentary
Commissioner for Administration
/pɑləment(ə)ri kə|mʃ(ə)nə
fər ədmn|streʃ(ə)n/ noun the official
who investigates complaints by the public
against government departments.
Also called Ombudsman
parliamentary counsel parliamentary counsel
/pɑləment(ə)ri kaυnsəl/ noun a solicitor
who is responsible for drafting
Bills going before Parliament
Parliamentary privilege Parliamentary privilege
/pɑləment(ə)ri prvld/ noun the
right of a Member of Parliament or
Member of the House of Lords to speak
freely to the House without possibility of
being sued for slander
parol parol /pə|rəυl/ adjective done by
speaking
parol agreement parol agreement /pə|rəυl ə|
rimənt/ noun a simple contract, informal
or oral contract
parole parole /pə|rəυl/ noun 1. allowing a
prisoner to leave prison for a short time,
on condition that he or she behaves well
He was given a week’s parole to visit
his mother in hospital. 2. permission for
a prisoner who has behaved well to be released
from prison early on condition
that he continues to behave well After
six month’s good conduct in prison she is
eligible for parole. He was let out on
parole and immediately burgled a house.
verb to allow a prisoner to leave prison
before the end of their sentence on condition
that he or she behaves well If
you’re lucky you will be paroled before
Christmas.
parole board parole board /pə|rəυl bɔd/ noun a
group of people who advise the Home
Secretary if a prisoner should be released
on parole before the end of his or her sentence
parolee parolee /pə|rəυli/ noun US a prisoner
who is let out on parole
parol evidence parol evidence /pə|rəυl evdəns/
noun evidence given orally
part part /pɑt/ noun 1. a piece or section
Part of the shipment was damaged.
Part of the staff is on overtime. Part of
215 partly-paid up shares
the expenses will be refunded. 2. one of
the sections of an Act, Bill, or other official
document (below) 3. in part not
completely to contribute in part to the
costs to pay the costs in part
Part 20 claim Part 20 claim /pɑt twenti klem/
noun any claim other than a claim filed
by a claimant against a defendant in the
particulars of claim
COMMENT: Part 20 claims include
counterclaims by a defendant against
a claimant, or against other persons
who are not parties to the case, or a
claim by another person against any
other person. These claims are dealt
with under Part 20 of the new Civil Procedure
Rules, hence the name.
Part 36 offer Part 36 offer, Part 36 payment noun
an offer or payment made by a defendant
(the offeror) to a claimant (the offeree) to
settle all or part of a claim after proceedings
have started (these offers or payments
do not apply to small claims)
parte parte ex parte, inter partes, audi alteram
partem
partial partial /pɑʃ(ə)l/ adjective 1. not complete
he was awarded partial compensation
for the damage to his house
he was compensated for part of the damage
2. showing unfair support for one
person or group compared with others
The defendant complained that the judge
was partial.
partial defence partial defence /pɑʃ(ə)l d|fens/
noun a defence such as self-defence
which is not enough to acquit the defendant,
but which can reduce their charge to
a lesser one
partial intestacy partial intestacy /pɑʃ(ə)l n|
testəsi/ noun a situation where a person
dies leaving a will which does not cover
all his or her estate
partial loss partial loss /pɑʃ(ə)l lɒs/ noun a situation
where only part of the insured
property has been damaged or lost
particular particular /pə|tkjυlə/ plural noun
particulars 1. detailed information
about something or someone sheet
which gives particulars of the items for
sale the inspector asked for particulars
of the missing car to give full particulars
of something to list all the known
details about something request for
further and better particulars pleading
served by one party on another in civil
proceedings, asking for information
about the other party’s claim or defence
2. a statement of the facts of a case, made
by a party in civil proceedings or a County
Court pleading, setting out the claimant’s
claim
average particular average /pə|tkjυlə
v(ə)rd/ noun a situation where part
of a shipment is lost or damaged and the
insurance costs are borne by the owner of
the lost goods and not shared among all
the owners of the shipment
lien particular lien /pə|tkjυlə liən/
noun the right of a person to keep possession
of another person’s property until
debts relating to that property have
been paid
particulars /pə|tkjυləz/ plural noun
details, especially a statement of the facts
of a case made by a party in civil proceedings
or a County Court pleading setting
out the claimant’s claim Sheet
which gives particulars of the items for
sale. The inspector asked for particulars
of the missing car.
of claim particulars of claim /pə|tkjυləz əv
klem/ noun a document containing details
of a claimant’s case and the relief
sought against the defendant (NOTE:
Since the introduction of the new Civil
Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced statement of
claim.)
COMMENT: Particulars of claim are
usually included in the claim form filed
by the claimant. They should give a
statement of the facts of the claim, together
with details of interest or damages
claimed. They must include the
following if they are to form part of the
claim to be pleaded: details of fraud, illegality,
breach of trust, default, or unsoundness
of mind on the part of the
defendant.
partition /pɑ|tʃ(ə)n/ noun the division
of land which is held by joint tenants
or tenants in common
paid capital partly-paid capital /pɑt(ə)li ped
kpt(ə)l/ noun capital which represents
partly-paid shares
paid up shares partly-paid up shares /pɑt(ə)li
ped p ʃeəz/ plural noun shares where
the shareholders have not paid the full
face value
partly-secured creditors 216
partly-secured creditors partly-secured creditors /pɑtli s|
kjυəd kredtəs/ plural noun creditors
whose debts are not fully covered by the
value of the security
partnership at will partnership at will /pɑtnəʃp ət
wl/ noun a partnership with no fixed
time limit stated
part-owner part-owner /pɑt əυnə/ noun somebody
who owns something jointly with
one or more other persons
part-ownership part-ownership /pɑt əυnəʃp/
noun a situation where two or more persons
own the same property
part payment part payment /pɑt pemənt/ noun
the payment of part of an amount which
is owed
part performance part performance /pɑt pə|
fɔməns/ noun a situation where a party
has carried out part of a contract, but not
complied with all the terms of it
party party /pɑti/ noun 1. a person or group
of people involved in a legal dispute, legal
agreement or crime One of the parties
to the suit has died. The company
is not a party to the agreement. to be
party to something to be involved in a
legal action How important is this case
to those persons who are not party to it?
2. a third party candidate candidate
for one of the smaller parties
party and party costs party and party costs /pɑt ən
pɑt kɒsts/ plural noun normal basis
for assessment of costs which includes
all costs incurred in the party’s case
party wall party wall /pɑti wɔl/ noun a wall
which separates two adjoining properties
such as houses or land and belongs to
both owners equally
pass pass /pɑs/ noun a permit allowing
someone to go into a building You need
a pass to enter the ministry offices. All
members of staff must show their passes.
verb 1. to vote to approve The finance
director has to pass an invoice before
it is paid. The loan has been
passed by the board. to pass a resolution
to vote to agree to a resolution 2. to
vote to make a law Parliament passed
the Bill which has now become law. 3.
to pass sentence on someone to give a
convicted person the official legal punishment
The jury returned a verdict of
guilty, and the judge will pass sentence
next week. 4. to pass a dividend to pay
no dividend in a specific year
passenger manifest passenger manifest /psndə
mnfest/ noun a list of passengers on
a ship or plane
passing off passing off /pɑsŋ ɒf/ noun the action
of trying to sell goods by giving the
impression that they have been made by
someone else, using that other person’s
reputation to make a sale
pass off pass off /pɑs ɒf/ verb to pass
something off as something else to pretend
that it is another thing in order to
cheat a customer
pass over pass over /pɑs əυvə/ verb to avoid
using someone who has been appointed,
and use someone else instead
COMMENT: An executor can be passed
over in favour of someone else is if he
has disappeared, is serving a life sentence
in prison, etc.
passport passport /pɑspɔt/ noun an official
document proving that someone is a citizen
of a country, which has to be shown
when travelling from one country to another
We had to show our passports at
the customs post. His passport is out of
date. The passport officer stamped my
passport.
passport holder passport holder /pɑspɔt həυldə/
noun somebody who holds a passport
She is a British passport holder.
passport section passport section /pɑspɔt
sekʃən/ noun a part of an embassy
which deals with passport inquiries
patent patent /petənt, ptənt/ noun an official
document showing that a person
has the exclusive right to make and sell
an invention to take out a patent for a
new type of light bulb to apply for a
patent for a new invention He has received
a grant of patent for his invention.
patent applied for, patent pending
words on a product showing that the inventor
has applied for a patent for it to
forfeit a patent to lose a patent because
payments have not been made to infringe
a patent to make a product which
works in the same way as a patented
product and not pay a royalty to the patent
holder to file a patent application
to apply for a patent verb to patent
an invention to register an invention
with the patent office to prevent other
217 patrolman
people from copying it adjective very
obvious The prisoner’s statement is a
patent lie.
COMMENT: To qualify for a patent an
invention must be new and not previously
disclosed, it must be an advance
on previous inventions, it must be able
to be manufactured and it must not involve
anything excluded from patent
cover. Things excluded from patent
cover include scientific theories (because
they are confidential information),
games and computer programs
(which are covered by copyrights),
medical treatments, some newly developed
plants, animals and other biological
processes. When a patent is
granted, it gives the patentee a monopoly
in his invention for 20 years.
patentability patentability /ptəntə|blti/ noun
the ability to be the subject of a patent
patentable patentable /petəntəb(ə)l/ adjective
able to be the subject of a patent Computer
programs are not patentable because
they are covered by copyright.
patent agent patent agent /petənt edənt/
noun somebody who advises on patents
and applies for patents on behalf of clients
patent defect patent defect /petənt d|fekt/ noun
an obvious defect
patented patented /petəntd, ptəntd/ adjective
being protected by a patent
patentee patentee /petən|ti/ noun somebody
who has been granted a patent
patent examiner patent examiner /petənt |
zmnə/ noun an official who checks
patent applications to see if the inventions
are really new
patent holder patent holder /petənt həυldə/
noun somebody who has been granted a
patent
patent number patent number /petənt n mbə/
noun a reference number given to a patented
invention
patent office patent office /petənt ɒfs/ noun a
government office which grants patents
and supervises them
patent pending patent pending /petənt pendŋ/
noun a phrase printed on a product to
show that its inventor has applied for a
grant of patent but has not yet received it
patent proprietor patent proprietor /petənt prə|
praətə/ noun a person who holds a patent
patent rights patent rights /petənt rats/ plural
noun rights which an inventor holds under
a patent
patent specification patent specification /petənt
spesf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun the full details
of an invention which is the subject of a
patent application
paternity paternity /pə|t$nti/ noun 1. the action
of being a father 2. the moral right of
a copyright holder to be identified as the
creator of the work
paternity action paternity action /pə|t$nti kʃən/,
suit /sut/ noun a lawsuit brought by the
mother of an illegitimate child to force
the putative father to maintain the child
paternity leave paternity leave /mə|t$nti liv/
noun a period when a man is away from
work because his partner is about to
have, or has had a baby
pathologist pathologist /pə|θɒlədst/ noun a
doctor who specialises in pathology, especially
a doctor who examines corpses
to find out the cause of death
patrial patrial /petriəl/ noun a person who
has the right to live in the UK because
they has close family ties with the country
such a grandparent being British
patricide patricide /ptrsad/ noun the murder
of your own father
Patriot Act Patriot Act /ptriət kt/ noun in
the USA, a set of federal anti-terrorism
measures that allows lower standards of
probable cause to be accepted for obtaining
intelligence warrants against suspected
spies and terrorists
patrol patrol /pə|trəυl/ noun a group of people
who walk through an area to see what
is happening a police patrol group of
policemen who are patrolling an area
on patrol walking through an area to see
what is happening We have six squad
cars on patrol in the centre of the town.
on foot patrol patrolling an area on foot,
not in a car verb to walk regularly
through an area to see what is happening
Groups of riot police were patrolling
the centre of the town.
patrol car patrol car /pə|trəυl kɑ/ noun a car
used by police on patrol
patrolman patrolman /pə|trəυlmən/ noun US
the lowest rank of policeman Patrolman
Jones was at the scene of the accident.
patronage secretary 218
secretary patronage secretary /ptrənd
sekrət(ə)ri/ noun an official of the
Prime Minister’s staff who deals with appointments
to posts
pauperis in forma pauperis
pawn /pɔn/ verb to pawn a watch to
leave a watch with a pawnbroker who
gives a loan against it
pawnshop /pɔnʃɒp/ noun a pawnbroker’s
shop
ticket pawn ticket /pɔn tkt/ noun a receipt
given by the pawnbroker for the object
left in pawn
pay /pe/ noun a salary, wage, or money
given to someone for work done verb
1. to give money to buy an item or a service
to pay in advance to give money
before you receive the item bought or before
the service has been completed to
pay in instalments to give money for an
item by giving small amounts regularly
to pay cash to pay the complete sum in
cash to pay costs to pay the costs of a
court case to pay on demand to pay
money when it is asked for, not after a
period of credit to pay a dividend to
give shareholders a part of the profits of
a company to pay interest to give
money as interest on money borrowed or
invested 2. to give an employee money
for work done The employees have not
been paid for three weeks. We pay good
wages for skilled employees. How
much do they pay you per hour? to be
paid by the hour to get money for each
hour worked to be paid at piece-work
rates to get money calculated on the
number of pieces of work finished
payable /peəb(ə)l/ adjective being
due to be paid payable in advance being
payable before the goods are delivered
payable on delivery being payable
when the goods are delivered payable
on demand being payable when
payment is asked for payable at sixty
days being payable by sixty days after
the date of invoice cheque made payable
to bearer cheque which will be
paid to the person who has it, not to any
particular name written on it shares
payable on application shares which
must be paid for when you apply to buy
them electricity charges are payable
by the tenant the tenant (and not the
landlord) must pay for the electricity
as you earn pay as you earn /pe əz jυ $n/
noun a tax system by which income tax
is deducted from the salary before it is
paid to the worker. Abbreviation PAYE
(NOTE: The US term is pay-as-you-go.)
pay-as-you-go pay-as-you-go /pe ə z j u əυ/
noun 1. US same as pay as you earn 2.
a system of summarily assessing costs in
a trial
pay back pay back /pe bk/ verb to give
money back to someone I lent her £50
and she promised to pay me back in a
month. He has never paid me back the
money he borrowed.
payback payback /pebk/ noun the repayment
of money which has been borrowed
payback clause payback clause /pebk klɔz/
noun a clause in a contract which states
the terms for repaying a loan
payback period payback period /pebk pəriəd/
noun the period of time over which a
loan is to be repaid or an investment is to
pay for itself
pay cheque pay cheque /pe tʃek/ noun a salary
cheque given to an employee (NOTE: The
US term is paycheck.)
pay down pay down /pe daυn/ verb to pay
money down to make a deposit He
paid £50 down and the rest in monthly
instalments.
PAYE abbreviation pay as you earn
payee /pe|i/ noun somebody who receives
money from someone, the person
whose name is on a cheque or bill of exchange
pay in pay in /pe n/, into /ntə, ntυ,
ntu/ verb to pay in, to pay money
into court (of a defendant) to deposit
money with the court at the beginning of
a case, to try to satisfy the claimant’s
claim
COMMENT: If at trial the claimant fails
to recover more than the amount the
defendant has paid in, he will have to
pay the defendant’s costs from the
date of the payment in.
paying party paying party /peŋ pɑti/ noun the
party in a case who is liable to pay costs
(NOTE: The other party is the receiving
party.)
219 pendens
payment payment /pemənt/ noun 1. the transfer
of money from one person to another
to satisfy a debt or obligation payment
in cash or cash payment payment by
cheque payment on account paying
part of the money owed before a bill is
delivered The solicitor asked for a payment
of £100 on account. payment on
invoice paying money as soon as an invoice
is received 2. money paid
payment into court payment into court /pemənt ntə
kɔt/ noun the depositing of money by
the defendant into the court before the
case starts, to try to satisfy the claimant’s
claim
pay negotiations pay negotiations /pe nəυʃi|
eʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun discussions between
employers and employees about
pay increases
pay off pay off /pe ɒf/ verb 1. to finish paying
money which is owed to pay off a
mortgage to pay off a loan 2. to pay all
the money owed to someone and terminate
his or her employment When the
company was taken over the factory was
closed and all the employees were paid
off.
payoff payoff /peɒf/ noun money paid to finish
paying something which is owed
pay restraint pay restraint /pe r|strent/ noun
the activity of keeping increases in wages
under control
pay up pay up /pe p/ verb to give money
which is owed The company paid up
only when we sent them a letter from our
solicitor. He finally paid up six months
late.
PCPC abbreviation police constable or
Privy Council or Privy Councillor
(NOTE: The plural is PCs.)
PDs PDs abbreviation practice directions
pecuniary pecuniary /p|kjuniəri/ adjective referring
to money obtaining a pecuniary
advantage by deception crime of
tricking someone into handing over
money he gained no pecuniary advantage
he made no financial gain
pecuniary default judgment pecuniary default judgment /p|
kjuniəri d|fɔlt d dmənt/ noun a
judgment without trial against a defendant
who fails to respond to a claim,
which gives the claimant the money
claimed including interest
legacy pecuniary legacy /p|kjuniəri
leəsi/ noun a legacy in the form of
money
precinct pedestrian precinct /pə|destriən
prisŋkt/ noun part of a town which is
closed to traffic so that people can walk
about and shop
peer group peer group /pə rup/ noun a group
of persons of the same level or rank
The Magna Carta gave every person the
right to be tried by his or her peers.
Children try to behave like other members
of their peer group.
penal penal /pin(ə)l/ adjective referring to
punishment
code penal code /pin(ə)l kəυd/ noun a set
of laws governing crime and its punishment
colony penal colony /pin(ə)l kɒləni/ noun
a prison camp in a distant place, where
prisoners are sent for long periods
institution penal institution /pin(ə)l
nsttjuʃ(ə)n/ noun a place such as a
prison where convicted criminals are
kept
penalise penalise /pinəlaz/, penalize verb
to punish someone for doing something
wrong, especially by fining them to penalise
a supplier for late deliveries
They were penalised for bad service.
laws penal laws /pin(ə)l lɔs/ plural noun
system of punishments relating to different
crimes
servitude penal servitude /pin(ə)l
s$vtjud/ noun a former punishment
by imprisonment with hard labour
system penal system /pin(ə)l sstəm/
noun same as penal laws
penalty penalty /pen(ə)lti/ noun a punishment
such as a fine which is imposed if something
is not done or if a law is not obeyed
The penalty for carrying an offensive
weapon is a fine of £2,000 and three
months in prison.
COMMENT: Penalty clauses in a contract
are sometimes unenforceable.
penalty clause penalty clause /pen(ə)lti klɔz/
noun a clause which lists the penalties
which will be imposed if the terms of the
contract are not fulfilled
pendens lis pendens
pendente lite 220
pendente lite pendente lite /pen|dente late/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘during
the lawsuit.’ alimony
pending pending /pendŋ/ adjective waiting
pending action pending action /pendŋ kʃən/
noun an action concerned with land
which has not been heard
pending suit pending suit /pendŋ sut/ noun
while a lawsuit is being heard
penitentiary penitentiary /pen|tenʃəri/ noun US
a large prison the Pennsylvania State
Penitentiary
penology penology /pi|nɒlədi/ noun the study
of sentences in relation to crimes
pensionable age pensionable age /penʃənəb(ə)l
ed/ noun the age after which someone
can take a pension
pension contributions pension contributions /penʃən
kɒntr|bjuʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun money
paid by a company or employee into a
pension fund
pension entitlement pension entitlement /penʃən n|
tat(ə)lmənt/ noun the amount of pension
which someone has the right to receive
when he or she retires
pension fund pension fund /penʃən f nd/ noun
money which provides pensions for retired
members of staff
pension plan pension plan /penʃən pln/ noun a
plan worked out by an insurance company
which arranges for an employee to
pay part of his or her salary over many
years and receive a regular payment on
retirement
peppercorn rent peppercorn rent /pepəkɔn rent/
noun a very small or nominal rent to
pay a peppercorn rent to lease a property
for or at a peppercorn rent
per annum per annum /pər nəm/ adverb in
each year The rent is £2,500 per annum.
What is their turnover per annum?
per autre vie per autre vie /p$r əυtrə vi/
phrase a French phrase meaning ‘for the
lifetime of another person’
per capita per capita /pə kptə/ adjective, adverb
1. divided among beneficiaries individually.
Compare per stirpes 2. for
each person per capita expenditure
total money spent divided by the number
of people involved
percentage increase percentage increase /pə|sentd
nkris/ noun an increase in costs above
base costs, which is negotiated as part of
a conditional fee agreement
per contra per contra /p$ kɒntrə/ noun a
phrase that shows that a contra entry has
been made
per curiam per curiam /p$ kjuriəm/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘by a court’: a decision
correctly made by a court, which
can be used as a precedent
per diem per diem /p$ diem/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘for each day’
peremptory challenge peremptory challenge /pə|
rempt(ə)ri tʃlnd/ noun an objection
made about a juror without stating
any reason
perfect right perfect right /p$fkt rat/ noun a
correct and legally acceptable right
perform /pə|fɔm/ verb to carry out a
task or duty, or something which is required
in a contract
performance /pə|fɔməns/ noun 1.
the way in which someone or something
acts the poor performance of the
shares on the stock market the fall in
the share price on the stock market as a
measure of the company’s performance
as a way of judging if the company’s
results are good or bad performance
of personnel against objectives
how personnel have worked, measured
against the objectives set 2. the activity
of carrying out of something, such as a
duty or the terms of a contract they
were asked to put up a £1m performance
bond they were asked to deposit
£1m as a guarantee that they would carry
out the terms of the contract
review performance review /pə|fɔməns r|
vju/ noun a yearly interview between
an employer and each employee to discuss
how the employee has worked during
the year
right performing right /pə|fɔmŋ rat/
noun the right to allow the playing of a
copyright piece of music
peril /perl/ noun danger, especially a
possible accident covered by an insurance
policy perils of the sea, maritime
perils accidents which can happen
at sea
221 personal action
per incuriam per incuriam /p$ n|kjuriəm/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘because
of lack of care’: a decision wrongly made
by a court which does not therefore set a
precedent
periodic periodic /pəri|ɒdk/, periodical
/pəri|ɒdk(ə)l/ adjective happening
regularly from time to time
periodical payments periodical payments
/pəriɒdk(ə)l pemənts/ plural noun
regular payments, e.g. maintenance paid
to a divorced spouse
periodic tenancy periodic tenancy /pəriɒdk
tenənsi/ noun a tenancy where the tenant
rents for several short periods but not
for a fixed length of time
period of notice period of notice /pəriəd əv
nəυts/ noun the time stated in the contract
of employment which the employee
or company has to allow between resigning
or being fired and the employee actually
leaving his or her job
period of qualification period of qualification /pəriəd əv
kwɒlf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun the time which
has to pass before something qualifies
for something
period of validity period of validity /pəriəd əv və|
ldti/ noun the length of time for which
a document is valid
perjure perjure /p$də/ verb to perjure
yourself to tell lies when you have made
an oath to say what is true
perjury perjury /p$dəri/ noun the notifiable
offence of telling lies when you have
made an oath to say what is true in court
He was sent to prison for perjury. She
appeared in court on a charge of perjury
or on a perjury charge.
permissive waste permissive waste /pə|msv west/
noun damage to a property which is
caused by a tenant not carrying out repairs
permit permit noun /p$mt/ an official document
which allows someone to do something
verb /pə|mt/ to allow someone
to do something This document permits
the export of twenty-five computer systems.
The ticket permits three people to
go into the exhibition.
per my et per tout per my et per tout /p$ ma i ti
taυt/ phrase a French phrase meaning
‘by half and by all’: used to indicate the
relationship between joint tenants
perpetrate perpetrate /p$ptret/ verb to commit
a crime
perpetrator perpetrator /p$ptretə/ noun a person
who does something harmful or dishonest,
especially a person who commits
a crime
perpetuity perpetuity /p$pt|juti/ noun in
perpetuity for ever
per pro per pro /pə prəυ/ abbreviation per
procurationem the secretary signed
per pro the manager the secretary
signed on behalf of, and with the authority
of, the manager
per procurationem per procurationem /pə prɒkjυrs|
əυnəm/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘with the authority of’
per quod per quod /p$ kwɒd/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘by which’ or ‘whereby’
per se per se /p$ se/ phrase a Latin phrase
meaning ‘on its own’ or ‘alone’
persistent offender persistent offender /pə|sstənt ə|
fendə/ noun a person who has been
convicted of a crime at least three times
before and is likely to commit the crime
again
person person /p$s(ə)n/ noun a man or
woman insurance policy which covers
a named person the persons named in
the contract people whose names are
given in the contract the document
should be witnessed by a third person
someone who is not named in the document
should witness it in person
someone himself or herself this important
package is to be delivered to
the chairman in person the package has
to be given to the chairman himself (and
not to his secretary, assistant, etc.) he
came to see me in person he himself
came to see me
persona persona /pə|səυnə/ noun something
such as a company which has property
personal personal /p$s(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective 1.
referring to one person personal service
the act of giving legal documents to
someone as part of a legal action, e.g.
serving someone with a writ 2. private
I want to see the director on a personal
matter.
personal action personal action /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
kʃən/ noun 1. a legal action brought
by a person himself or herself 2. com-
personal allowances 222
mon law term for an action against a person
arising out of a contract or tort
personal allowances personal allowances /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
ə|laυənsz/ plural noun part of a person’s
income which is not taxed allowances
against tax or tax allowances
personal assets personal assets /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
sets/ plural noun moveable assets
which belong to a person
personal assistant personal assistant /p$s(ə)n(ə)l ə|
sstənt/ noun a secretary who can take
on responsibility in various ways when
the boss is not there
personal chattels personal chattels /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
tʃt(ə)lz/ noun household things such
furniture, clothes, or cars which belong
to a person and which are not land
personal conduct personal conduct /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
kən|d kt/ noun (in the EU) the way in
which a person acts in society
COMMENT: Personal conduct can be
used as a reason for excluding a national
of another EU state from entering
a country and taking up work.
personal effects personal effects /p$s(ə)n(ə)l |
fekts/ plural noun personal belongings
personal estate personal estate /p$s(ə)n(ə)l |
stet/ noun the set of things, excluding
land, which belong to someone and can
be inherited by their heirs
personal income personal income /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
nk m/ noun income received by an individual
person before tax is paid
personal injury personal injury /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
ndəri/ noun injury to the body suffered
by the victim of an accident
personality personality /p$sə|nlti/ noun the
qualities of mind and spirit which make
one person different from another
personal property personal property /p$s(ə)n(ə)l
prɒpəti/ noun property which belongs
to one person, excluding land and buildings,
but including money, goods, securities,
etc.
ppeerrssoonnaall rreepprreesseennttaattiivvee personal representative
/p$s(ə)n(ə)l repr|zentətv/ noun 1.
a person who is the executor of a will or
the administrator of the estate of a deceased
person. Abbreviation pr 2. a person
appointed to deal with the estate of a
person who dies intestate
COMMENT: A personal representative
can be the executor of the estate, usually
appointed by the deceased person
in the will, or an administrator who is
appointed to deal with the estate of a
deceased person who died intestate,
or who did not appoint an executor in
the will. The personal representative
holds the property on trust, pays any liabilities
and expenses, and invests
money until such time as the estate is
distributed.
personalty personalty /p$s(ə)n(ə)lti/ noun personal
property or chattels as opposed to
land
personam personam action
persona non grata persona non grata /pə|səυnə nɒn
rɑtə/ noun a foreign person who is
not acceptable to a government (used
especially of diplomats)
personation personation /p$sə|neʃ(ə)n/ noun
the crime of fraudulently pretending to
be someone else
person injuries person injuries /p$s(ə)n ndəriz/
noun injuries to a person caused by disease
which impair that person’s mental
or physical condition
person-to-person call person-to-person call /p$s(ə)n tə
p$s(ə)n kɔl/ noun a call where you
ask the operator to connect you with a
named person
per stirpes per stirpes /p$ st$piz/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘by branches’:
phrase used in wills where the entitlement
is divided among branches of a
family rather than among individuals
(which is ‘per capita’)
persuasive precedent persuasive precedent /pə|swesv
presd(ə)nt/, persuasive authority
/pə|swesv ɔ|θɒrəti/ noun precedent
which a judge is not obliged to follow but
is of importance in reaching a judgment,
as opposed to a binding precedent
pertain pertain /pə|ten/ verb to pertain to
to refer to or to relate to the law pertaining
to public order
perverse verdict perverse verdict /pə|v$s v$dkt/
noun a verdict by a jury which goes
against what anyone would usually feel
to be the right decision, or which goes
against the direction of the judge
pervert pervert /pə|v$t/ verb to change or to
interfere to attempt to pervert the
course of justice to try to influence the
outcome of a trial by tampering with the
evidence, bribing the jurors, etc.
223 placement
COMMENT: Perverting the course of
justice is a notifiable offence.
petition petition /pə|tʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a written
application to a court to file a petition
in bankruptcy to ask officially to be
made bankrupt, to ask officially for
someone else to be made bankrupt 2. a
written request accompanied by a list of
signatures of people supporting it They
presented a petition with a million signatures
to Parliament, asking for the law to
be repealed. verb to make an official
request He petitioned the government
for a special pension. The marriage
had broken down and the wife petitioned
for divorce.
COMMENT: Petitions to the House of
Commons are written by hand, and
have a set form of words. After a petition
is presented in the House of Commons
at the beginning of the day’s
business, it is said to ‘lie upon the table’
and is placed in a bag behind the
Speaker’s Chair.
petitioner /pə|tʃ(ə)nə/ noun somebody
who puts forward a petition
petty petty /peti/ adjective not important
petty cash petty cash /peti kʃ/ noun a small
amount of money kept in an office to
make small purchases
petty crime petty crime /peti kram/ noun small
crimes which are not very serious
petty jury petty jury /peti dυəri/ noun mainly
US an ordinary jury of twelve jurors
petty larceny petty larceny /peti lɑs(ə)ni/ noun
minor thefts
petty-sessional division petty-sessional division /peti
seʃ(ə)n(ə) d|v(ə)n/, petty sessions
area /peti seʃ(ə)nz eəriə/
noun an area of the country covered by a
magistrates’ courts committee for administration
purposes
COMMENT: England and Wales are divided
into 45 petty sessions areas.
petty sessions petty sessions /peti seʃ(ə)nz/ plural
noun magistrates’ court
petty theft petty theft /peti θeft/ noun the theft
of small items or small amounts of money
petty thief petty thief /peti θif/ noun somebody
who steals small items or small
amounts of money (NOTE: The plural is
thieves.)
Photofit Photofit /fəυtəυft/ a trademark for a
method of making a picture of a criminal
from descriptions given by witnesses, using
pieces of photographs of different
types of faces The police issued an
Photofit picture of the mugger.
picker picker /pkə/ noun a person in a team
of pickpockets who performs the act of
picking the victim’s pocket while the
others cause distractions (slang) Compare
runner
picket line picket line /pkt lan/ noun a line of
pickets at the gate of a factory
pickpocket pickpocket /pkpɒkt/ noun somebody
who steals things from people’s
pockets
pilfer pilfer /plfə/ verb to steal small objects
or small amounts of money
pilferage pilferage /plfərd, plfərŋ/, pilfering
/plfərŋ/ noun the offence of
stealing small amounts of money or
small items
pilferer pilferer /plfərə/ noun somebody who
steals small objects or small amounts of
money
pimp pimp /pmp/ noun a man who organises
prostitutes and lives off their earnings
pinch pinch /pntʃ/ verb (informal ) 1. to steal
2. to arrest
piracy piracy /parəsi/ noun 1. a robbery at
sea, by attacking ships 2. the activity of
copying patented inventions or copyright
works laws to ban book piracy
pirate pirate /parət/ noun 1. somebody who
attacks a ship at sea to steal cargo 2.
somebody who copies a patented invention
or a copyright work and sells it a
pirate copy of a book pirate radio station
a radio station which broadcasts
without a licence from outside a country’s
territorial waters verb to copy a
copyright work a pirated book or a pirated
design The drawings for the new
dress collection were pirated in the Far
East.
pith and marrow pith and marrow /pθ ən mrəυ/
noun the doctrine that a patent can be applied
to separate parts of an invention or
process as well as to a single invention itself
placement placement /plesmənt/ noun the activity
of finding work for someone
place of performance 224
place of performance place of performance /ples əv pə|
fɔməns/ noun a place where a contract
is to be performed
place of work place of work /ples əv w$k/ noun
an office, factory or other premises
where people work
placing placing /plesŋ/ noun the placing
of a line of shares finding a buyer for a
large number of shares in a new company
or a company which is going public
plagiarise plagiarise /pledəraz/, plagiarize
verb to copy the text of a work created by
someone else and pass it off as your own
plagiarism plagiarism /pledərz(ə)m/ noun
the activity of copying the text of a work
created by someone else and passing it
off as your own
plainclothes plainclothes /plenkləυdz/ adjective
(of a police officer) working in ordinary
clothes, not in uniform A group of
plainclothes police went into the house.
A plainclothes detective travelled on
the train.
plaint plaint /plent/ noun a claim brought
by one party (the claimant) against another
party (the defendant)
plaintiff plaintiff /plentf/ noun somebody
who starts an action against someone in
the civil courts. Compare defendant
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has been replaced by claimant.)
plaint note plaint note /plent nəυt/ noun a note
issued by a County Court at the beginning
of a County Court action
planned economy planned economy /plnd |
kɒnəmi/ noun a system where the government
plans all business activity
planning authority planning authority /plnŋ ɔ|
θɒrəti/ noun a local body which gives
permission for changes to be made to existing
buildings or for new use of land
planning department planning department /plnŋ d|
pɑtmənt/ noun a section of a local
government office which deals with requests
for planning permission
planning inquiry planning inquiry /plnŋ n|
kwari/ noun a hearing before a government
inspector relating to the decision of
a local authority in planning matters
planning permission planning permission /plnŋ pə|
mʃ(ə)n/ noun an official document allowing
a person or company to plan new
buildings on empty land or to alter existing
buildings outline planning permission
general permission to build a
property on a piece of land, but not the final
approval because there are no details
given he was refused planning permission
we are waiting for planning permission
before we can start building
the land is to be sold with outline planning
permission for four houses
plant plant /plɑnt/ verb to plant evidence
to put items at the scene of a crime after
the crime has taken place, so that a person
is incriminated and can be arrested
plastic bullet plastic bullet /plstk bυlt/ noun a
thick bullet made of plastic fired from a
special gun, used by the police only in
self-defence. Also called baton round
plea plea /pli/ noun 1. in civil law, an answer
made by a defendant to the case
presented by the claimant 2. in criminal
law, a statement made by a person accused
in court in answer to the charge
to enter a plea of not guilty to answer
the charge by stating that you are not
guilty
plea bargaining plea bargaining /pli bɑnŋ/
noun an arrangement where the accused
pleads guilty to some charges and the
prosecution drops other charges. dilatory
plead plead /plid/ verb 1. to make an allegation
in legal proceedings If fraud is to
be pleaded as part of a claim, details of
it must be given in the particulars of
claim. 2. to answer a charge in a criminal
court fit to plead mentally capable of
being tried to plead guilty to say at the
beginning of a trial that you did commit
the crime of which you are accused to
plead not guilty to say at the beginning
of a trial that you did not commit the
crime of which you are accused 3. to
speak on behalf of a client in court
pleader pleader /plidə/ noun somebody who
pleads a case in court The pleader of
the defence must deal with each allegation
made in the particulars of claim.
pleading pleading /plidŋ/ noun the action of
speaking in court on someone’s behalf
pleadings pleadings /plidŋz/ plural noun documents
setting out the claim of the claimant
or the defence of the defendant, or
giving the arguments which the two sides
225 poison-pen letter
will use in proceedings The damage is
itemised in the pleading. The judge
found that the claimant’s pleadings disclosed
no cause of action. Pleadings
must be submitted to the court when the
action is set down for trial. (NOTE: Since
the introduction of the new Civil Procedure
Rules in April 1999, this term has
been replaced by statements of case.)
plea in mitigation plea in mitigation /pli n mt|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun a statement in court on
behalf of a guilty party to persuade the
court to impose a lenient sentence
pleasure pleasure /pleə/ Her Majesty’s
pleasure
pledge pledge /pled/ noun 1. the transfer of
objects or documents to someone as security
for a loan 2. an object given by
someone such as a pawnbroker as security
for a loan to redeem a pledge to pay
back a loan and interest and so get back
the security verb to pledge share
certificates to deposit share certificates
with the lender as security for money
borrowed
pledgee pledgee /pled|i/ noun somebody
who receives objects or documents as security
for money lent
pledger pledger /pledə/ noun somebody
who gives objects or documents as security
for money borrowed
plenary plenary /plinəri/ adjective full or
complete
plenipotentiary plenipotentiary /plenpə|tenʃəri/
noun an official person acting on behalf
of a government in international affairs
PLP PLP abbreviation Parliamentary Labour
Party
pluralism pluralism /plυərəlz(ə)m/ noun a
system allowing different political or religious
groups to exist in the same society
pluralist state pluralist state /plυərəlst stet/
noun a state where various political pressure
groups can exist and exert influence
over the government
PMPM abbreviation Prime Minister
p.m. p.m. /pi|em/, post meridiem phrase
a Latin phrase meaning ‘after 12 o’clock
midday’ The train leaves at 6.50 p.m.
If you phone New York after 6 p.m. the
calls are at a cheaper rate.
POPO abbreviation post office
poaching poaching /pəυtʃŋ/ noun 1. the crime
of killing game which belongs to another
person or trespassing on someone’s land
to kill game 2. the activity of persuading
employees to work for another company,
or to leave one trade union and join another
pocket veto pocket veto /pɒkt vitəυ/ noun US
a veto by the President of a bill after
Congress has adjourned
COMMENT: Normally the President has
ten days to object to a bill which has
been passed to him by Congress; if
Congress adjourns during that period,
the President’s veto kills the bill.
point point /pɔnt/ noun a question relating
to a matter to take a point to agree that
the point made by another speaker is correct
point taken, I take your point I
agree that what you say is valid in
point of fact really or actually
COMMENT: When raising a point of order,
a member will say: ‘on a point of
order, Mr. Chairman’, and the Chairman
should stop the discussion to
hear what the person raising the point
wishes to say.
point duty point duty /pɔnt djuti/ noun the
work of a policeman or traffic warden to
direct the traffic at crossroads
point of fact point of fact /pɔnt əv fkt/ noun a
question which has to be decided regarding
the facts of a case
point of law point of law /pɔnt əv lɔ/ noun a
question relating to the law as applied to
a case Counsel raised a point of law.
The case illustrates an interesting point
of legal principle.
point of order point of order /pɔnt əv ɔdə/ noun
a question relating to the way in which a
meeting is being conducted He raised
a point of order. On a point of order, Mr
Chairman, can this committee approve
its own accounts? The meeting was adjourned
on a point of order.
poison poison /pɔz(ə)n/ noun a substance
which can kill if eaten or drunk She
killed the old lady by putting poison in
her tea. verb to kill someone, or make
them very ill, using poison He was not
shot, he was poisoned.
poison-pen letter poison-pen letter /pɔz(ə)n pen
letə/ noun an anonymous letter containing
defamatory allegations about someone
police 226
police police /pə|lis/ noun a group of people
who keep law and order in a country or
town The police have cordoned off the
town centre. The government is relying
on the police to keep law and order during
the elections. The bank robbers
were picked up by the police at the railway
station.
COMMENT: Under English law, a policeman
is primarily an ordinary citizen
who has certain powers at common
law and by statute. The police are organized
by area, each area functioning
independently with its own police
force. London, and the area round
London, is policed by the Metropolitan
Police Force under the direct supervision
of the Home Secretary. Outside
London, each police force is answerable
to a local police authority, although
day-to-day control of operations is
vested entirely in the Chief Constable.
police authority police authority /pə|lis ɔ|θɒrti/
noun a local committee which supervises
a local police force
police bail police bail /pə|lis bel/ noun bail
granted by the police from police custody
Police Commissioner Police Commissioner /pə|lis kə|
mʃ(ə)nə/ noun the highest rank in
some police forces
Police Community Support Officer Police Community Support Officer
/pə|lis kə|mjunti sə|pɔt
ɒfsə/ noun a person whose job is to patrol
the streets, especially in cities, providing
assistance to the public, dealing
with incidents of nuisance and anti-social
behaviour which don’t require full
police powers, and issuing some fixed
penalty notices to offenders. Abbreviation
PCSO. Also called community
support officer
Police Complaints Board Police Complaints Board /pə|lis
kəm|plents bɔd/ noun a group which
investigates complaints made by members
of the public against the police
Police Complaints Committee Police Complaints Committee
/pə|lis kəm|plents kə|mti/ noun a
group of people who investigate complaints
made by members of the public
against the police
police constable police constable /pə|lis
k nstəb(ə)l/ noun an ordinary member
of the police Police Constables Smith
and Jones are on patrol. Woman Police
Constable MacIntosh was at the scene of
the accident. (NOTE: usually abbreviated
to PC and WPC)
police cordon police cordon /pə|lis kɔd(ə)n/
noun a line of barriers and police officers
put round an area to prevent anyone
moving in or out of the area
police court police court /pə|lis kɔt/ noun a
magistrates’ court
police force police force /pə|lis fɔs/ noun a
group of policemen organised in a certain
area The members of several local
police forces have collaborated in the
murder hunt. The London police force
is looking for more recruits. detective,
Metropolitan Police
COMMENT: The ranks in a British police
force are: Police Constable, Police
Sergeant, Inspector, Chief Inspector,
Superintendent, Chief Superintendent,
Assistant Chief Constable,
Deputy Chief Constable and Chief
Constable.
police headquarters police headquarters /pə|lis hed|
kwɔtəz/ noun the main offices of a police
force
police inspector police inspector /pə|lis n|spektə/
noun a rank in the police force above a
sergeant
policeman policeman /pə|lismən/ noun a man
who is a member of the police (NOTE:
The plural is policemen.)
police officer police officer /pə|lis ɒfsə/ noun a
member of the police
police precinct police precinct /pə|lis prisŋ(k)t/
noun US a section of a town with its own
police station
police protection police protection /pə|lis prə|
tekʃən/ noun the services of the police
to protect someone who might be
harmed The minister was given police
protection.
police sergeant police sergeant /pə|lis sɑdənt/
noun a rank in the police force above
constable and below inspector
police station police station /pə|lis steʃ(ə)n/
noun a local office of a police force
police superintendent police superintendent /pə|lis
supərn|tendənt/ noun a high rank in
a police force, above Chief Inspector and
below Chief Superintendent
policewoman policewoman /pə|liswυmən/ noun a
female member of a police force (NOTE:
The plural is policewomen.)
227 positive vetting
policing /pə|lisŋ/ noun the activity
of keeping law and order in a place, using
the police force
holder policy holder /pɒlsi həυldə/ noun
somebody who is insured by an insurance
company
crime political crime /pə|ltk(ə)l kram/
noun a crime such as an assassination
committed for a political reason
prisoner political prisoner /pə|ltk(ə)l
prz(ə)nə/ noun a person kept in prison
because he or she is an opponent of the
political party in power
poll /pəυl/ noun she changed her
name by deed poll she executed a legal
document to change her name verb to
poll a sample of the population to ask a
sample group of people what they feel
about something to poll the members
of the club on an issue to ask the members
for their opinion on an issue
tax poll tax /pəυl tks/ noun a tax levied
equally on each adult member of the
population. community charge
pollutant /pə|lut(ə)nt/ noun a substance
or agent which pollutes Discharge
pipes take pollutants away from
the coastal area into the sea.
pollute /pə|lut/ verb to discharge
harmful substances into the environment
naturally, accidentally or deliberately
polluter /pə|lutə/ noun a person or
company which causes pollution Certain
industries are major polluters of the
environment.
pays principle polluter pays principle /pə|lutə
pez prnsəp(ə)l/ noun the principle
that if pollution occurs, the person or
company responsible should be required
to pay for the consequences of the pollution
and for avoiding it in future
pollution /pə|luʃ(ə)n/ noun the presence
of harmful substances in the environment,
especially when produced by
human activity
COMMENT: Pollution is caused by natural
sources or by human action. It can
be caused by a volcanic eruption or by
a nuclear power station. Pollutants are
not only chemical substances, but can
be a noise from a grinding works or an
unpleasant smell from a sewage farm.
pollution charges pollution charges /pə|luʃ(ə)n
tʃɑdz/ plural noun cost of repairing
or stopping environmental pollution
pollution control pollution control /pə|luʃ(ə)n kən|
trəυl/ noun a means of limiting pollution
polygamous polygamous /pə|ləməs/ adjective
referring to polygamy a polygamous
society a society where men are allowed
to be married to more than one wife at
the same time
polygamy polygamy /pə|ləmi/ noun the state
of having more than one wife. Compare
bigamy, monogamy
polygraph polygraph /pɒlirɑf/ noun a machine
which tells if a person is lying by
recording physiological changes which
take place while the person is being interviewed.
Also called lie detector
popular vote popular vote /pɒpjυlə vəυt/ noun a
vote of the people
pornography pornography /pɔ|nɒrəfi/ noun obscene
publications or films
porridge porridge /pɒrd/ noun imprisonment
(slang) to do porridge to serve a
term of imprisonment
portion portion /pɔʃ(ə)n/ noun money or
property given to a young person to provide
money for them as income
port of registry port of registry /pɔt əv redstri/
noun the port where a ship is registered
position position /pə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun a job or
role in an organisation to apply for a
position as manager We have several
positions vacant. All the vacant positions
have been filled. She retired from
her position in the accounts department.
position of trust position of trust /pə|zʃ(ə)n əv
tr st/ noun a job where an employee is
trusted by his or her employer to look after
money, confidential information, etc.
positive discrimination positive discrimination /pɒztv
dskrm|neʃ(ə)n/ noun discrimination
in favour of one category of workers,
such as women, to enable them to be
more equal The council’s policy of positive
discrimination has ensured that
more women are appointed to senior
posts.
positive vetting positive vetting /pɒztv vetŋ/
noun a thorough examination of a person
before that person is allowed to work
with classified information
possess 228
possess possess /pə|zes/ verb to own or to be
in occupation of or to be in control of
The company possesses property in the
centre of the town. He lost all he possessed
when his company was put into
liquidation.
possession possession /pə|zeʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
control over property 2. physically holding
something which does not necessarily
belong to you the documents are in
his possession he is holding the documents
how did it come into his possession,
how did he get possession of
it? how did he acquire it? unlawful
possession of drugs offence of having
drugs
possession in law possession in law /pə|zeʃ(ə)n n
lɔ/ noun ownership of land or buildings
without actually occupying them
possessive action possessive action /pə|zesv
kʃən/ noun an action to regain possession
of land or buildings
possessory possessory /pə|zesəri/ adjective referring
to possession of property
possessory title possessory title /pə|zesəri tat(ə)l/
noun a title to land acquired by occupying
it continuously, usually for twelve
years
post post /pəυst/ verb to pay a bond or bail
for someone
post- post- /pəυst/ prefix later
post code post code /pəυst kəυd/ noun the letters
and numbers that are used to indicate
a town or street in an address on an envelope
posteriori posteriori a posteriori
posthumous posthumous /pɒstjυməs/ adjective
1. happening after someone’s death
posthumous publication of her book 2.
born after the death of a father a posthumous
child
post mortem post mortem /pəυst mɔtəm/ noun
an examination of the body of a dead person
to see how he or she died The post
mortem was carried out or was conducted
by the police pathologist.
post obit bond post obit bond /pəυst əυbt bɒnd/
noun an agreement where a borrower
will repay a loan when he or she receives
money as a legacy from someone
post scriptum post scriptum /pəυst skrptəm/
noun full form of P.S.
power power /paυə/ noun 1. strength, ability
or capacity 2. authority or legal right
the powers of a local authority in relation
to children in care the powers and
duties conferred on the tribunal by the
statutory code The president was
granted wide powers under the constitution.
the full power of the law the full
force of the law when applied We will
apply the full power of the law to regain
possession of our property. 3. a powerful
country or state one of the important
military powers in the region
power of advancement power of advancement /paυə əv
əd|vɑnsmənt/ noun the power of a
trustee to advance funds from a trust to a
beneficiary
power of appointment power of appointment /paυər əv ə|
pɔntmənt/ noun a power given to one
person such as a trustee to dispose of
property belonging to another
power of attorney power of attorney /paυər əv ə|
t$ni/ noun an official power giving
someone the right to act on someone
else’s behalf in legal matters His solicitor
was granted power of attorney.
power of search power of search /paυər əv s$tʃ/
noun the authority to search premises,
which is given to the police and some
other officials such as Customs and Excise
officers
power politics power politics /paυə pɒltks/
noun the threat to use economic or military
force by one country to try to get
other countries to do what it wants
p.p. p.p. verb to p.p. a receipt, a letter to
sign a receipt or a letter on behalf of
someone The secretary p.p.’d the letter
while the manager was at lunch. per
procurationem
PRPR abbreviation public relations
practice practice /prkts/ noun 1. a way of
doing things His practice was to arrive
at work at 7.30 and start counting the
cash. 2. a way of working in court 3. the
business premises and clients of a professional
person She has set up in practice
as a solicitor or a patent agent. He
is a partner in a country solicitor’s practice.
4. the carrying on of a profession
He has been in practice for twenty years.
practice directions practice directions /prkts da|
rekʃənz/ plural noun notes made by
229 pre-emption clause
judges as to how specific procedures or
formalities should be carried out. Abbreviation
PDs
practice form practice form /prkts fɔm/ noun a
form which lays out practice in a specific
case
Practice Master Practice Master /prkts mɑstə/
noun the Master on duty in the High
Court, who will hear solicitors without
appointment and give directions in relation
to the general conduct of proceedings
practise practise /prkts/ verb to work in a
profession, especially law or medicine
He is a practising solicitor.
practising certificate practising certificate /prktsiŋ
sə|tfkət/ noun a certificate from the
Law Society allowing someone to work
as a solicitor
praecipe praecipe /prispi/ noun a written request
addressed to a court, asking that
court to prepare and issue a document
such as a writ of execution or a witness
summons
pray pray /pre/ verb to ask to pray in aid
to rely on something when pleading a
case I pray in aid the Statute of Frauds.
prayer prayer /preə/ noun words at the end of
a petition or pleading, which summarise
what the litigant is asking the court to do
pre-action pre-action /pri kʃən/ adjective before
an action starts
pre-action practice pre-action practice /pri kʃən
prkts/ noun the way of working before
a case comes to court
pre-action protocol pre-action protocol /pri kʃən
prəυtəkɒl/ noun a set of statements
which are agreed before the hearings
start between lawyers representing different
parties about how a case should
proceed, which are then approved by the
court in the practice direction. These protocols
should try to encourage the parties
to try to settle without proceeding to litigation.
preamble preamble /pri|mb(ə)l/ noun the first
words in an official document such as a
contract, introducing the document and
setting out the main points in it
precatory precatory /prekət(ə)ri/ adjective requesting
precatory words precatory words /prekət(ə)ri
w$dz/ noun in a document such as a
will, words which ask for something to
be done
precedent precedent /presd(ə)nt/ noun something
such as a judgment which has happened
earlier than the present, and which
can be a guide to what should be done in
the present case to set a precedent to
make a decision in court which will show
other courts how to act in future to follow
a precedent to decide in the same
way as an earlier decision in the same
type of case The court followed the
precedent set in 1926.
COMMENT: Although English law is increasingly
governed by statute, the
doctrine of precedent still plays a major
role. The decisions of higher courts
bind lower courts, except in the case of
the Court of Appeal, where the court
has power to change a previous decision
reached per incuriam. Cases can
be distinguished by the courts where
the facts seem to be sufficiently different.
precept /prisept/ noun an order asking
for local taxes to be paid
body precepting body /priseptŋ bɒdi/
noun an organisation which levies a precept
preclude preclude /pr|klud/ verb to forbid or
to prevent The High Court is precluded
by statute from reviewing such a decision.
This agreement does not preclude
a further agreement between the parties
in the future.
predecease predecease /prid|sis/ verb to die
before someone He predeceased his father.
His estate is left to his daughter,
but should she predecease him, it will be
held in trust for her children.
predecessor /pridsesə/ noun
somebody who had a job or position before
someone else He took over from
his predecessor last May. She acquired
her predecessor’s list of clients.
emption pre-emption /pri empʃən/ noun
the right of first refusal to purchase
something before it is sold to someone
else
emption clause pre-emption clause /pri empʃən
klɔz/ noun a clause in a private company’s
articles of association which requires
any shares offered for sale to be
offered first to existing shareholders
prefer 230
prefer prefer /pr|f$/ verb 1. to pay one creditor
before any others 2. to bring something
before a court to prefer charges
to charge someone with an offence
preference preference /pref(ə)rəns/ noun 1.
something which is preferred 2. the payment
of one creditor before other creditors
preferential preferential /prefə|renʃəl/ adjective
showing that something is preferred
more than another
COMMENT: In the case of a company
liquidation, preferential debts are
debts owed to the government or its
agencies and include PAYE owed to
the Inland Revenue, VAT, social security
contributions, contributions to state
pensions schemes.
preferential creditor preferential creditor
/prefərenʃ(ə)l kredtə/ noun a creditor
who must be paid first if a company is
in liquidation
preferential debt preferential debt /prefə|renʃəl det/
noun a debt which is paid before all others
preferential duty preferential duty /prefərenʃ(ə)l
djuti/ noun a special low rate of tax
preferential payment preferential payment /prefərenʃəl
pemənt/ noun payment made to one
creditor before others
preferential terms preferential terms /prefə|renʃ(ə)l
t$ms/ plural noun terms or way of dealing
which is better than usual
preferment of charges preferment of charges /pr|
f$rmənt əv tʃɑdz/ noun the act of
charging someone with a criminal offence
preferred creditor preferred creditor /pr|f$d
kredtə/ noun a creditor who must be
paid first if a company is in liquidation
preferred shares preferred shares /pr|f$d ʃeəz/
plural noun shares which receive their
dividend before all other shares, and
which are repaid first (at face value) if
the company is in liquidation
prejudge prejudge /pri|d d/ verb to judge
an issue before having heard the evidence
Do not prejudge the issue – hear
what defence counsel has to say.
prejudice prejudice /predυds/ noun 1. an unreasonable
view of someone or something
based on feelings or opinions rather
than facts 2. harm done to someone
Forgery is the copying of a real document,
so that it is accepted as genuine to
someone’s prejudice. without prejudice
phrase spoken or written in letters
when attempting to negotiate a settlement,
meaning that the negotiations cannot
be referred to in court or relied upon
by the other party if the discussions fail
to act to the prejudice of a claim to do
something which may harm a claim
verb to harm to prejudice someone’s
claim
preliminary /pr|lmn(ə)ri/ adjective
happening before other things as an introduction
or in preparation
discussion preliminary discussion /pr|
lmn(ə)ri d|sk ʃ(ə)n/ noun a discussion
or meeting which takes place before
the main discussion or meeting starts
hearing preliminary hearing /pr|lmn(ə)ri
hərŋ/ noun 1. court proceedings
where the witnesses and the defendant
are examined to see if there are sufficient
grounds for the case to proceed 2. in the
small claims track, a hearing to decide if
special directions should be issued, or if
the statement of case should be struck
out 3. court proceedings to try a specific
issue rather than the whole case
inquiries preliminary inquiries /pr|
lmn(ə)ri n|kwaəriz/ plural noun investigation
by the solicitor for the purchaser
addressed to the vendor’s solicitor
concerning the vendor’s title to the property
for which the purchaser has made an
offer
investigation preliminary investigation /pr|
lmn(ə)ri n|vest|eʃ(ə)n/ noun an
examination of the details of a case by a
magistrate who then has to decide if the
case should be committed to a higher
court for trial
reference preliminary reference /pr|
lmn(ə)ri ref(ə)rəns/ noun a reference
from a court in a Member State of
the European Union to the European
Court of Justice on a question of interpretation
of EU law, the aim being to ensure
that the laws are interpreted uniformly
throughout the EU, and that all
national courts are familiar with it. The
ECJ has used preliminary references as a
means of extending the scope of EU law.
231 President of the Family Division
preliminary ruling preliminary ruling /pr|lmn(ə)ri
rulŋ/ noun a provisional decision of
the European Court of Justice
premeditated premeditated /pri|medtetd/ adjective
having been thought about carefully
or which has been planned a premeditated
murder The crime was premeditated.
premeditation premeditation /primed|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the activity of thinking about and
planning a crime such as murder
premises premises /premsz/ plural noun 1.
building and the land it stands on office
premises, shop premises building
which houses an office or shop lock-up
premises shop which is locked up at
night when the owner goes home on
the premises in the building There is a
doctor on the premises at all times. 2.
things that have been referred to previously
(NOTE: used at the end of a pleading:
In the premises the defendant denies
that he is indebted to the claimant
as alleged or at all.)
premium premium /primiəm/ noun 1. a sum
of money paid by one person to another,
especially one paid regularly 2. the
amount to be paid to a landlord or a tenant
for the right to take over a lease flat
to let with a premium of £10,000 annual
rent: £8,500 – premium: £25,000 3. an
extra charge
prerogative prerogative /pr|rɒətv/ noun a special
right which someone has
prerogative of mercy prerogative of mercy /pr|rɒətv
əv m$si/ noun the power (used by the
Home Secretary) to commute or remit a
sentence
prerogative order prerogative order /pr|rɒətv
ɔdə/ noun a writ from the High Court,
which requests a body to do its duty, or
not to do some act, or to conduct an inquiry
into its own actions
prerogative powers prerogative powers /pr|rɒətv
paυəs/ plural noun special powers used
by a government, acting in the name of
the King or Queen, to do something such
as declare war, nominate judges or ministers
without needing to ask Parliament
to approve the decision
prescribe prescribe /pr|skrab/ verb 1. to claim
rights which have been enjoyed for a
long time 2. to lay down rules
prescribed limits prescribed limits /pr|skrabd
lmts/ plural noun limits which are set
down in legislation, e.g. the limit on the
amount of alcohol a driver is allowed to
drink and still drive
prescription prescription /pr|skrpʃən/ noun the
act of acquiring a right or exercising a
right over a period of time
present present /prez(ə)nt/ noun these
presents this document itself know all
men by these presents be informed by
this document verb to bring or send
and show a document to present a bill
for acceptance to send a bill for payment
by the person who has accepted it
to present a bill for payment to send a
bill to be paid
presentation presentation /prez(ə)n|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the process or an act of offering or
showing information for other people to
consider or make a decision about The
presentation of the case took several
days. on presentation of by showing
Admission only on presentation of this
pass.
presentment presentment /pr|zentmənt/ noun
the act of showing a document presentment
of a bill of exchange
preservation order preservation order /prezə|
veʃ(ə)n ɔdə/ noun a court order
which prevents a building from being demolished
or a tree from being cut down
preside preside /pr|zad/ verb to be chairman
to preside over a meeting The meeting
was held in the committee room, Mr
Smith presiding.
presidential-style presidential-style /prez|denʃəl
stal/ adjective working in a similar way
to the United States presidency presidential-
style government governing in
the same way as a President of the USA,
who is not a member of the elected legislature
presidential-style campaign
election campaign which concentrates
on the person of the leader of the party,
and not on the party’s policies The
Prime Minister was accused of running a
presidential-style election campaign.
President of the Family Division President of the Family Division
/prezdənt əv də fm(ə)li d|v(ə)n/
noun a judge who is responsible for the
work of the Family Division of the High
Court
presiding judge 232
judge presiding judge /pr|zadŋ d d/
noun a High Court judge who is responsible
for a main Crown Court in a circuit
press /pres/ verb to press charges
against someone to say formally that
someone has committed a crime He
was very angry when his neighbour’s son
set fire to his car, but decided not to press
charges.
Complaints Commission Press Complaints Commission
/pres kəm|plents kə|mʃ(ə)n/ noun a
voluntary body concerned with the selfregulation
of the press
conference press conference /pres
kɒnf(ə)rəns/ noun a meeting where reporters
from newspapers and TV are invited
to ask a minister questions, to hear
the result of a court case, etc. (NOTE: In
some political parties (such as the British
Labour Party), the word Conference
is used without the to indicate
that it is not simply a meeting, but a decision-
making body: Decisions of Conference
are binding on the Executive;
Conference passed a motion in support
of trade unions.)
coverage press coverage /pres k v(ə)rd/
noun reports about something in the
newspapers, on TV, etc. The company
had good media coverage for the launch
of its new model.
press release press release /pres r|lis/ noun a
sheet giving news about something
which is sent to newspapers and TV and
radio stations so that they can use the information
secretary press secretary /pres sekrət(ə)ri/
noun the person responsible for contacts
with journalists The information was
communicated by the President’s Press
Secretary.
group pressure group /preʃə rup/ noun
a group of people with similar interests,
who try to influence government policies
politics pressure politics /preʃə pɒltks/
noun an attempt to change a government’s
policies by political pressure
presume /pr|zjum/ verb to suppose
something is correct The court presumes
the maintenance payments are being
paid on time. The company is presumed
to be still solvent. We presume
the shipment has been stolen. Two sailors
are missing, presumed drowned.
COMMENT: In English law, the accused
is presumed to be innocent until he is
proved to be guilty, and presumed to
be sane until he is proved to be insane.
presumption presumption /pr|z mpʃən/ noun
something which is assumed to be correct,
because it is based on other facts
presumption of death presumption of death /pr|
z mpʃən əv deθ/ noun a situation
where a person has not been seen for seven
years and is presumed to be legally
dead
presumption of innocence presumption of innocence /pr|
z mpʃən əv nəs(ə)ns/ noun the act
of assuming that someone is innocent,
until they have been proved guilty
presumptive evidence presumptive evidence /pr|
z mptv evd(ə)ns/ noun circumstantial
evidence
pretrial pretrial /pri|traəl/ adjective before a
trial starts
pretrial detention pretrial detention /pri|traəl d|
tenʃən/ noun US the situation of being
kept in prison until your trial starts
(NOTE: The British equivalent is remanded
in custody.)
pretrial release pretrial release /pri|traəl r|lis/
noun US the release of an accused person
pending his or her return to court to
face trial (NOTE: The British equivalent
is bail.)
pretrial review pretrial review /pri|traəl r|vju/
noun US a meeting of the parties before
a civil action to examine what is likely to
arise during the action, so that ways can
be found of making it shorter and so reduce
costs
prevail prevail /pr|vel/ verb to prevail
upon someone to do something to persuade
someone to do something Counsel
prevailed upon the judge to grant an
adjournment.
prevaricate prevaricate /pr|vrket/ verb not to
give a clear and straightforward answer
to a question
prevention prevention /pr|venʃən/ noun the act
of stopping something from taking place
the prevention of terrorism stopping
terrorist acts taking place
prevention of corruption prevention of corruption /pr|
venʃən əv kə|r pʃən/ noun US activi-
233 priori
ty undertaken to stop corruption taking
place
preventive preventive /pr|ventv/ adjective trying
to stop something happening to
take preventive measures against theft
to try to stop things from being stolen
COMMENT: Now replaced by extended
sentence.
preventive detention preventive detention /pr|ventv
d|tenʃən/ noun US formerly, the imprisonment
of someone who frequently
committed a specific crime, so as to prevent
them from doing it again
previous previous /priviəs/ noun a previous
conviction or convictions for criminal offences
price controls price controls /pras kən|trəυlz/
plural noun legal measures to prevent
prices rising too fast
price/earnings ratio price/earnings ratio /pras $nŋz
reʃiəυ/ noun the ratio between the
market price of a share and the current
earnings it produces
price ex warehouse price ex warehouse /pras eks
weəhaυs/ noun the price for a product
which is to be collected from the factory
or from an agent’s warehouse and so
does not include delivery
price ex works price ex works /pras eks w$ks/
noun the price not including transport
from the maker’s factory
price fixing price fixing /pras fksŋ/ noun an
illegal agreement between companies to
charge the same price for competing
products
pricing pricing /prasŋ/ noun the activity of
giving a price to a product
pricing policy pricing policy /prasŋ pɒlisi/ noun
a company’s policy in setting prices for
its products
primacy primacy /praməsi/ noun supremacy,
one of the twin pillars of EU law. supremacy
prima facie prima facie /pramə feʃi/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘on the face of it’
or ‘as things seem at first’ there is a
prima facie case to answer one side in a
case has shown that there is a case to answer,
and so the action should be proceeded
with
primarily primarily /pram(ə)rli/ adverb in the
first place He is primarily liable for his
debts. secondarily
primary evidence primary evidence /praməri
evd(ə)ns/ noun the most reliable type
of evidence, e.g. original documents, or
evidence from eye witnesses
primary legislation primary legislation /praməri
led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun legislation of the
Member States of the European Union,
as opposed to legislation of the EU itself
prime prime /pram/ adjective 1. most important
2. basic
prime bills prime bills /pram blz/ plural noun
bills of exchange which do not involve
any risk
prime rate prime rate /pram ret/ noun the best
rate of interest at which a bank lends to
its customers
prime time prime time /pram tam/ noun the
most expensive advertising time for TV
advertisements
primogeniture primogeniture /praməυ|dentʃə/
noun a former rule that the oldest son inherits
all his father’s estate
primus inter pares primus inter pares /praməs n|t$
peəs/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘first among equals’: used to refer to the
office of Prime Minister, implying that
all ministers are equal, and the PM is
simply the most important of them
principal principal /prnsp(ə)l/ noun a person
who is responsible for something, especially
person who is in charge of a company
or a person who commits a crime
principle principle /prnsp(ə)l/ noun a general
point or rule that is used as the basis of
the way something is done in principle
in agreement with a general rule it is
against his principles it goes against
what he believes to be the correct way to
act. Compare principal
printed matter printed matter /prntd mtə/
noun books, newspapers, advertising
material, etc.
prior prior /praə/ adjective earlier without
prior knowledge without knowing
before
prior agreement prior agreement /praə ə|rimənt/
noun an agreement which was reached
earlier
prior charge prior charge /praə tʃɑd/ noun a
charge which ranks before others
priori priori a priori
prison 234
prison prison /prz(ə)n/ noun 1. a safe building
where criminals can be kept locked
up after they have been convicted or
while they await trial The government
has ordered the construction of six new
prisons. This prison was built 150
years ago. 2. a place where prisoners are
kept as a punishment She was sent to
prison for six years. They have spent
the last six months in prison. He escaped
from prison by climbing over the
wall. (NOTE: no plural for sense 2, which
is also usually written without the article:
in prison; out of prison; sent to prison.)
prison chaplain prison chaplain /prz(ə)n tʃpln/
noun a priest or minister who works in a
prison
prisoner prisoner /prz(ə)nə/ noun somebody
who is in prison
prisoner at the bar prisoner at the bar /prz(ə)nə ət də
bɑ/ noun a prisoner who is being tried
in court
prisoner of war prisoner of war /prz(ə)nə əv wɔ/
noun a member of the armed forces captured
and put in prison by the enemy in
time of war
prisoner on remand prisoner on remand /prz(ə)nə ɒn
r|mɑnd/ noun a prisoner who has been
told to reappear in court at a later date
prison governor prison governor /prz(ə)n
v(ə)nə/ noun the person in charge of
a prison
prison officer prison officer /prz(ə)n ɒfsə/ noun
a member of staff in a prison
prison visitor prison visitor /prz(ə)n vztə/
noun visitor
privacy privacy /prvəsi/ noun a private life
private private /pravət/ adjective belonging
to a single person, not a company or the
state
Private Bill Private Bill /pravət bl/ noun a Bill
or Act relating to a particular person,
corporation or institution
private business private business /pravət bzns/
noun a business dealing with the members
of a group or matters which cannot
be discussed in public The committee
held a special meeting to discuss some
private business.
private carrier private carrier /pravət kriə/
noun a firm which carries goods or passengers,
but which is not contractually
bound to offer the service to anyone
private client private client /pravət klaənt/
noun a client dealt with by a professional
person or by a salesperson as an individual
person, not as a company
private detective private detective /pravət d|
tektv/ noun a person who for a fee will
try to find missing people, keep watch on
someone, or find out information
private effects private effects /pravət |fekts/ plural
noun goods which belong to someone
and are used by him
private eye private eye /pravət a/ noun somebody
who for a fee will try to solve mysteries,
to find missing persons or to keep
watch on someone (informal )
private law private law /pravət lɔ/ noun a law
such as the law of contract relating to relations
between individual people
private letter private letter /pravət letə/ noun a
letter which deals with personal matters
Private Member’s Bill Private Member’s Bill /pravət
membəz bl/ noun a Bill which is
drafted and proposed as legislation in the
House of Commons by an ordinary
Member of Parliament, not by a government
minister on behalf of the government
private nuisance private nuisance /pravət
njus(ə)ns/ noun a tort, a nuisance
which causes harm or damage to a particular
person or their rights
private ownership private ownership /pravət
əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where a company
is owned by private shareholders
private property private property /pravət prɒpəti/
noun property which belongs to a private
person, not to the public
private prosecution private prosecution /pravət
prɒs|kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun a prosecution
for a criminal act, brought by an ordinary
member of the public and not by the police
privatise privatise /pravətaz/, privatize verb
to sell a nationalised industry to private
shareholders
privilege privilege /prvld/ noun 1. protection
from the law given in some circumstances.
Crown privilege, professional
privilege 2. the right of a party
not to disclose a document, or to refuse
to answer questions, on the ground of
235 procedural problem
some special interest 3. US the order of
priority motion of the highest privilege
motion which will be discussed
first, before all other motions
privileged /prvldd/ adjective protected
by privilege
privileged communication privileged communication
/prvldd kə|mjun|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
a letter which could be libellous, but
which is protected by privilege, e.g. a letter
from a client to his lawyer
meeting privileged meeting /prvldd
mitŋ/ noun a meeting where what is
said will not be repeated outside
questions privileged questions /prvldd
kwestʃ(ə)ns/ plural noun US order of
priority of motions to be discussed
privileged will privileged will /prvldd wl/ noun
a will which is not made in writing and is
not signed or witnessed, e.g. a will made
by a soldier on the battlefield or a seaman
while at sea
COMMENT: Privileged wills are not like
ordinary wills, in that they may be oral,
or if written, need not be signed or witnessed.
It is sufficient that the intention
of the testator was made clear at the
time.
privity of contract privity of contract /prvti əv
kɒntrkt/ noun a relationship between
the parties to a contract, which makes the
contract enforceable as between them
Council Privy Council /prvi kaυnsəl/ noun
a body of senior advisers who advise the
Queen on specific matters
COMMENT: The Privy Council is mainly
formed of members of the cabinet, and
former members of the cabinet. It never
meets as a group, but three Privy
Councillors need to be present when
the Queen signs Orders in Council.
Privy Councillor Privy Councillor /prvi kaυnsələ/
noun a member of the Privy Council
court prize court /praz kɔt/ noun a court
set up to rule on the ownership of prizes
pro pro /prəυ/ preposition for or on behalf
of
probable cause probable cause /prɒbəb(ə)l kɔz/
noun US the fact of believing that it is
likely that a crime has been committed
and by an identified person, which is a
necessary part of police stop and search
procedures
probate probate /prəυbet/ noun legal acceptance
that a document, especially a will, is
valid the executor was granted probate,
obtained a grant of probate the
executor was told officially that the will
was valid
Probate Registry Probate Registry /prəυbet
redstri/ noun a court office which
deals with the granting of probate
probation probation /prə|beʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a legal
system for dealing with criminals, often
young offenders, where they are not
sent to prison provided that they continue
to behave well under the supervision of a
probation officer She was sentenced to
probation for one year. 2. a period when
a new employee is being tested before
being confirmed as having a permanent
job on probation 1. being tested he
is on three months’ probation 2. being
under a probation order from a court to
take someone on probation
probationer probationer /prə|beʃ(ə)nə/ noun
somebody who has been put on probation
probation officer probation officer /prə|beʃ(ə)n
ɒfsə/ noun an official of the social
services who supervises young people
on probation
probation order probation order /prə|beʃ(ə)n ɔdə/
noun a court order putting someone on
probation
probative probative /prəυbətv/ adjective relating
to proof
probative value probative value /prəυbətv
vlju/ noun US the value of an item as
evidence in a trial
problem area problem area /prɒbləm eəriə/ noun
an area of work which is difficult to manage
Drug-related crime is a problem
area in large cities.
procedural procedural /prə|sidərəl/ adjective
referring to legal procedure
procedural judge procedural judge /prə|sidərəl
d d/ noun a judge who deals with the
management of a case, its allocation to a
particular track, etc.
procedural law procedural law /prə|sidərəl lɔ/
noun law relating to how the civil or
criminal law is administered by the
courts. Compare substantive law
procedural problem procedural problem /prə|sidərəl
prɒbləm/ noun a question concerning
procedure 236
procedure The hearing was held up
while counsel argued over procedural
problems.
procedure procedure /prə|sidə/ noun a way in
which something is done, especially the
correct or agreed way to deal with something
to follow the proper procedure
criticised police procedures this procedure
is very irregular this is not the
set way to do something
proceed proceed /prə|sid/ verb to continue
doing something The negotiations are
proceeding slowly. to proceed against
someone to start a legal action against
someone to proceed with something
to go on doing something
proceedings proceedings /prə|sidŋz/ plural
noun to institute or to start proceedings
against someone to start a legal action
against someone
proceedings in tort proceedings in tort /prə|sidŋz n
tɔt/ plural noun court action for damages
for a tort
process process /prəυ|ses/ noun 1. the way in
which a court acts to assert its jurisdiction
2. the writs issued by a court to summon
a defendant to appear in court 3. a
legal procedure the due process of the
law the formal work of a fair legal action
verb to deal with something in the usual
routine way to process an insurance
claim The incident room is processing
information received from the public.
processing processing /prəυsesŋ/ noun the
processing of a claim for insurance
putting a claim for compensation
through the usual office routine in the insurance
company
process-server process-server /prəυ|ses s$və/
noun a person who delivers legal documents
such as a writ or summons to people
in person
proctor proctor /prɒktə/ noun (in a university)
an official who is responsible for
keeping law and order
procurationem procurationem per procurationem
Procurator Fiscal Procurator Fiscal /prɒkjuretə
fsk(ə)l/ noun (in Scotland) a law officer
who decides whether an alleged criminal
should be prosecuted
procure procure /prə|kjυə/ verb to get someone
to do something, especially to arrange
for a woman to provide sexual intercourse
for money
procurer procurer /prə|kjυərə/ noun somebody
who procures women
procuring procuring /prə|kjυəmənt/, procurement
noun the notifiable offence of getting
a woman to provide sexual intercourse
for money
Production Centre Production Centre /prə|d kʃ(ə)n
sentə/ noun a central office which issues
claim forms
product liability product liability /prɒd kt laə|
blti/ noun the liability of the maker of
a product for negligence in the design or
production of the product
proferentem proferentem contra proferentem
profession profession /prə|feʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
work which needs special learning over a
period of time the managing director
is a lawyer by profession he trained as a
lawyer 2. a group of specialised workers
the legal profession all lawyers the
medical profession all doctors
professional professional /prə|feʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective
1. referring to one of the professions
The accountant sent in his bill for professional
services. We had to ask our
lawyer for professional advice on the
contract. a professional man somebody
who works in one of the professions,
e.g. a lawyer, doctor, accountant
professional qualifications documents
showing that someone has successfully
finished a course of study which allows
him to work in one of the professions 2.
expert noun a person with special
skills and qualifications in a particular
subject
professional misconduct professional misconduct /prə|
feʃ(ə)n(ə)l ms|kɒnd kt/ noun behaviour
by a professional person such as a
lawyer, accountant or doctor which the
body which regulates that profession
considers to be wrong, e.g. an action by
a solicitor which is considered wrong by
the Law Society
professional privilege professional privilege /prə|
feʃ(ə)n(ə)l prvld/ noun confidentiality
of communications between a client
and his or her lawyer
profit after tax profit after tax /prɒft ɑftə tks/
noun the profit after tax has been deducted
237 property
profit and loss account profit and loss account /prɒft ən
lɒs ə|kaυnt/ noun a statement of a company’s
expenditure and income over a
period of time, almost always one calendar
year, showing whether the company
has made a profit or loss
profit à prendre profit à prendre /prɒfi prɒndrə/
noun a right to take from land or a river
passing through it something such as
game or fish
profit before tax profit before tax /prɒft bfɔ
tks/ noun the profit of a company after
expenses have been deducted but before
tax has been calculated
profiteer profiteer /prɒf|tə/ noun somebody
who makes too much profit, especially
when goods are rationed or in short supply
pro forma pro forma /prəυ fɔmə/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘for the sake of
form’ pro forma (invoice) invoice sent
to a buyer before the goods are sent, so
that payment can be made or that business
documents can be produced pro
forma letter formal letter which informs
a court of a decision of another court
progress report progress report /prəυres r|pɔt/
noun a document which describes what
progress has been made
prohibit prohibit /prəυ|hbt/ verb to say that
something must not happen Parking is
prohibited in front of the garage. The
law prohibits the sale of alcohol to minors.
prohibited degrees prohibited degrees /prəυ|hbtd
d|ris/ plural noun the relationships
which make it illegal for a man and
woman to marry, e.g. father and daughter
prohibited goods prohibited goods /prəυ|hbtd
υdz/ plural noun goods which are not
allowed to be imported
prohibition prohibition /prəυ|bʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the act of forbidding something 2. a High
Court order forbidding a lower court
from doing something which exceeds its
jurisdiction
prohibitory injunction prohibitory injunction /prə|
hbt(ə)ri n|d ŋkʃən/ noun an order
from a court preventing someone from
doing an illegal act
promisee promisee /prɒm|si/ noun somebody
to whom a promise is made
promisor promisor /prɒm|sɔ/ noun somebody
who makes a promise
promissory promissory /prɒmsəri/ adjective
promising
promissory estoppel promissory estoppel /prɒmsəri |
stɒp(ə)l/ noun a promise made by one
person to another, so that the second person
relies on the promise and acts in way
that is detrimental, and the first person is
stopped from denying the validity of the
promise
promote promote /prə|məυt/ verb 1. to introduce
a new Bill into Parliament 2. to encourage
something to grow to promote
a new company to organise the setting
up of a new company
promoter promoter /prə|məυtə/ noun somebody
who introduces a new Bill into Parliament
prompt prompt /prɒmpt/ verb to tell someone
what to say The judge warned counsel
not to prompt the witness.
proof proof /pruf/ noun 1. evidence or other
thing which shows that something is true
proof beyond reasonable doubt proof
that no reasonable person could doubt
(the proof needed to convict a person in
a criminal case) 2. the statement or evidence
of a creditor to show that he or she
is owed money by a bankrupt or by a
company in liquidation
proofing proofing /prufŋ/ noun proofing of
witnesses action of looking into witnesses’
statements
proof of debt proof of debt /pruf əv det/ noun
proceedings for a creditor to claim payment
from a bankrupt’s assets
proof of evidence proof of evidence /pruf əv
evd(ə)ns/ noun a written statement of
what a witness intends to say in court
proof of identification proof of identification /pruf əv a|
dentf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. proving that
something is what the evidence says it is
the policeman asked him for proof of
identification 2. proving that someone is
who they say they are
proof of service proof of service /pruf əv s$vs/
noun proof that that legal documents
have been delivered to someone
property property /prɒpəti/ noun 1. things that
are owned by someone They have no
respect for other people’s property. He
was known to be a receiver of stolen
proportionality 238
property. The books are my property,
but the bookshelves belong to John. 2.
land and buildings He owns a lot of
property in the north. 3. a building such
as a house, shop or factory There are
several properties for sale in the centre
of the town. adjective relating to land
and buildings a rise in property prices
proportionality proportionality /prə|pɔʃ(ə)|nlti/
noun 1. the principle that a government
or local authority can only act if the action
is in proportion to the aim which is
to be achieved, the aim being to protect
the rights of ordinary citizens 2. the principle
that a legal action can only take
place if the costs are proportionate to the
aim to be achieved The requirement of
proportionality may be a reason for a
party to refuse to respond to a request for
further information.
proportionate proportionate /prə|pɔʃ(ə)nət/ adjective
directly related to or in proportion
to something
proposal form proposal form /prə|pəυz(ə)l fɔm/
noun an official document with details of
a property or person to be insured which
is sent to the insurance company when
asking for an insurance
propose propose /prə|pəυz/ verb to propose
to to say that you intend to do something
I propose to repay the loan at £20 a
month.
proprietary drug proprietary drug /prə|praət(ə)ri
dr / noun a drug which is made by a
particular company and marketed under
a brand name
proprietary right proprietary right /prə|praət(ə)ri
rat/ noun the right of someone who
owns a property
proprietor proprietor /prə|praətə/ noun the
owner of a property
proprietorship proprietorship /prə|praətəʃp/
noun the act of being the proprietor of
land
proprietorship register proprietorship register /prə|
praətəʃp redstə/ noun land register
which shows the details of owners of
land
proprietress proprietress /prə|praətrəs/ noun a
female owner
pro rata pro rata /prəυ rɑtə/ adjective, adverb
at a rate which changes according to
the importance of something a pro rata
payment to pay someone pro rata
prorogation prorogation /prəυrə|eʃ(ə)n/ noun
the end of a session of Parliament
prorogue prorogue /prə|rəυ/ verb to end a session
of Parliament Parliament was prorogued
for the summer recess.
proscribe proscribe /prəυ|skrab/ verb to ban
a proscribed organization, political
party an organisation or political party
which has been banned
prosecute prosecute /prɒskjut/ verb 1. to
bring someone to court to answer a criminal
charge She was prosecuted for embezzlement.
2. to speak against the accused
person on behalf of the party
bringing the charge Mr Smith is prosecuting,
and Mr Jones is appearing for the
defence.
prosecution prosecution /prɒs|kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. the act of bringing someone to court to
answer a charge his prosecution for
embezzlement Crown Prosecution
Service, Director of Public Prosecutions
2. a party who brings a criminal
charge against someone The costs of
the case will be borne by the prosecution.
3. the group of lawyers representing the
party who brings a criminal charge
against someone
prosecution counsel prosecution counsel /prɒs|
kjuʃ(ə)n kaυnsəl/ noun a lawyer acting
for the prosecution
prosecution witness prosecution witness /prɒs|
kjuʃ(ə)n wtnəs/ noun a person
called by the prosecution side to give evidence
against the defendant or the accused
prosecutor prosecutor /prɒskjutə/ noun
somebody who brings criminal charges
against someone
prosequi prosequi nolle prosequi
prostitute prostitute /prɒsttjut/ noun somebody
who provides sexual intercourse in
return for payment
prostitution prostitution /prɒst|tjuʃ(ə)n/ noun
the activity of providing sexual intercourse
in return for payment
protect protect /prə|tekt/ verb to defend
something against harm The employees
are protected from unfair dismissal by
government legislation. The computer
is protected by a plastic cover. The cov-
239 province
er protects the machine from dust. to
protect an industry by imposing tariff
barriers to stop a local industry from being
hit by foreign competition by stopping
foreign products from being imported
protected information protected information /prə|tektd
nfə|meʃ(ə)n/ noun an electronic text
which is not intelligible without a decryption
key
protected person protected person /prə|tektd
p$s(ə)n/ noun an important person
such as a President or Prime Minister
who has special police protection
protected tenancy protected tenancy /prə|tektd
tenənsi/ noun a tenancy where the tenant
is protected from eviction (NOTE: You
protect someone from something or
from having something done to him.)
protection protection /prə|tekʃən/ noun the action
of protecting
protection racket protection racket /prə|tekʃən
rkt/ noun an illegal organisation
where people demand money from
someone such as a small businessperson
to pay for ‘protection’ against criminal
attacks
protective protective /prə|tektv/ adjective
shielding from potential danger to take
someone into protective custody to put
someone in a safe place, e.g. police station
cells, to protect him or her from being
harassed or attacked
protective tariff protective tariff /prə|tektv trf/
noun a tariff which tries to ban imports
to stop them competing with local products
pro tem pro tem /prəυ tem/, pro tempore
adverb for a short time
protest protest noun /prəυtest/ 1. a statement
or action to show that you do not
approve of something to make a protest
against high prices in protest at showing
that you do not approve of something
The staff occupied the offices in protest
at the low pay offer. to do something
under protest to do something, but say
that you do not approve of it 2. an official
document from a notary public which
notes that a bill of exchange has not been
paid verb /prə|test/ 1. to protest
against something to say that you do not
approve of something The retailers are
protesting against the ban on imported
goods. 2. to protest a bill to draw up a
document to prove that a bill of exchange
has not been paid
protester protester /prə|testə/ noun someone
who makes their opposition to something
public
protest march protest march /prəυtest mɑtʃ/
noun a demonstration where protesters
march through the streets
protest strike protest strike /prəυtest strak/
noun a strike in protest at a particular
grievance
protocol protocol /prəυtəkɒl/ noun 1. a draft
memorandum. pre-action protocol 2.
a list of things which have been agreed.
pre-action protocol 3. correct diplomatic
behaviour
provable provable /pruvəb(ə)l/ adjective being
able to be proved
provable debts provable debts /pruvəb(ə)l dets/
plural noun debts which a creditor can
prove against a bankrupt estate
proven proven /pruv(ə)n/ adjective not
proven (in Scotland) verdict that the
prosecution has not produced sufficient
evidence to prove the accused to be
guilty
provide provide /prə|vad/ verb 1. to provide
for something to allow for something
which may happen in the future
These expenses have not been provided
for The contract provides for an annual
increase in charges. to provide for
someone to put aside money to give
someone enough to live on He provided
for his daughter in his will. 2. to
provide someone with something to
supply something to someone The defendant
provided the court with a detailed
account of his movements. Duress
provides no defence to a charge of
murder.
provided that provided that /prə|vadd dt/,
providing /prə|vadŋ/ conjunction on
condition that The judge will sentence
the convicted man next week provided
(that) or providing the psychiatrist’s report
is received in time. (NOTE: In deeds,
the form provided always that is often
used.)
province province /prɒvns/ noun the Province
Northern Ireland
provision 240
provision provision /prə|v(ə)n/ noun 1. to
make provision for to see that something
is allowed for in the future to
make financial provision for someone
to arrange for someone to receive money
to live on (by attachment of earnings,
etc.) there is no provision for, no provision
has been made for car parking
in the plans for the office block the
plans do not include space for cars to
park 2. money put aside in accounts in
case it is needed in the future The company
has made a £2m provision for bad
debts. 3. a legal condition the provisions
of a Bill conditions listed in a Bill
before Parliament we have made provision
to this effect we have put into the
contract terms which will make this
work
provisional provisional /prə|v(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective
temporary, not final or permanent
They wrote to give their provisional acceptance
of the contract.
provisional damages provisional damages /prə|
v(ə)n(ə)l dmdz/ plural noun
damages claimed by a claimant while the
case is still being heard
provisional injunction provisional injunction /prə|
v(ə)n(ə)l n|d ŋkʃən/ noun a temporary
injunction granted until a full
court hearing can take place
provisional liquidator provisional liquidator /prə|
v(ə)n(ə)l lkwdetə/ noun an official
appointed by a court to protect the
assets of a company which is the subject
of a winding up order
proviso proviso /prə|vazəυ/ noun a condition
in a contract or deed We are signing the
contract with the proviso that the terms
can be discussed again in six months’
time. (NOTE: A proviso usually begins
with the phrase ‘provided always
that’.)
provocateur provocateur agent provocateur
provocation provocation /prɒvə|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
encouragement to commit a crime or carry
out an action which you had not intended
to do He acted under provocation.
provoke provoke /prə|vəυk/ verb to make
someone do something or to make something
happen The strikers provoked the
police to retaliate. The murders provoked
a campaign to increase police protection
for politicians. (NOTE: You provoke
someone to do something.)
proxy proxy /prɒksi/ noun 1. a document
which gives someone the power to act on
behalf of someone else to sign by proxy
2. somebody who acts on behalf of
someone else, especially somebody appointed
by a shareholder to vote on his or
her behalf at a company meeting to act
as proxy for someone
P.S. P.S. noun an additional note at the end
of a letter Did you read the P.S. at the
end of the letter? Full form post scriptum
PSBR PSBR abbreviation public sector borrowing
requirement
Pty Pty abbreviation proprietary company
public public /p blk/ adjective the company
is going public the company is going
to place some of its shares for sale on
the Stock Exchange so that anyone can
buy them noun the public, the general
public the people in general in
public in front of everyone
public administration public administration /p blk əd|
mn|streʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the means
whereby government policy is carried
out 2. the people responsible for carrying
out government policy
publication publication /p bl|keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the act of making something public either
in speech or writing Publication of
Cabinet papers takes place after thirty
years. 2. the act of making a libel known
to people other than the person libelled
3. a printed work shown to the public
Public Bill Public Bill /p blk bl/ noun an ordinary
Bill relating to a matter applying to
the public in general, introduced by a
government minister
public disorder public disorder /p blk ds|ɔdə/
noun same as civil disorder
public domain public domain /p blk dəυ|men/
noun land, property or information
which belongs to and is available to the
public
public expenditure public expenditure /p blk k|
spendtʃə/ noun the spending of money
by the local or central government
public funds public funds /p blk f ndz/ plural
noun government money available for
expenditure
241 punitive damages
public image public image /p blk md/ noun
the idea which the people have of a company
or a person The police are trying
to improve their public image.
public interest public interest /p blk ntrəst/
noun the usefulness of a piece of information
to the public, in matters concerning
national security, fraud, medical malpractice,
etc., used as a defence against
accusations of passing on confidential
information or of invasion of privacy
COMMENT: Public interest implies that
the actions of someone or information
held by someone might affect the public
in some way: if a newspaper discloses
that a group of companies are
fixing prices so as not to compete with
each other, this disclosure might be
held to be in the public interest. If a TV
programme reveals that a Member of
Parliament apparently took drugs,
then this might be held to be in the
public interest.
public law public law /p blk lɔ/ noun laws
which refer to people in general such as
administrative and constitutional law
public monopoly public monopoly /p blk mə|
nɒpəli/ noun a situation where the state
is the only supplier of a product or service
public nuisance public nuisance /p blk
njus(ə)ns/ noun a criminal act which
causes harm or damage to members of
the public in general or to their rights
public opinion public opinion /p blk ə|pnjən/
noun what people think about something
public order public order /p blk ɔdə/ noun a
situation were the general public is calm
and there are no riots
public ownership public ownership /p blk
əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where an industry
is nationalised The company has
been put into state ownership.
public place public place /p blk ples/ noun a
place such as a road or park where the
public have a right to be
public policy public policy /p blk pɒlsi/ noun
the policy of the government of a Member
State of the European Union which
protects its nationals, and which can be
used to exclude nationals of other EU
states from entering the country to take
up work, though this excuse cannot be
used for economic reasons
prosecutor public prosecutor /p blk
prɒskjutə/ noun a government official
who brings charges against alleged
criminals. In the UK, it is the Director of
Public Prosecutions.
sector borrowing requirement public sector borrowing requirement
/p blk sektə bɒrəυŋ r|
kwaəmənt/ noun the amount of money
which a government has to borrow to
pay for its own spending. Abbreviation
PSBR
Trustee Public Trustee /p blk tr |sti/
noun an official who is appointed as a
trustee of an individual’s property
publish /p blʃ/ verb to have a document
such as a catalogue, book, magazine,
newspaper or piece of music written
and printed and then sell or give it to
the public The society publishes its list
of members annually. The government
has not published the figures on which its
proposals are based. The company
publishes six magazines for the business
market.
puisne /pjuni/ adjective less important
judge puisne judge /pjuni d d/ noun a
High Court judge
mortgage puisne mortgage /pjuni
mɔd/ noun a mortgage where the
deeds of the property have not been deposited
with the lender
punish /p nʃ/ verb to make someone
pay the penalty for a crime which he or
she has committed You will be punished
for hitting the policeman.
punishable /p nʃəb(ə)l/ adjective
able to be punished crimes punishable
by imprisonment
punishment /p nʃmənt/ noun 1.
the act of punishing someone 2. treatment
of someone as a way of making
them suffer for their crime The punishment
for treason is death.
damages punitive damages /pjuntv
dmdz/ plural noun heavy damages
which punish the defendant for the loss
or harm caused to the claimant, awarded
to show that the court feels the defendant
has behaved badly towards the claimant.
Also called exemplary damages
pupil 242
pupil pupil /pjup(ə)l/ noun a trainee barrister,
undergoing a year-long training period
before qualification
pupillage pupillage /pjupld/ noun a training
period of one year after completing
studies at university and passing all examinations,
which a person has to serve
before he or she can practise independently
as a barrister
pur autre vie pur autre vie /puə əυtrə vi/ per
autre vie
purchase order purchase order /p$tʃs ɔdə/
noun an official paper which places an
order for something
purchaser purchaser /p$tʃsə/ noun a person
or company that buys something
purge purge /p$d/ verb to purge one’s
contempt, to purge a contempt of
court to do something such as make an
apology to show that you are sorry for
the lack of respect you have shown
purpose purpose /p$pəs/ noun an aim, plan
or intention on purpose intentionally
She hid the knife on purpose. we need
the invoice for tax purposes, for the
purpose of declaration to the tax authorities
in order for it to be declared to
the tax authorities
purposive purposive /p$pəsv/ adjective referring
to the purpose behind something a
purposive interpretation of the Treaty on
European Union
pursuant to pursuant to /pə|sjuənt tə/ adverb
relating to or concerning matters pursuant
to Article 124 of the EC treaty
pursuant to the powers conferred on the
local authority
pursue pursue /pə|sju/ verb to continue with
something such as the proceedings in
court
pursuit pursuit /pə|sjut/ fresh pursuit, hot
pursuit
purview purview /p$vju/ noun the general
scope of an Act of Parliament
putative father
put in put aside /pυt ə|sad/ verb to decide
to cancel an order, judgment or decision
putative father /pjutətv fɑdə/
noun a man who is supposed to be or
who a court decides must be the father of
an illegitimate child
put in put away /pυt ə|we/ verb to send to
prison He was put away for ten years.
put in put down /pυt daυn/ verb 1. to make
a deposit to put down money on a house
2. to write an item in an account book
to put down a figure for expenses
put in put in /pυt n/ verb to put in a bid
for something to offer (usually in writing)
to buy something to put in an estimate
for something to give someone a
written calculation of the probable costs
of carrying out a job to put in a claim
for damage, loss to ask an insurance
company to pay for damage or loss
put into put into /pυt ntυ/ verb to put
money into a business to invest money
in a business
put on put on /pυt ɒn/ verb to put an item
on the agenda to list an item for discussion
at a meeting to put an embargo
on trade to forbid trade
put option put option /pυt ɒpʃən/ noun the
right to sell shares at a specific price at a
specific date
pyramiding pyramiding /prəmdŋ/ noun illegally
using new investors’ deposits to
pay the interest on the deposits made by
existing investors
pyramid selling pyramid selling /prəmd selŋ/
noun an illegal way of selling goods to
the public, where each selling agent pays
for the right to sell and sells that right to
other agents, so that in the end the commissions
earned by the sales of goods
will never pay back the agents for the
payments they themselves have already
made
Q
QB abbreviation Queen’s Bench
QBQBD abbreviation Queen’s Bench Division
QC abbreviation Queen’s Counsel
(NOTE: written after the surname of the
lawyer: W. Smith QC. Note also that
the plural is written QCs.)
qua /kwɑ/ conjunction as or acting in
the capacity of a decision of the Lord
Chancellor qua head of the judiciary
shares qualification shares /kwɒlf|
keʃ(ə)n ʃeəs/ plural noun number of
shares which a person has to hold to be a
director of a company
qualified /kwɒlfad/ adjective 1.
having passed special examinations in a
subject She is a qualified solicitor.
highly qualified with very good results
in examinations All our staff are highly
qualified. They employ twenty-six
highly qualified legal assistants. 2. with
some reservations or conditions qualified
acceptance of a bill of exchange
The plan received qualified approval
from the board.
accounts qualified accounts /kwɒlfad ə|
kaυnts/ plural noun accounts which
have been commented on by the auditors
because they contain something with
which the auditors do not agree
auditors’ report qualified auditors’ report
/kwɒlfad ɔdtəz r|pɔt/ noun a report
from a company’s auditors which
points out areas in the accounts with
which the auditors do not agree or about
which they are not prepared to express an
opinion, or where the auditors believe
the accounts as a whole have not been
prepared correctly or where they are unable
to decide whether the accounts are
correct or not
qualified privilege qualified privilege /kwɒlfad
prvld/ noun protection from being
sued for defamation, which is given to
someone only if it can be proved that the
statements were made without malice
qualified title qualified title /kwɒlfad tat(ə)l/
noun a title to a property which is not absolute
because there is some defect
qualify qualify /kwɒlfa/ verb 1. to qualify
for to be in the right position for or to be
entitled to He does not qualify for Legal
Aid. She qualifies for unemployment
benefit. 2. to qualify as to follow
a specialised course and pass examinations
so that you can do a particular job
She has qualified as an accountant. He
will qualify as a solicitor next year. 3. to
change a statement the auditors have
qualified the accounts the auditors have
found something in the accounts of the
company which they do not agree with,
and have noted it
qualifying period qualifying period /kwɒlfaŋ
pəriəd/ noun a time which has to pass
before something qualifies as suitable for
something There is a six month qualifying
period before you can get a grant
from the local authority.
quantum quantum /kwɒntəm/ noun an
amount of damages Liability was admitted
by the defendants, but the case
went to trial because they could not
agree the quantum of damages.
quantum meruit quantum meruit /kwntυm
merut/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘as much as he has deserved’: a rule that,
when claiming for breach of contract, a
party is entitled to payment for work
done
quarantine quarantine /kwɒrəntin/ noun a period
when a ship, animal or person newly
arrived in a country has to be kept away
quarter 244
from others in case there is a danger of
carrying diseases The animals were put
in quarantine on arrival at the port.
Quarantine restrictions have been lifted
on imported animals from that country.
(NOTE: used without the: The dog was
put in quarantine or was held in quarantine
or was released from quarantine.)
verb to put in quarantine The ship
was searched and all the animals on it
were quarantined.
quarter quarter /kwɔtə/ noun a period of
three months
COMMENT: In England the quarter
days are 25th March (Lady Day), 24th
June (Midsummer Day), 29th September
(Michaelmas Day) and 25th December
(Christmas Day).
quarter day quarter day /kwɔtə de/ noun the
day at the end of a quarter, when rents
should be paid
quarterly quarterly /kwɔtəli/ adjective, adverb
happening every three months, i.e.
four times a year There is a quarterly
charge for electricity. The bank sends
us a quarterly statement. We agreed to
pay the rent quarterly or on a quarterly
basis.
Quarter Sessions Quarter Sessions /kwɔtə
seʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun old name for the
criminal court replaced by the Crown
Court
quash quash /kwɒʃ/ verb 1. to stop something
from continuing 2. to announce officially
that a decision is incorrect and
cannot be accepted The appeal court
quashed the verdict. He applied for judicial
review to quash the order. A conviction
obtained by fraud or perjury by a
witness will be quashed.
quasi- quasi- /kweza/ prefix partly a quasi-
official body a quasi-judicial investigation
quasi-contract quasi-contract /kweza
kɒntrkt/ noun same as implied contract
Queen’s Bench Queen’s Bench /kwinz bentʃ d|
v(ə)n/ noun full form of QB
Queen’s Bench Division Queen’s Bench Division /kwinz
bentʃ/ noun one of the main divisions
of the High Court. Abbreviation QBD
Queen’s Counsel Queen’s Counsel /kwinz
kaυnsəl/ noun a senior British barrister,
appointed by the Lord Chancellor. Abbreviation
QC (NOTE: There are no new
QCs being appointed currently as the
need for the title QC and the system of
appointment is currently under review.)
evidence Queen’s evidence /kwinz
evd(ə)ns/ noun to turn Queen’s evidence
to confess to a crime and then act
as witness against the other criminals involved,
in the hope of getting a lighter
sentence
Proctor Queen’s Proctor /kwinz prɒktə/
noun a solicitor acting for the Crown in
matrimonial and probate cases
Speech Queen’s Speech /kwinz spitʃ/
noun a speech made by the Queen at the
opening of a session of Parliament,
which outlines the government’s plans
for legislation
COMMENT: The Queen’s Speech is not
written by the Queen herself, but by
her ministers, and she is not responsible
for what is in the speech.
question /kwestʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a sentence
which needs an answer Counsel
asked the witness questions about his
bank accounts. Counsel for the prosecution
put three questions to the police
inspector. The managing director refused
to answer questions about redundancies.
The market research team prepared
a series of questions to test the
public’s attitude to problems of law and
order. 2. a problem He raised the question
of the cost of the lawsuit. The main
question is that of time. The tribunal
discussed the question of redundancy
payments. verb 1. to ask questions
The police questioned the accounts staff
for four hours. She questioned the
chairman about the company’s investment
policy. 2. to query or to suggest that
something may be wrong Counsel
questioned the reliability of the witness’
evidence. The accused questioned the
result of the breathalyser test.
questioning /kwestʃ(ə)nŋ/ noun
the action of asking someone questions
The man was taken to the police station
for questioning. During questioning by
the police, she confessed to the crime.
The witness became confused during
questioning by counsel for the prosecution.
245 q.v.
questionnaire /kwestʃə|neə/ noun
a printed list of questions given to people
to answer
of fact question of fact /kwestʃ(ə)n əv
fkt/ noun a fact relevant to a case
which is tried at court
of law question of law /kwestʃ(ə)n əv lɔ/
noun the law relevant to a case which is
tried at court
question of privilege question of privilege /kwestʃ(ə)n
əv prvld/ noun a matter which refers
to the House or a member of it
Time Question Time /kwestʃ(ə)n tam/
noun the period in the House of Commons
when Members of Parliament can
put questions to ministers about the work
of their departments
quickie /kwki/, quickie divorce
/kwki d|vɔs/ noun a divorce which is
processed rapidly through the court by
use of the special procedure
quid pro quo quid pro quo /kwd prəυ kwəυ/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘one
thing for another’: action done in return
for something done or promised
enjoyment quiet enjoyment /kwaət n|
dɔmənt/ noun the right of an occupier
to occupy property peacefully under a
tenancy without the landlord or anyone
else interfering with that right
quit quit /kwt/ verb to leave rented accommodation
quo quid pro quo, status quo
quorate quorate /kwɔret/ adjective having a
quorum The resolution was invalid because
the shareholders’ meeting was not
quorate. inquorate
quorum quorum /kwɔrəm/ noun the minimum
number of people who have to be
present at a meeting to make it valid to
have a quorum to have enough people
present for a meeting to go ahead Do
we have a quorum? The meeting was
adjourned since there was no quorum.
quota system quota system /kwəυtə sstəm/
noun a system where imports, exports or
supplies are regulated by fixing maximum
amounts
quotation quotation /kwəυ|teʃ(ə)n/ noun
quotation on the Stock Exchange,
Stock Exchange quotation listing of the
price of a share on the Stock Exchange
the company is going for a quotation
on the Stock Exchange the company
has applied to the Stock Exchange to
have its shares listed
quote quote /kwəυt/ verb to repeat a reference
number In reply please quote this
number: PC 1234.
quoted company quoted company /kwəυtd
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company whose
shares are listed on the Stock Exchange
quo warranto quo warranto /kwəυ wrəntəυ/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘by what
authority’: action which questions the
authority of someone
q.v. q.v., quod vide phrase a Latin phrase
meaning ‘which see’
R
RR abbreviation Regina or Rex (NOTE:
used in reports of cases where the
Crown is a party: R. v. Smith Ltd)
race race /res/ noun a group of people with
distinct physical characteristics or culture
who are considered to be different
from other groups
race relations race relations /res r|leʃ(ə)nz/ plural
noun the relationships between different
racial groups in a country
racial racial /reʃ(ə)l/ adjective referring to
race
racial discrimination racial discrimination /reʃ(ə)l ds|
krm|neʃ(ə)n/ noun unfair treatment
of someone because of their racial background
racial hatred racial hatred /reʃ(ə)l hetrd/ noun
a violent dislike of someone because of
their racial background
racial prejudice racial prejudice /reʃ(ə)l
predυds/ noun an unreasonably hostile
attitude towards someone because of
their racial background
racial profiling racial profiling /reʃ(ə)l prəυfalŋ/
noun the alleged policy of some police
officers to stop and question members of
some ethnic groups more than others
without reasonable cause
racial segregation racial segregation /reʃ(ə)l ser|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun a policy of keeping people
of different races separate in society,
especially in such areas as education,
housing, transport or leisure activities
racism racism /resz(ə)m/, racialism
/reʃ(ə)lz(ə)m/ noun a belief in racist
ideas or actions based on racist ideas
The minority groups have accused the
council of racism in their allocation of
council houses.
racist racist /resst/, racialist /reʃ(ə)lst/
adjective believing that people from other
racial groups are different and should
receive different and usually inferior
treatment noun somebody with racist
ideas
racket racket /rkt/ noun an illegal business
which makes a lot of money by fraud
He runs a cheap ticket racket. protection
racketeer racketeer /rk|tə/ noun somebody
who runs a racket
racketeering racketeering /rk|tərŋ/ noun the
activity of running an illegal racket
rack rent rack rent /rk rent/ noun 1. full yearly
rent of a property let on a normal lease
2. a very high rent
raid raid /red/ noun a sudden attack or
search Six people were arrested in the
police raid on the club. verb to make a
sudden attack or search The police
have raided several houses in the town.
Drugs were found when the police raided
the club.
raison d’état raison d’état /rezɒn de|t/ noun
the reason for a political action, which
says that an action is justified because it
is for the common good
COMMENT: Raison d’état is open to
criticism because it can be used to justify
acts such as the abolition of individual
rights, if the general good of the
people may seem to require it at the
time.
ransom ransom /rns(ə)m/ noun money paid
to abductors to get back someone who
has been abducted The daughter of the
banker was held by kidnappers who
asked for a ransom of £1m. to hold
someone to ransom to keep someone
secretly until a ransom is paid verb to
pay money so that someone is released
She was ransomed by her family.
ransom note ransom note /rns(ə)m nəυt/ noun
a message sent by kidnappers asking for
a ransom to be paid
247 real
rap rap /rp/ noun a criminal charge
brought against somebody
rape rape /rep/ noun the notifiable offence
of forcing a person to have sexual intercourse
without their consent He was
brought to court and charged with rape.
The incidence of cases of rape has increased
over the last years. verb to
force a person to have sexual intercourse
without their consent
rapporteur rapporteur /rpɔ|t$/ noun one of
the judges in the European Court of Justice
who is assigned to a particular case
and whose job it is to examine the written
applications and the defence to them, and
then prepare a report on the case before
the court starts oral hearings
rapprochement rapprochement /r|prɒʃmɒŋ/
French word meaning ‘coming closer’,
used to refer to a situation where two parties
reach an understanding after a period
of tension Political commentators have
noted the rapprochement which has been
taking place since the old president died.
rata rata /rɑtə/ abbreviation pro rata (see)
rate rate /ret/ verb to rate someone highly
to value someone, to think someone is
very good
rateable value rateable value /retəb(ə)l vlju/
noun the value of a property as a basis
for calculating local taxes
rate of inflation rate of inflation /ret əv n|
fleʃ(ə)n/ noun a percentage increase in
prices over the period of one year
rate of return rate of return /ret əv r|t$n/ noun
the amount of interest or dividend which
comes from an investment, shown as a
percentage of the money invested
rates rates /rets/ plural noun local tax on
property
ratification ratification /rtf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
official approval of something which
then becomes legally binding
ratify ratify /rtfa/ verb to approve officially
something which has already been
agreed The treaty was ratified by Congress.
The agreement has to be ratified
by the board. Although the directors
had acted without due authority, the
company ratified their actions.
ratio decidendi ratio decidendi /rtiəυ des|
dendi/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘reason for deciding’: main part of a
court judgment setting out the legal principles
applicable to the case and forming
the binding part of the judgment to which
other courts must pay regard. obiter
dicta
ratio legis ratio legis /rtiəυ leds/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘reason of the
law’: the principle behind a law
RCJ RCJ abbreviation Royal Courts of Justice
re re /ri/ preposition about, concerning, or
referring to re your inquiry of May 29th
re: Smith’s memorandum of yesterday
re: the agenda for the AGM in re concerning,
in the case of in re Jones &
Co. Ltd res
re- re- /ri/ prefix again
rea rea mens rea
reading reading /ridŋ/ noun 1. First
Reading, Second Reading, Third
Reading the three stages of discussion of
a Bill in Parliament 2. (in the EU) an examination
in detail of proposed legislation
by the European Parliament
COMMENT: First Reading is the formal
presentation of the Bill when the title is
read to MPs; Second Reading is the
stage when MPs have printed copies
of the Bill and it is explained by the
Minister proposing it, there is a debate
and a vote is taken; the Bill is then discussed
in Committee and at the Report
Stage; Third Reading is the final
discussion of the Bill in the whole
House of Commons or House of
Lords. European legislation is placed
before the European Parliament for
discussion. This is the First Reading,
and can be decided by a simple majority
in the Parliament. If the Council of
the European Union sets out a common
position on proposed legislation
and communicates this to Parliament,
Parliament will consider the proposal
and may approve it by an absolute majority
of its members.
ready money ready money /redi m ni/ noun
money which is immediately available
real real /rəl/ adjective 1. not imitation
His case is made of real leather or he has
a real leather case. in real terms actually
or really Sales have gone up by 3%
but with inflation running at 5% that is a
fall in real terms. 2. referring to things as
opposed to persons 3. referring to land,
especially freehold land
real estate 248
real estate real estate /rəl |stet/ noun land or
buildings considered from a legal point
of view
real income real income /rəl nk m/ noun income
which is available for spending after
tax and any other deductions have
been made
realisation realisation /rəla|zeʃ(ə)n/, realization
noun the process of making something
happen the realization of a
project putting a plan into action
realisation of assets realisation of assets
/rəlazeʃ(ə)n əv sets/ plural noun
selling of assets for money
realise realise /rəlaz/, realize verb 1. to
make something become real to realize
a project, a plan to put a project or a
plan into action 2. to sell something to
produce money to realise property or
assets The sale realised £100,000.
realizable assets realizable assets /rəlazəb(ə)l
sets/ plural noun assets which can be
sold for money
realpolitik realpolitik /re|ɑlpɒltk/ noun a
German word meaning ‘politics based on
real and practical factors and not on moral
ideas’
real-time system real-time system /rəl tam
sstəm/ noun a computer system where
data is inputted directly into the computer
which automatically processes it to
produce information which can be used
immediately
realty realty /rəlti/ noun property, real estate
or legal rights to land
reasonable reasonable /riz(ə)nəb(ə)l/ adjective
fair and sensible The magistrates were
very reasonable when she explained that
the driving licence was necessary for her
work. beyond reasonable doubt almost
certain proof needed to convict a
person in a criminal case The prosecution
in a criminal case has to establish
beyond reasonable doubt that the accused
committed the crime. no reasonable
offer refused we will accept any offer
which is not too low
reasonable financial provision reasonable financial provision
/riz(ə)nəb(ə)l fa|nnʃəl prə|
v(ə)n/ noun a provision which relatives
and dependants of a deceased person
may ask a court to provide in cases
where the deceased died intestate, or
where no provision was made for them
under the will. Abbreviation rfp
reasonable force reasonable force /riz(ə)nəb(ə)l
fɔs/ noun the least amount of force
needed to do something The police
were instructed to use reasonable force
in dealing with the riot.
reasonable man reasonable man /riz(ə)nəb(ə)l
mn/ noun an imaginary person with
average judgment and intelligence, who
is used as a reference point for usually
expected standards of social behaviour
reasoned reasoned /riz(ə)nd/ adjective carefully
thought out and explained
rebate rebate /ribet/ noun money returned
rebel rebel /reb(ə)l/ noun somebody who
fights against the government or against
people in authority Anti-government
rebels have taken six towns. Rebel
councillors forced a vote. verb to fight
against authority Some teachers have
threatened to rebel against the new procedures.
It’s natural for teenagers to
rebel but this has got out of hand. (NOTE:
rebelling – rebelled)
rebut rebut /r|b t/ verb to contradict or to go
against He attempted to rebut the assertions
made by the prosecution witness.
(NOTE: rebutting – rebutted)
rebuttable rebuttable /r|b təb(ə)ll/ adjective
being able to be rebutted
rebuttal rebuttal /r|b t(ə)l/ noun the act of rebutting
recall recall noun /r|kɔl/ a request for someone
to come back again verb 1. /ri|
kɔl/ to ask someone to come back
MPs are asking for Parliament to be recalled
to debate the financial crisis.
The witness was recalled to the witness
box. 2. /r|kɔl/ to remember The witness
could not recall having seen the papers.
recd recd abbreviation received
receipt receipt /r|sit/ verb to stamp or sign
something such as a document to show
that it has been received or an invoice to
show that it has been paid
receipt book receipt book /r|sit bυk/ noun a
book of blank receipts to be filled in
when purchases are made
receipt in due form receipt in due form /r|sit n dju
fɔm/ noun a correctly written receipt
249 recklessly
receipts receipts /r|sits/ plural noun money
taken in sales to itemise receipts and
expenditure Receipts are down against
the same period of last year.
receivable receivable /r|sivəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be received
receivables receivables /r|sivəb(ə)lz/ plural
noun money which is owed to a company
receive receive /r|siv/ verb to receive stolen
goods crime of taking in and disposing
of property which you know to be
stolen
receiver receiver /r|sivə/ noun 1. somebody
who receives something 2. somebody
who receives stolen goods and disposes
of them
receiver of wrecks receiver of wrecks /r|sivər əv
reks/ noun an official of the Department
of Trade who deals with legal problems
of wrecked ships within his or her
area
receivership receivership /r|sivəʃp/ noun administration
of a company by a receiver
the company went into receivership
the company was put into the hands of a
receiver
receiving receiving /r|sivŋ/ noun the act of
taking something which has been delivered
receiving stolen property the
crime of taking in and disposing of goods
which are known to be stolen
receiving clerk receiving clerk /ri|sivŋ klɑk/
noun an official who works in a receiving
office
receiving department receiving department /ri|sivŋ d|
pɑtmənt/ noun the section of a company
which deals with goods or payments
which are received by the company
receiving office receiving office /r|sivŋ ɒfs/
noun an office where goods or payments
are received
receiving order receiving order /ri|sivŋ ɔdə/
noun a court order made placing the Official
Receiver in charge of a person’s assets
before a bankruptcy order is made
receiving party receiving party /r|sivŋ pɑt/
noun a party who is entitled to be paid
costs (NOTE: The other party is the paying
party.)
recess recess /r|ses/ noun 1. a period when
the court does not meet, but is not formally
adjourned 2. a period when an official
body is not sitting The last meeting
before the summer recess will be on
23rd July. verb not to meet, but without
formally adjourning The Senate recessed
at the end of the afternoon.
recidivist recidivist /r|sdvst/ noun a criminal
who commits a crime again
reciprocal reciprocal /r|sprək(ə)l/ adjective
according to an arrangement by which
each party involved agrees to benefit the
other in the same way
reciprocal holdings reciprocal holdings /r|sprək(ə)l
həυldŋz/ plural noun situation where
two companies own shares in each other
to prevent takeover bids
reciprocal trade reciprocal trade /r|sprək(ə)l
tred/ noun trade between two countries
reciprocal wills reciprocal wills /r|sprək(ə)l wlz/
plural noun wills where two people, usually
husband and wife, leave their property
to each other
reciprocate reciprocate /r|sprəket/ verb to do
the same thing to someone as he or she
has just done to you They offered us an
exclusive agency for their cars and we
reciprocated with an offer of the agency
for our buses.
reciprocity reciprocity /res|prɒsti/ noun an arrangement
which applies from one party
to another and vice versa
recitals recitals /r|sat(ə)lz/ plural noun introduction
to a deed or conveyance
which sets out the main purpose and the
parties to it
reckless reckless /rekləs/ adjective taking a
risk knowing that the action may be dangerous
COMMENT: Causing death by reckless
driving is a notifiable offence.
reckless driving reckless driving /rekləs dravŋ/
noun the offence of driving a vehicle in
such a way that it may cause damage to
property or injure people, where the driver
is unaware of causing a risk to other
people
recklessly recklessly /rekləsli/ adverb taking
risks and being unaware of the likely effect
on other people The company recklessly
spent millions of pounds on a new
factory. He was accused of driving
recklessly.
recklessness 250
recklessness recklessness /rekləsnəs/ noun the
act of taking risks
reclaim reclaim /r|klem/ verb to claim back
money which has been paid earlier
recognise recognise /rekə|naz/, recognize
verb 1. to know someone or something
because you have seen or heard them before
She recognised the man who attacked
her. I recognised his voice before
he said who he was. Do you recognise
the handwriting on the letter? 2. to
approve something as being legal to
recognize a government to say that a
government which has taken power in a
foreign country is the legal government
of that country the prisoner refused to
recognize the jurisdiction of the court
the prisoner said that he or she did not
believe that the court had the legal right
to try them
recognised agent recognised agent /rekənazd
edənt/ noun an agent who is approved
by the company for which he or
she acts
recognizance recognizance /r|kɒnz(ə)ns/ noun
an obligation undertaken by someone to
a court that he, she or someone else will
appear in the court at a later date to answer
charges, or if not, will pay a penalty
He was bound over on his own recognizance
of £4,000. release on recognizance
US the release of an accused person,
provided that he or she promises to
come back to court when asked to do so
recommendation recommendation /rekəmen|
deʃ(ə)n/ noun a piece of advice about
how something should be done He was
sentenced to life imprisonment, with a
recommendation that he should serve at
least twenty years. He was released on
the recommendation of the Parole Board
or on the Parole Board’s recommendation.
recommendations recommendations /rekəmen|
deʃ(ə)nz/ noun a decision of the European
Community which is not legally
binding
recommittal recommittal /rikə|mt(ə)l/ noun US
the act of sending a bill back to a committee
for further discussion
reconcile reconcile /rekənsal/ verb to make
two accounts or statements agree to
reconcile one account with another to
reconcile the accounts
reconciliation reconciliation /rekənsli|eʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of making two accounts,
parties or statements agree
reconciliation statement reconciliation statement
/rekənsli|eʃ(ə)n stetmənt/ noun a
statement which explains why two accounts
do not agree
reconsider reconsider /rikən|sdə/ verb to
think again The applicant asked the
committee to reconsider its decision to
refuse the application. motion to reconsider
a vote US motion at the end of
a discussion of any bill, but especially
one passed with a close vote, so that a
second vote has to be taken to settle the
matter
reconstruction of a crime reconstruction of a crime /rikən|
str kʃən əv e kram/ noun the use of
people to act a crime again in order to try
to get witnesses to remember details of it
reconsultation reconsultation /ri|kɒnsəl|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the act of consulting again, as when
the Council of the European Union looks
again at proposed legislation, taking into
account objections raised by the European
Parliament
reconvict reconvict /rikən|vkt/ verb to convict
someone again who has previously
been convicted of a crime
reconviction reconviction /rikən|vkʃ(ə)n/ noun
the conviction of someone who has been
previously convicted of a crime The reconviction
rate is rising.
record record noun /rekɔd/ 1. a report of
something which has happened, especially
an official transcript of a court action
The chairman signed the minutes
as a true record of the last meeting. a
matter of record something which has
been written down and can be confirmed
for the record, to keep the record
straight to note something which has
been done on record (fact) which has
been noted The chairman is on record
as saying that profits are set to rise. 2. a
description of what has happened in the
past the clerk’s record of service or
service record The company’s record
in industrial relations. 3. a result which
is better or higher than anything before
record crime figures, record losses,
record profits crime figures, losses or
profits which are higher than ever before
verb /r|kɔd/ to note or to report The
251 redundant
company has recorded another year of
increased sales. Your complaint has
been recorded and will be investigated.
The court recorded a plea of not guilty.
The coroner recorded a verdict of death
by misadventure.
recorded delivery recorded delivery /r|kɔdd d|
lv(ə)ri/ noun a mail service where the
letters are signed for by the person receiving
them
recorder recorder /r|kɔdə/ noun a part-time
judge of the Crown Court
Recorder of London Recorder of London /r|kɔdə əv
l ndən/ noun the chief judge of the
Central Criminal Court
records records /rekɔdz/ plural noun documents
which give information The
names of customers are kept in the company’s
records. We find from our
records that our invoice number 1234
has not been paid.
recours recours sans recours
recourse recourse /r|kɔs/ noun to decide to
have recourse to the courts to decide in
the end to start legal proceedings
recover recover /r|k və/ verb 1. to get back
something which has been lost to recover
damages from the driver of the car
to start a court action to recover property
He never recovered his money.
The initial investment was never recovered.
2. to get better or to rise The market
has not recovered from the rise in oil
prices. The stock market fell in the
morning, but recovered during the afternoon.
recoverable recoverable /r|k v(ə)rəb(ə)l/ adjective
being possible to get back
recovery recovery /r|k v(ə)ri/ noun 1. the
process of getting back something which
has been lost or stolen to start an action
for recovery of property We are
aiming for the complete recovery of the
money invested. 2. the movement upwards
of shares or of the economy the
recovery of the economy after a recession
The economy showed signs of a recovery.
rectification rectification /rektf|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the process of making changes to a document
or register to make it correct
rectify rectify /rekt|fa/ verb 1. to make
changes to a document to make it correct
The court rectified its mistake. 2. to
make something correct
recusal recusal /r|kjuz(ə)l/ noun the disqualification
of a judge or jury because
of bias
red bag red bag /red b/ noun the bag in
which a barrister carries his or her gown,
given them by a QC. blue bag
red box red box /red bɒks/ noun a large
briefcase covered in red leather in which
government papers are delivered to ministers
redeem redeem /r|dim/ verb 1. to pay back
all the principal and interest on a loan, a
debt or a mortgage 2. to redeem a
bond to sell a bond for cash
redeemable redeemable /r|diməb(ə)l/ adjective
being possible to sell for cash
redeemable preference shares redeemable preference shares
/r|diməb(ə)l pref(ə)rəns ʃeəs/ plural
noun preference shares which the company
may buy back from the shareholder
for cash
redemption redemption /r|dempʃən/ noun 1. the
repayment of a loan redemption before
due date paying back a loan before
the date when repayment is due 2. the repayment
of a debt or a mortgage
redemption date redemption date /r|dempʃən det/
noun the date on which a loan, etc., is
due to be repaid
redemption value redemption value /r|dempʃən
vlju/ noun the value of a security
when redeemed
red tape red tape /red tep/ noun 1. a red ribbon
used to tie up a pile of legal documents
The application has been held
up by red tape. 2. unhelpful rules which
slow down administrative work
reduced reduced /r|djust/ adjective lower
He received a reduced sentence on appeal.
redundancy redundancy /r|d ndənsi/ noun a
state where someone is no longer employed,
because the job being done is no
longer needed
redundancy payment redundancy payment /r|d ndənsi
pemənt/ noun a payment made to an
employee to compensate for losing his or
her job
redundant redundant /r|d ndənt/ adjective 1.
more than is needed 2. useless 3. something
which is no longer needed a re-
redundant staff 252
dundant clause in a contract This law
is now redundant. The new legislation
has made clause 6 redundant. 4. to
make someone redundant to decide
that an employee is not needed any more
redundant staff redundant staff /r|d ndənt stɑf/
noun staff who have lost their jobs because
they are not needed any more
re-entry re-entry /ri entri/ noun the act of going
back into a property
re-examination re-examination /ri |zm|
neʃən/ noun the activity of asking a
witness more questions after cross-examination
by counsel for the other party
re-examine re-examine /ri|zmn/ verb (of a
barrister) to ask his or her own witness
more questions after the witness has
been cross-examined by counsel for the
other party
refer refer /r|f$/ verb 1. to mention, deal
with or write about something referring
to the court order dated June 4th
We refer to your letter of May 26th. He
referred to an article which he had seen
in ‘The Times’. the schedule before
referred to the schedule which has been
mentioned earlier 2. to pass a problem on
to someone else to decide to refer a
question to a committee We have referred
your complaint to the tribunal. 3.
the bank referred the cheque to
drawer the bank returned the cheque to
person who wrote it because there was
not enough money in the account to pay
it ‘refer to drawer’ words written on a
cheque which a bank refuses to pay 4. (in
the EU) to pass a case to the ECJ for a
ruling (NOTE: referring – referred)
referee referee /refə|ri/ noun 1. somebody
who can give a report on someone’s
character, ability or speed of work, etc.
to give someone’s name as referee She
gave the name of her boss as a referee.
When applying please give the names of
three referees. 2. somebody to whom a
problem is passed for a decision The
question of maintenance payments is
with a court-appointed referee.
reference reference /ref(ə)rəns/ noun 1. the act
of passing a problem to a someone for
his or her opinion 2. a comment that
mentions someone or something with
reference to your letter of May 25th
with reference to used to introduce
something that will be talked or written
about with reference to your letter of
18th August 3. the numbers or letters given
to a document which make it possible
to find it after it has been filed our reference:
SJ/JA 134 Thank you for your
letter (reference MA 25.2). Please
quote this reference in all correspondence.
When replying please quote reference
GS/km 264. 4. a written report on
someone’s character, ability, etc. to
write someone a reference or to give
someone a reference to ask applicants
to supply references to ask a company
for trade references, for bank references
to ask for reports from traders or a
bank on the company’s financial status
and reputation 5. to hear a reference
(of the ECJ) to discuss a legal point
which has been referred to them to
make a reference (of a national court)
to ask the ECJ to decide on a legal point.
preliminary reference 6. somebody
who reports on someone’s character,
ability, etc. to give someone’s name as
reference Please use me as a reference
if you wish.
referral /r|f$rəl/ noun 1. the act of
passing a problem on to someone else for
a decision the referral of the case to the
planning committee 2. (in the EU) the
action of referring a case to the ECJ
reflag /ri|fl/ verb to register a ship
in a different country, giving it the right
to fly a different flag
reform /r|fɔm/ noun a change made
to something to make it better They
have signed an appeal for the reform of
the remand system. The reform in the
legislation was intended to make the
court procedure more straightforward.
verb to change something to make it better
The group is pressing for the prison
system to be reformed. The prisoner
has committed so many crimes of violence
that he will never be reformed.
refrain /r|fren/ verb to refrain
from something to agree not to do
something which you were doing previously
He was asked to give an undertaking
to refrain from political activity.
refresher /r|freʃə/ noun a fee paid to
counsel for the second and subsequent
253 Registrar-General
days of a hearing Counsel’s brief fee
was £1,000 with refreshers of £250.
regard regard /r|ɑd/ noun having regard
to, as regards, regarding concerning a
particular subject having regard to the
opinion of the European Parliament
Regarding the second of the accused, the
jury was unable to reach a majority verdict.
regarding regarding /r|ɑdŋ/ preposition
concerning a particular subject I wrote
last week regarding my appointment.
regardless regardless /r|ɑdləs/ adverb regardless
of without concerning Such
conduct constitutes contempt of court regardless
of intent. The court takes a serious
view of such crimes, regardless of
the age of the accused.
regime regime /re|im/ noun (sometimes as
criticism) 1. a type of government Under
a military regime, civil liberties may
be severely curtailed. 2. a period of rule
Life was better under the previous regime.
Regina Regina /r|danə/ Latin word meaning
‘the Queen’: the Crown or state, as a
party in legal proceedings (NOTE: In written
reports, usually abbreviated to R:
the case of R. v. Smith.)
register register /redstə/ noun an official
list to enter something in a register to
keep a register up to date verb to write
something in an official list or record to
register a company to register a sale
to register a property to register a
trademark to register a marriage or a
death
registered registered /redstəd/ adjective having
been noted on an official list a company’s
registered office the address of a
company which is officially registered
with the Registrar of Companies and to
which specific legal documents must
normally be sent
registered company registered company /redstəd
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which has
been properly formed and incorporated
registered land registered land /redstəd lnd/
noun land which has been registered
with the land registry
registered letter registered letter /redstəd letə/,
registered parcel /redstəd
pɑs(ə)l/ noun a letter or parcel which is
noted by the post office before it is sent,
so that compensation can be claimed if it
is lost to send documents by registered
mail or registered post
registered office registered office /redstəd ɒfs/
noun in Britain, the office address of a
company which is officially registered
with the Companies’ Registrar and to
which legal documents must normally be
sent
registered trade mark registered trade mark /redstəd
tred mɑk/ noun a name, design or
other feature which identifies a commercial
product, has been registered by the
maker and cannot be used by other makers
You cannot call your beds
‘Softn’kumfi’ – it is a registered trademark.
registered user registered user /redstəd juzə/
noun a person or company which has
been officially given a licence to use a
registered trademark
register of charges register of charges /redstə əv
tʃɑdz/ noun an index of charges affecting
land
register of debentures register of debentures /redstə
əv d|bentjυəz/ noun a list of debentures
over a company’s assets
register of directors register of directors /redstə əv
da|rektəz/ noun an official list of the
directors of a company which has to be
sent to the Registrar of Companies
register of electors register of electors /redstər əv |
lektəz/ noun an official list of names
and addresses of people living in a specific
area who are eligible to vote in local
or national elections
Register Office Register Office /redstə ɒfs/
noun a local office where records of
births, marriages and deaths are kept and
where civil marriages can be performed
register of members register of members /redstə əv
membəs/ noun a list of shareholders in
a company with their addresses
registrar registrar /red|strɑ/ noun 1. somebody
who keeps official records 2. an official
of a court who can hear preliminary
arguments in civil cases 3. the head of
the registry of the European Court of Justice,
who is the manager of the court and
maintains the files of all pleadings
Registrar-General Registrar-General /redstrɑ
den(ə)rəl/ noun an official who is re-
Registrar of Companies 254
sponsible for the process of registering
all births, marriages and deaths
Registrar of Companies Registrar of Companies
/redstrɑ əv k mp(ə)niz/ noun an
official who keeps a record of all incorporated
companies, the details of their
directors and financial state
registrar of trademarks registrar of trademarks
/redstrɑ əv tred|mɑks/ noun an
official who keeps a record of all trademarks
registration registration /red|streʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of having something noted on an
official list registration of a trademark
or of a share transaction
registration fee registration fee /red|streʃ(ə)n
fi/ noun 1. money paid to have something
registered 2. money paid to attend
a conference
registration number registration number /red|
streʃ(ə)n n mbə/ noun an official
number of something which has been
registered such as a car
registry registry /redstri/ noun 1. a place
where official records are kept 2. the registering
of a ship 3. (in the EU) an office
which administers the ECJ
regulate regulate /rejυlet/ verb 1. to adjust
something so that it works well or is correct
2. to change or maintain something
by law prices are regulated by supply
and demand prices are increased or lowered
according to supply and demand
regulation regulation /rejυ|leʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of making sure that something will
work well The regulation of trading
practices.
regulations regulations /rejυ|leʃ(ə)nz/ plural
noun 1. rules made by ministers, which
then have to be submitted to Parliament
for approval the new government regulations
on standards for electrical goods
safety regulations which apply to places
of work regulations concerning imports
and exports 2. rules laid down by
the Council or Commission of the European
Communities, according to the European
Union treaties, which are binding
on all Member States of the EU without
any implementing legislation being
passed. Compare directive
COMMENT: Regulations are binding on
people in general as citizens of Member
States of the EU; they have a direct
effect on all Member States and
on all citizens of Member States.
regulatory regulatory /rejυlət(ə)ri/ adjective
making something work according to
law The independent radio and television
companies are supervised by a regulatory
body. Complaints are referred
to several regulatory bodies.
rehabilitate rehabilitate /riə|bltet/ verb to
help a criminal become a responsible
member of society again
rehabilitation rehabilitation /riəbl|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the process of making someone fit
to be a member of society again rehabilitation
of offenders the principle
whereby a person convicted of a crime
and being of good character after a period
of time is treated as if he or she had
not had a conviction
COMMENT: By the Rehabilitation of Offenders
Act, 1974, a person who is
convicted of an offence, and then
spends a period of time without committing
any other offence, is not required
to reveal that he has a previous
conviction.
rehear rehear /ri|heə/ verb to hear a case
again when the first hearing was in some
way invalid
rehearing rehearing /ri|heərŋ/ noun the hearing
of a case again
reinsurance reinsurance /rin|ʃυərəns/ noun insurance
where a second insurer (the reinsurer)
agrees to cover part of the risk insured
by the first insurer
reject reject /r|dekt/ verb 1. to refuse to accept
something The appeal was rejected
by the House of Lords. The magistrate
rejected a request from the defendant.
the company rejected the
takeover bid the directors recommended
that the shareholders should not accept
the bid 2. to say that something is
not satisfactory
rejection rejection /r|dekʃən/ noun a refusal
to accept the rejection of the defendant’s
request the rejection of the appeal
by the tribunal
rejoinder rejoinder /r|dɔndə/ noun formerly,
a plea served in answer to a claimant’s
reply
related related /r|letd/ adjective connected,
linked, being of the same family offences
related to drugs or drug-related
255 remedy
offences the law which relates to
drunken driving
company related company /r|letd
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which is
partly owned by another company
relation relation /r|leʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. in relation
to referring to or connected with
documents in relation to the case the
court’s powers in relation to children in
care 2. a procedure by which, for legal
purposes, an act is deemed to have been
done at an earlier time than was actually
the case plural noun 1. relations links
with other people or other groups. industrial
relations 2. to enter into relations
with someone to start discussing
a business deal with someone to break
off relations with someone to stop dealing
with someone
back relation back /r|leʃ(ə)n bk/ noun
the ability of the administrator of an estate
to take action to recover funds which
were removed from the estate in the interval
between the death and the grant of
administration
relator /r|letə/ noun a private person
who suggests to the Attorney-General
that proceedings should be brought, usually
against a public body
release release /r|lis/ noun 1. an act of setting
someone free, or allowing someone
to leave prison 2. the abandoning of
rights by someone in favour of someone
else verb 1. to free someone or something,
or allow someone to leave prison
The president released the opposition
leader from prison. Customs released
the goods against payment of a fine. to
release someone from a debt, from a
contract to make someone no longer liable
for the debt or for the obligations under
the contract 2. to make something
public The company released information
about the new mine in Australia.
The government has refused to release
figures for the number of unemployed
women.
on licence release on licence /r|lis ɒn
las(ə)ns/ noun permission to leave
prison on parole The appellant will be
released on licence after eight months.
relevance /reləv(ə)ns/ noun a connection
with a subject being discussed
Counsel argued with the judge over the
relevance of the documents to the case.
relevant relevant /reləv(ə)nt/ adjective having
to do with what is being discussed The
question is not relevant to the case.
Which is the relevant government department?
Can you give me the relevant
papers?
reliable reliable /r|laəb(ə)l/ adjective being
able to be trusted He is a reliable witness
or the witness is completely reliable.
The police have reliable information
about the gang’s movements.
relief relief /r|lif/ noun a remedy sought by
a claimant in a legal action The relief
the claimant sought was an injunction
and damages.
rem rem /rem/ in rem
remainder remainder /r|mendə/ noun 1. something
left behind The remainder of the
stock will be sold off at half price. 2.
what is left of an estate, or the right to an
estate which will return to the owner at
the end of a lease verb to remainder
books to sell new books off cheaply
remainderman remainderman /r|mendəmən/
noun somebody who receives the remainder
of an estate
remand remand /r|mɑnd/ noun the act of
sending a prisoner away for a time when
a case is adjourned to be heard at a later
date verb 1. to send a prisoner away to
reappear later to answer a case which has
been adjourned he was remanded in
custody, remanded on bail for two
weeks he was sent to prison or allowed
to go free on payment of bail while waiting
to return to court two weeks later 2.
US to send a case back to a lower court
after a higher court has given an opinion
on it
remand centre remand centre /r|mɑnd sentə/
noun a special prison for keeping young
persons who have been remanded in custody
remanded in custody remanded in custody /r|mɑndd
n k stədi/ noun remanded to be kept
in prison until the trial starts
remedy remedy /remədi/ noun a way of repairing
harm or damage suffered The
claimant is seeking remedy through the
courts. verb to help repair harm or
damage
remission 256
remission remission /r|mʃ(ə)n/ noun the reduction
of a prison sentence He was
sentenced to five years, but should serve
only three with remission. She got six
months’ remission for good behaviour.
remit remit noun /rimt/ an area of responsibility
given to someone This department
can do nothing on the case as it is
not part of our remit or it is beyond our
remit. verb /r|mt/ 1. to reduce a prison
sentence 2. to send money to remit
by cheque (NOTE: remitting – remitted)
remittance remittance /r|mt(ə)ns/ noun money
that is sent Please send remittances to
the treasurer. The family lives on a
weekly remittance from their father in the
USA.
remote remote /r|məυt/ adjective too far to
be connected The court decided that
the damage was too remote to be recoverable
by the claimant.
remoteness remoteness /r|məυtnəs/ noun the
fact of not being connected or relevant to
something remoteness of damage legal
principle that damage that is insufficiently
connected or foreseeable by a defendant
should not make the defendant
liable to the claimant
render render /rendə/ verb 1. to provide
something 2. to make someone or something
become something Failure to observe
the conditions of bail renders the
accused liable to arrest. The state of
health of the witness renders his appearance
in court impossible. 3. to officially
announce a judgment or verdict The
jury rendered a guilty verdict.
renew renew /r|nju/ verb to grant something
again so that it continues for a further period
of time to renew a bill of exchange
or to renew a lease to renew a subscription
to pay a subscription for another
year to renew an insurance policy
to pay the premium for another year’s insurance
renewal renewal /r|njuəl/ noun the act of renewing
renewal of a lease or of a subscription
or of a bill The lease is up for
renewal next month. When is the renewal
date of the bill?
renewal notice renewal notice /r|njuəl nəυts/
noun a note sent by an insurance company
asking the insured person to renew the
insurance
renewal premium renewal premium /r|njuəl
primiəm/ noun a premium to be paid
to renew an insurance
renounce renounce /r|naυns/ verb to give up a
right or a planned action The government
has renounced the use of force in
dealing with international terrorists.
rent rent /rent/ noun money paid, or occasionally
a service provided, in return for
using something such as an office, house,
factory, car or piece of equipment for a
period of time high rent, low rent expensive
or cheap rent
rent action rent action /rent kʃən/ noun proceedings
to obtain payment of rent owing
rental rental /rent(ə)l/ noun money paid to
use something such as an office, house,
factory, car or piece of equipment for a
period of time
rental income rental income /rent(ə)l nk m/
noun income from letting property
rent allowance rent allowance /rent ə|laυəns/ noun
a state subsidy paid to people who do not
have enough income to pay their rents
rental value rental value /rent(ə)l vlju/ noun
the full value of the rent for a property if
it were charged at the current market
rate, i.e. calculated between rent reviews
rentcharge rentcharge /renttʃɑd/ noun payment
of rental on freehold land
COMMENT: Rare except in the case of
covenants involving land.
rent controls rent controls /rent kən|trəυlz/ plural
noun government regulation of rents
charged by landlords
rent review rent review /rent r|vju/ noun an increase
in rents which is carried out during
the term of a lease. Most leases allow
for rents to be reviewed every three or
five years.
rent tribunal rent tribunal /rent tra|bjun(ə)l/
noun a court which adjudicates in disputes
about rents and awards fair rents
renunciation renunciation /r|n nsi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of giving up a right, especially the
ownership of shares
reoffend reoffend /riə|fend/ verb to commit
an offence again He came out of prison
and immediately reoffended.
reoffender reoffender /riə|fendə/ noun somebody
who commits an offence again
reopen reopen /ri|əυpən/ verb 1. to start investigating
a case again After receiving
257 repossess
new evidence, the police have reopened
the murder inquiry. 2. to start an activity
such as a hearing or inquiry again The
hearing reopened on Monday afternoon.
reorganisation reorganisation /ri|ɔəna|
zeʃ(ə)n/, reorganization noun the action
of organising a company in a different
way. In the USA, a bankrupt company
applies to be treated under Chapter 11
to be protected from its creditors while it
is being reorganised. (NOTE: In the USA,
a bankrupt company applies to be
treated under Chapter 11 to be protected
from its creditors while it is being reorganised.)
repairer’s lien repairer’s lien /r|peərəz lin/ noun
the right of someone who has been carrying
out repairs to keep the goods until the
repair bill has been paid (NOTE: You have
a lien on an item.)
repatriate repatriate /ri|ptriet/ verb to force
someone to leave the country he or she is
living in and go back to their country of
birth
repatriation repatriation /ri|ptri|eʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. the act of forcing someone to return to
their own country 2. the return of foreign
investments, profits, etc., to the home
country of their owner
repeal repeal /r|pil/ noun the act of saying
that a law is no longer valid pressing
for the repeal of the Immigration Act
verb to say officially that a law no longer
has legal authority The Bill seeks to repeal
the existing legislation. Member
States must repeal national legislation
which conflicts with Community legislation.
COMMENT: Since the UK does not
have a written constitution, all EC law
has to be incorporated into UK law by
acts of Parliament. Since no act of one
parliament can be considered binding
on another parliament, these acts can
in theory be repealed by subsequent
parliaments. No parliament can bind
subsequent parliaments to the principle
of the supremacy of EC law.
repeat repeat /r|pit/ verb to repeat an offence
to commit an offence again
repetition repetition /rep|tʃ(ə)n/ noun the act
of repeating something Repetition of a
libel is an offence.
replevin replevin /r|plevn/ noun an action
brought to obtain possession of goods
which have been seized, by paying off a
judgment debt
reply reply /r|pla/ noun 1. a written statement
by a claimant in a civil case in answer
to the defendant’s defence. The reply
must be filed at the same time as the
claimant files his allocation questionnaire.
2. a speech by prosecution counsel
or counsel for the claimant which answers
claims made by the defence verb
1. to answer claims made by an opponent
2. to give an opposing view in a discussion
report report /r|pɔt/ noun 1. a statement describing
what has happened or describing
a state of affairs to make a report or
to present a report or to send in a report
The court heard a report from the probation
officer. The chairman has received
a report from the insurance company.
the company’s annual report,
the chairman’s report, the directors’
report document sent each year by the
chairman of a company or the directors
to the shareholders, explaining what the
company has done during the year the
treasurer’s report document from the
honorary treasurer of a society to explain
the financial state of the society to its
members 2. a report in a newspaper,
a newspaper report article or news item
3. an official document from a government
committee The government has
issued a report on the problems of inner
city violence. verb to make a statement
describing something The probation
officer reported on the progress of the
two young criminals. He reported the
damage to the insurance company. We
asked the bank to report on his financial
status. reporting restrictions were
lifted journalists were allowed to report
details of the case
reported case reported case /r|pɔtd kes/ noun
a case which has been reported in the
Law Reports because of its importance
as a precedent
reporting restrictions reporting restrictions /r|pɔtŋ r|
strkʃ(ə)ns/ plural noun restrictions on
information about a case which can be
reported in newspapers
repossess repossess /ripə|zes/ verb to take
back an item which someone is buying
under a hire-purchase agreement or a
repossession 258
property which someone is buying under
a mortgage because the purchaser cannot
continue the repayments
repossession /ripə|zeʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of repossessing something, such
as taking possession of a mortgaged
property where the purchaser cannot
continue the mortgage repayments
represent /repr|zent/ verb 1. to state
or to show He was represented as a
man of great honour. 2. to act on behalf
of someone The defendant is represented
by his solicitor.
representation /reprzen|teʃ(ə)n/
noun 1. a statement, especially a statement
made to persuade someone to enter
into a contract 2. to make representations
to complain 3. the process of being
represented by a solicitor the applicant
had no legal representation he had
no lawyer to represent him in court 4. a
system where the people of a country
elect representatives to a Parliament
which governs the country
of the People Act Representation of the People
Act /reprzenteʃ(ə)n əv də pip(ə)l
kt/ noun an Act of Parliament which
states how elections must be organised
representative /repr|zentətv/
noun somebody who represents another
person The court heard the representative
of the insurance company.
reprieve /r|priv/ noun temporarily
stopping the carrying out of a sentence or
court order verb to stop a sentence or
order being carried out He was sentenced
to death but was reprieved by the
president.
reprimand /reprmɑnd/ noun an official
criticism The police officer received
an official reprimand after the inquiry
into the accident. verb to criticise
someone officially He was reprimanded
by the magistrate.
reproduction /riprə|d kʃ(ə)n/
noun the process of making a copy of
something The reproduction of copyright
material without the permission of
the copyright holder is banned by law.
republication /ri|p bl|keʃ(ə)n/
noun the action of publishing a will
again
republish republish /ri|p blʃ/ verb to make an
existing will valid again from the date of
republication. This makes possessions
acquired since the will was originally
made fall within the dispositions of the
will.
repudiate repudiate /r|pjudiet/ verb to refuse
to accept to repudiate an agreement,
a contract to refuse to perform one’s obligations
under an agreement or contract
repudiation repudiation /r|pjudi|eʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. a refusal to accept 2. a refusal to perform
one’s obligations under an agreement
or contract
reputable reputable /repjυtəb(ə)l/ adjective
with a good reputation a reputable firm
of accountants We use only reputable
carriers.
reputation reputation /repjυ|teʃ(ə)n/ noun the
opinion of someone or something held
by other people company with a reputation
for quality She has a reputation
for being difficult to negotiate with.
requesting state requesting state /r|kwestŋ stet/
noun a state which is seeking the extradition
of someone from another state
requisition requisition /rekw|zʃ(ə)n/ verb to
take private property into the ownership
of the state for the state to use The army
requisitioned all the trucks to carry supplies.
requisition on title requisition on title /rekwzʃ(ə)n
ɒn tat(ə)l/ noun a request to the vendor
of a property for details of the title to
the property
res res /rez/ noun a Latin word meaning
‘thing’ or ‘matter’
resale price maintenance resale price maintenance /ri|sel
pras mentənəns/ noun a system
where the price for an item is fixed by the
manufacturer and the retailer is not allowed
to sell it for a lower price. Abbreviation
RPM
COMMENT: This system applies in the
UK to certain products only, such as
newspapers.
rescind rescind /r|snd/ verb to annul or to
cancel to rescind a contract or an
agreement The committee rescinded its
earlier resolution on the use of council
premises.
rescission rescission /r|s(ə)n/ noun 1. a cancellation
of a contract 2. US an item in an
259 residuary devisee
appropriation bill which cancels money
previously appropriated but not spent
rescue /reskju/ verb to save someone
from injury or death
COMMENT: If a rescuer is injured while
rescuing someone from danger
caused by the defendant’s negligence,
the defendant may be liable for damages
to the rescuer as well as to the
person rescued.
institute research institute /r|s$tʃ
nsttjut/ noun an organisation set up
to do research
reservation /rezə|veʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of keeping something back reservation
of title clause clause in a contract
whereby the seller provides that title to
the goods does not pass to the buyer until
the buyer has paid for them. Romalpa
clause
reserve /r|z$v/ noun a supply of
something that might be needed in future
in reserve kept to be used at a later date
verb 1. to ask for a room, table or seat
to be kept free for you I want to reserve
a table for four people. Can you reserve
a seat for me on the train to Glasgow?
2. to keep something back to reserve
one’s defence not to present any
defence at a preliminary hearing, but to
wait until full trial to reserve judgment
not to pass judgment immediately,
but keep it back until later so that the
judge has time to consider the case to
reserve the right to do something to indicate
that you consider that you have the
right to do something, and intend to use
that right in the future He reserved the
right to cross-examine witnesses. We
reserve the right to appeal against the
tribunal’s decision.
currency reserve currency /r|z$v k rənsi/
noun a strong currency held by other
countries to support their own weaker
currencies
for bad debts reserve for bad debts /r|z$v fə
bd dets/ noun money kept by a company
to cover debts which may not be
paid
fund reserve fund /r|z$v f nd/ noun
profits in a business which have not been
paid out as dividend but which have been
ploughed back into the business
res gestae res gestae /rez desta/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘things which have
been done’
reside reside /r|zad/ verb to live in a place
residence residence /rezd(ə)ns/ noun 1. a
place where someone lives He has a
country residence where he spends his
weekends. 2. the act of living or operating
officially in a country
COMMENT: In the European Union, a
residence permit is a document which
permits the holder to live in a country
while not being a citizen of that country.
Normally a residence permit is valid
for five years and can be renewed
automatically. A residence permit is
not withdrawn if the person becomes
unemployed involuntarily (if a worker
gives up his job and makes no effort to
find another, his residence permit may
be withdrawn).
residence permit residence permit /rezd(ə)ns
p$mt/ noun an official document allowing
a non-resident to live in a country
He has applied for a residence permit.
She was granted a residence permit for
one year.
resident resident /rezd(ə)nt/ adjective living
or operating in a country The company
is resident in France. person ordinarily
resident in the UK somebody who
normally lives in the UK noun a person
living in a country
resident alien resident alien /rezd(ə)nt eliən/
noun an alien who has permission to live
in a country without having citizenship
residual residual /r|zdjuəl/ adjective remaining
after everything else has gone
residuary residuary /r|zdjuəri/ adjective referring
to what is left
residuary body residuary body /r|zdjuəri bɒdi/
noun a body set up to administer the ending
of a local authority and to manage
those of its functions which have not
been handed over to other authorities
residuary devise residuary devise /r|zdjuəri d|
vaz/ noun devise to someone of what is
left of the testator’s property after other
devises have been made and taxes have
been paid
residuary devisee residuary devisee /r|zdjuəri
diva|zi/ noun somebody who receives
the rest of the land when the other
bequests have been made
residuary estate 260
residuary estate residuary estate /r|zdjuəri |stet/
noun 1. the estate of a dead person which
has not been bequeathed in his will 2.
what remains of an estate after the debts
have been paid and bequests have been
made
residuary legacy residuary legacy /r|zdjuəri
leəsi/ noun a legacy of what remains
of an estate after debts, taxes and other
legacies have been paid
residuary legatee residuary legatee /r|zdjuəri leə|
ti/ noun somebody who receives the
rest of the personal property after specific
legacies have been made
residue residue /rez|dju/ noun what is left
over, especially what is left of an estate
after debts and bequests have been made
After paying various bequests the residue
of his estate was split between his
children.
resign resign /r|zan/ verb to leave a job He
resigned from his post as treasurer. He
has resigned with effect from July 1st.
She resigned as Education Minister.
res ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur /rez psə
lɒkwtə/ phrase a Latin phrase meaning
‘the matter speaks for itself’: a situation
where the facts seem so obvious,
that it is for the defendant to prove he or
she was not negligent rather than for the
claimant to prove his or her claim
resisting arrest resisting arrest /r|zstŋ ə|rest/
noun the offence of refusing to allow
yourself to be arrested
res judicata res judicata /rez dud|ktə/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘matter
on which a judgment has been given’
resolution resolution /rezə|luʃ(ə)n/ noun the
action of solving a dispute The aim of
the small claims track is the rapid resolution
of disputes.
COMMENT: There are three types or
resolution which can be put to an
AGM: the ‘ordinary resolution’, usually
referring to some general procedural
matter, and which requires a simple
majority of votes; and the ‘extraordinary
resolution’ and ‘special resolution’,
such as a resolution to change a
company’s articles of association in
some way, both of which need 75% of
the votes before they can be carried.
resort resort /r|zɔt/ verb to resort to to
come to use He had to resort to threats
of court action to get repayment of the
money owing. Workers must not resort
to violence in industrial disputes.
respect /r|spekt/ noun with respect
to, in respect of concerning his
right to an indemnity in respect of earlier
payments The defendant counterclaimed
for loss and damage in respect
of a machine sold to him by the claimant.
superior respondeat superior /r|
spɒndet su|periɔ/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘let the superior be responsible’:
rule that a principal is responsible
for actions of the agent or the
employer for actions of the employee
respondent /r|spɒndənt/ noun 1.
the other side in a case which is the subject
of an appeal 2. a person against
whom an order is sought by an application
notice 3. somebody who answers a
petition, especially one who is being
sued for divorce co-respondent
for responsible for /r|spɒnsb(ə)l fɔ/
noun being in charge of or being in control
of The tenant is responsible for all
repairs to the building. The consignee
is held responsible for the goods he has
received on consignment. She was responsible
for a series of thefts from offices.
government responsible government /r|
spɒnsb(ə)l v(ə)nmənt/ noun a
form of government which acts in accordance
with the wishes of the people
and which is accountable to Parliament
for its actions
to someone responsible to someone /r|
spɒnsb(ə)l tə s mw n/ noun being
under someone’s authority Magistrates
are responsible to the Lord Chancellor.
in integrum restitutio in integrum /rest|
tutiəυ n n|terəm/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘returning everything to
the state as it was before’
restitution /rest|tjuʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
the return of property which has been illegally
obtained The court ordered the
restitution of assets to the company. 2.
compensation or payment for damage or
loss
order restitution order /rest|tjuʃ(ə)n
ɔdə/ noun a court order asking for
property to be returned to someone
261 retirement plan
restrain restrain /r|stren/ verb 1. to control or
to hold someone back The prisoner
fought and had to be restrained by two
policemen. 2. to tell someone not to do
something The court granted the
claimant an injunction restraining the
defendant from breaching copyright.
restraining order restraining order /r|strenŋ ɔdə/
noun a court order which tells a defendant
not to do something while the court is
still taking a decision
restraint restraint /r|strent/ noun control
restraint of trade restraint of trade /r|strent əv
tred/ noun 1. a situation where an employee
is not allowed to move to another
job in the same trade because the experience
acquired with the present employer
might be sensitive or unfairly beneficial
to the new employer 2. an attempt by
companies to fix prices, create monopolies
or reduce competition, which could
affect free trade
restriction restriction /r|strkʃ(ə)n/ noun something
that limits what can happen or what
someone can do to impose restrictions
on imports, on credit to start limiting
imports or credit to lift credit restrictions
to allow credit to be given
freely reporting restrictions were
lifted journalists were allowed to report
details of the case
restrictive restrictive /r|strktv/ adjective limiting
covenant restrictive covenant /r|strktv
k vənənt/ noun a clause in a contract
which prevents someone from doing
something
restrictive practices restrictive practices /r|strktv
prktsz/ plural noun ways of working
which exclude free competition in relation
to the supply of goods or labour in
order to maintain high prices or wages
Restrictive Practices Court Restrictive Practices Court /r|
strktv prktsz kɔt/ noun a court
which decides in cases of restrictive
practices
retail /ritel/ noun the sale of small
quantities of goods to individual customers
retailer /ritelə/ noun a person who
runs a business that sells goods to the
public
retail price retail price /ritel pras/ noun the
price at which the retailer sells to the final
customer
retail shop retail shop /ritel ʃɒp/ noun a shop
where goods are sold only to the public
retain retain /r|ten/ verb to retain a lawyer
to act for you to agree with a lawyer
that he or she will act for you (and pay a
fee in advance)
retained income retained income /r|tend nk m/
noun profit which is not distributed to
the shareholders as dividend
retainer retainer /r|tenə/ noun 1. a fee paid to
a barrister 2. money paid in advance to
someone when they are not actively
working for you so that they will work
for you on the occasions when they are
needed We pay him a retainer of £1,000
per annum.
retiral retiral /r|taərəl/ noun Scotland, US
same as retirement
retire retire /r|taə/ verb 1. to stop work and
take a pension She retired with a
£6,000 pension. The chairman of the
company retired at the age of 65. The
shop is owned by a retired policeman. 2.
to make an employee stop work and take
a pension They decided to retire all
staff over 50 years of age. 3. to come to
the end of an elected term of office The
treasurer retires after six years. Two retiring
directors offer themselves for reelection.
4. to go away from a court for a
period of time The magistrates retired
to consider their verdict. The jury retired
for four hours.
retirement retirement /r|taəmənt/ noun 1. the
act of retiring from work to take early
retirement to leave work before the usual
age 2. (of a jury) the act of leaving a
courtroom to consider a verdict
retirement age retirement age /r|taəmənt ed/
noun the age at which people retire (in
the UK usually 65 for men and 60 for
women) (NOTE: In the UK, this is usually
65 for men and 60 for women.)
retirement pension retirement pension /r|taəmənt
penʃən/ noun a state pension given to a
man who is over 65 or woman who is
over 60
retirement plan retirement plan /r|taəmənt pln/
noun a plan set up to provide a person for
someone when he or she retires
retiring age 262
retiring age retiring age /r|taərŋ ed/ noun the
age at which people retire (in the UK
usually 65 for men and 60 for women)
(NOTE: In the UK, this is usually 65 for
men and 60 for women.)
retrial retrial /ri|traəl/ noun a new trial
The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial.
retroactive retroactive /retrəυ|ktv/ adjective
taking effect from a time in the past
They received a pay rise retroactive to
last January.
retroactively retroactively /retrəυ|ktvli/ adverb
going back to a time in the past
retrospective retrospective /retrəυ|spektv/ adjective
going back in time Legislation
is enacted with the presumption that it
should not be retrospective. with retrospective
effect applying to a past period
retrospective legislation retrospective legislation
/retrəυspektv led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun
an Act of Parliament which applies to the
period before the Act was passed
retrospectively retrospectively /retrəυ|spektvli/
adverb in a retrospective way The ruling
is applied retrospectively.
retry retry /ri|tra/ verb to try a case a second
time The court ordered the case to
be retried.
return return /r|t$n/ noun to make a return
to the tax office, to make an income
tax return to send a statement of
income to the tax office to fill in a VAT
return to complete the form showing
VAT income and expenditure
return address return address /r|t$n ə|dres/ noun
an address to send back something
return on investment return on investment /r|t$n ɒn n|
vestmənt/ noun profit shown as a percentage
of money invested
reus reus actus reus
revenue expenditure revenue expenditure /revənju k|
spendtʃə/ noun the day-to-day costs
of a council such as salaries and wages,
maintenance of buildings, etc.
revenue officer revenue officer /revənju ɒfsə/
noun somebody working in a government
tax office
reversal reversal /r|v$s(ə)l/ noun 1. the
change of a decision to the opposite
The reversal of the High Court ruling by
the Court of Appeal. 2. a change from being
profitable to unprofitable The company
suffered a reversal in the Far East.
reverse reverse /r|v$s/ adjective opposite, in
the opposite direction verb to change a
decision to the opposite one The Appeal
Court reversed the decision of the
High Court.
reverse charge call reverse charge call /r|v$s tʃɑd
kɔl/ noun a telephone call where the
person receiving the call agrees to pay
for it
reverse takeover reverse takeover /r|v$s tekəυvə/
noun a takeover where the company
which has been taken over ends up owning
the company which has taken it over
reversion reversion /r|v$ʃ(ə)n/ noun the return
of property to an original owner
when a lease expires he has the reversion
of the estate he will receive the estate
when the present lease ends or when
the present owner dies
reversionary reversionary /r|v$ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ adjective
referring to property which passes to
another owner on the death of the present
one
reversionary annuity reversionary annuity /r|
v$ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri ə|njuti/ noun an annuity
paid to someone on the death of another
person
reversionary right reversionary right /r|v$ʃ(ə)n(ə)ri
rat/ noun the right of a writer’s heir to
his or her copyrights after his or her
death
revert revert /r|v$t/ verb to go back to the
previous state or owner The property
reverts to its original owner in 2010.
review review /r|vju/ noun a general examination
of something again to conduct a
review of sentencing policy The coroner
asked for a review of police procedures.
verb to examine something generally
A committee has been appointed
to review judicial salaries. The High
Court has reviewed the decision.
revise revise /r|vaz/ verb to change a document,
decision or opinion in some way
The judge revised his earlier decision not
to consider a submission from defence
counsel.
revision revision /r|v(ə)n/ noun the act of
changing something The Lord Chancellor
has proposed a revision of the divorce
procedures.
263 right of survivorship
revival /r|vav(ə)l/ noun the act of
making a will that has been revoked but
not destroyed valid again
revive /r|vav/ verb to make a revoked
will become valid again
revocable /revəkəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be revoked. Opposite irrevocable
(NOTE: The opposite is irrevocable.)
revocandi animus revocandi
revocation /revəυ|keʃ(ə)n/ noun
the act of cancelling a permission, right,
agreement, offer or will
COMMENT: A will may be revoked by
marriage, by writing another will which
changes the dispositions of the first
one, or by destroying the will intentionally.
revoke /r|vəυk/ verb to cancel a permission,
right, agreement, offer or will
to revoke a clause in an agreement The
treaty on fishing rights has been revoked.
reward /r|wɔd/ noun a payment given
to someone who does a service such
as finding something which has been lost
or giving information about something
She offered a £50 reward to anyone who
found her watch. The police have offered
a reward for information about the
man seen at the bank.
Rex /reks/ Latin word meaning ‘the
King’: the Crown or state, as a party in
legal proceedings (NOTE: In written reports,
usually abbreviated to R: the
case of R. v. Smith.)
rfp abbreviation reasonable financial
provision
rider /radə/ noun 1. a clause added to
a document such as contract or report 2.
US a clause attached to a bill, which may
have nothing to do with the subject of the
bill, but which the sponsor hopes will
help the bill to pass into law more easily
right /rat/ noun a legal entitlement to
something right of renewal of a contract
She has a right to the property.
He has no right to the patent. The staff
have a right to know what the company is
doing.
rightful /ratf(ə)l/ adjective legally
correct
rightful claimant rightful claimant /ratf(ə)l
klemənt/ noun somebody who has a
legal claim to something
rightful owner rightful owner /ratf(ə)l əυnə/
noun the legal owner
Right Honourable Right Honourable /rat
ɒn(ə)rəb(ə)l/ noun the title given to
members of the Privy Council (NOTE:
usually written Hon.: the Hon. Member;
the Rt. Hon. William Smith, M.P.)
right of abode right of abode /rat əv ə|bəυd/ noun
the right to live in a country
right of audience right of audience /rat əv ɔdiəns/
noun the right to speak to a court, which
can be used by the parties in the case or
their legal representatives A barrister
has right of audience in any court in
England and Wales. (NOTE: Solicitors
now have right of audience in some
courts.)
COMMENT: Solicitors have a right of
audience in a limited number of courts.
Solicitor-advocates have the same
rights of audience as barristers.
right of centre right of centre /rat əv sentə/ adjective
tending towards conservatism a
left-of-centre political group The Cabinet
is formed mainly of right-of-centre
supporters of the Prime Minister. (NOTE:
usually used with the: The centre combined
with the right to defeat the motion.)
right of establishment right of establishment /rat əv |
stblʃmənt/ noun the right of an EC
citizen to live and work in any EC country
right of re-entry right of re-entry /rat əv ri|entri/
noun 1. the right of a landlord to take
back possession of the property if the
tenant breaks his agreement 2. the right
of a person resident in a country to go
back into that country after leaving it for
a time
right of reply right of reply /rat əv r|pla/ noun
the right of someone to answer claims
made by an opponent He demanded the
right of reply to the newspaper allegations.
right of silence right of silence /rat əv saləns/
noun the right of an accused not to say
anything when charged with a criminal
offence
right of survivorship right of survivorship /rat əv sə|
vavəʃp/ noun a right of the survivor
right of way 264
of a joint tenancy to the estate rather than
of the heirs of the deceased tenant (also)
(NOTE: The right of survivorship is also
called by its Latin name: jus accrescendi.)
right of way right of way /rat əv we/ noun the
right to go lawfully along a path on another
person’s land
right to enter right to enter /rat tə entə/ noun the
right of a EU citizen to go into another
EU country to look for work
right to reside right to reside /rat tə r|zad/ noun
one of the fundamental rights of citizens
and workers in the European Union, the
right of living in any another EU Member
State
rigor mortis rigor mortis /rə mɔts/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘stiffening of the
dead’: a state where a dead body becomes
stiff some time after death, which
can allow a pathologist to estimate the
time of death in some cases
ring ring /rŋ/ verb to alter chassis or engine
numbers on a car, so as to falsify its origin
riot riot /raət/ noun a notifiable offence
when three or more people meet illegally
and plan to use force to achieve their
aims or to frighten the public verb to
form an illegal group to use force
rioter rioter /raətə/ noun somebody who
takes part in a riot Rioters attacked the
banks and post offices.
riotous assembly riotous assembly /raətəs ə|
sembl/ noun formerly, a meeting of
twelve or more people who come together
to use force to achieve their aims or
frighten other people
riparian riparian /ra|peəriən/ adjective referring
to the bank of a river
riparian rights riparian rights /ra|peəriən rats/
plural noun the rights that apply to people
who own land on the bank of a river,
e.g. the right to fish in the river
risk risk /rsk/ noun 1. possible harm, loss
or chance of danger at risk in a situation
where something bad or dangerous
is likely to happen His careless driving
had put his passengers as well as other
road-users at risk. The school was
known to be at risk of flooding. at owner’s
risk a situation in which goods
shipped or stored are the responsibility
of the owner, not of the shipping company
or storage company to run a risk or
run the risk of something to be likely to
suffer harm She knew she was running
a risk in not reporting the accident. In
allowing him to retain his passport, the
court runs the risk of the accused leaving
the country. 2. loss or damage against
which you are insured he is a bad risk
it is likely that an insurance company
will have to pay out compensation as far
as he is concerned He is likely to die
soon, so is a bad risk for an insurance
company
road rage road rage /rəυd red/ noun a violent
attack by a driver on another car or its
driver, caused by anger at the way the
other driver has been driving There
have been several incidents of road rage
lately. In the latest road rage attack, the
driver leapt out of his car and knocked a
cyclist to the ground.
road tax road tax /rəυd tks/ noun an annual
tax levied on cars and other vehicles
rob rob /rɒb/ verb to steal something from
someone, usually violently They
robbed a bank in London and stole a car
to make their getaway. The gang
robbed shopkeepers in the centre of the
town. (NOTE: robbing – robbed. Note
also that you rob someone of something.)
robber robber /rɒbə/ noun somebody who
robs people
robbery robbery /rɒbəri/ noun 1. the offence
of stealing something from someone using
force or threatening to use force 2.
the act of stealing something with violence
He committed three petrol station
robberies in two days.
robbery with violence robbery with violence /rɒbəri wd
vaələns/ noun the offence of stealing
goods and harming someone at the same
time
rogatory letter rogatory letter /rɒət(ə)ri letə/
noun a letter of request to a court in another
country, asking for evidence to be
taken from someone under that court’s
jurisdiction
rolling contract rolling contract /rəυlŋ kɒntrkt/
noun 1. a contract for a period of more
than one year that is renewed annually
for the same period, subject to a favourable
review 2. a contract that is open-end-
265 rule
ed and runs until one of the contracting
parties cancels it
Roll of Solicitors Roll of Solicitors /rəυl əv sə|
lstəz/ noun a list of admitted solicitors
roll over roll over /rəυl əυvə/ verb to roll
over credit to make credit available over
a continuing period
Romalpa clause Romalpa clause /rəυ|mɒlpə klɔz/
noun a clause in a contract, whereby the
seller provides that title to the goods does
not pass to the buyer until the buyer has
paid for them
COMMENT: Called after the case of
Aluminium Industrie Vaassen BV v.
Romalpa Ltd.
Roman law Roman law /rəυmən lɔ/ noun the set
of laws which existed in the Roman Empire
COMMENT: Roman law is the basis of
the laws of many European countries
but has had only negligible and indirect
influence on the development of
English law.
Rome Convention Rome Convention /rəυm kən|
venʃ(ə)n/ noun a copyright convention
signed in Rome, covering the rights of
record producers, musical performers,
broadcasters and television companies,
etc.
root of title root of title /rut əv tat(ə)l/ noun
the basic title deed which proves that a
vendor has the right to sell a property
ROR ROR abbreviation US release on recognizance
rotation rotation /rəυ|teʃ(ə)n/ noun the activity
of taking turns to fill the post of
chairman by rotation each member of
the group is chairman for a period then
gives the post to another member two
directors retire by rotation two directors
retire because they have been directors
longer than any others, but can offer
themselves for re-election
rough copy rough copy /r f kɒpi/ noun a draft
of a document which is expected to have
changes made to it before it is complete
rough draft rough draft /r f drɑft/ noun a plan
of a document which may have changes
made to it before it is complete
rough justice rough justice /r f d sts/ noun legal
processes which are not always very
fair
round table conference round table conference /raυnd
teb(ə)l kɒnf(ə)rəns/ noun a conference
at which each party at the meeting
is of equal status to the others The government
is trying to get the rebel leaders
to come to the conference table.
rout rout /raυt/ noun the offence of gathering
together of people to do some unlawful
act
Royal Assent Royal Assent /rɔəl ə|sent/ noun the
act of signing of bill by the Queen, confirming
that the bill is to become law as
an Act of Parliament
Royal Commission Royal Commission /rɔəl kə|
mʃ(ə)n/ noun a group of people specially
appointed by a minister to examine
and report on a major problem
Royal Courts of Justice Royal Courts of Justice /rɔəl
kɔts əv d sts/ noun the central civil
court in London, where serious claims
covering fatal accidents, professional
negligence, defamation, and claims
against the police are heard. Abbreviation
RCJ
Royal pardon Royal pardon /rɔəl pɑd(ə)n/ noun
a pardon whereby a person convicted of
a crime is forgiven and need not serve a
sentence
Royal prerogative Royal prerogative /rɔəl pr|
rɒətv/ noun a special right belonging
only to a king or queen such as the right
to appoint ministers or end a session of
Parliament
royalty royalty /rɔəlti/ noun money paid to
an inventor, writer, or the owner of land
for the right to use his property. It is usually
an agreed percentage of sales or an
amount per sale. Oil royalties make up
a large proportion of the country’s revenue.
He is receiving royalties from his
invention.
rozzer rozzer /rɒzə/ noun a policeman
(informal)
RPM RPM abbreviation resale price maintenance
RSC RSC abbreviation Rules of the Supreme
Court
rule rule /rul/ noun 1. a general order of
conduct which says how things should be
done, e.g. an order governing voting procedure
in Parliament or Congress The
debate followed the rules of procedure
used in the British House of Commons.
rule against perpetuities 266
to work to rule to work strictly according
to the rules agreed by the company
and union, and therefore to work very
slowly 2. US a special decision made by
the Rules Committee which states how a
particular bill should be treated in the
House of Representatives 3. the way in
which a country is governed The country
has had ten years of military rule.
the rule of law principle of government
that all persons and bodies and the government
itself are equal before and answerable
to the law and that no person
shall be punished without trial 4. a decision
made by a court Rule in Rylands
v. Fletcher a rule that when a person
brings a dangerous thing (substance or
animal) to his or her own land, and the
dangerous thing escapes and causes
harm, then that person is absolutely liable
for the damage caused verb 1. to
give an official decision We are waiting
for the judge to rule on the admissibility
of the defence evidence. The commission
of inquiry ruled that the company
was in breach of contract. 2. to be in
force or to be current prices which are
ruling at the moment 3. to govern a country
The country is ruled by a group of
army officers.
rule against perpetuities rule against perpetuities /rul ə|
enst p$pt|jutiz/ noun a rule that
an interest can only last for a period of no
more than 21 years
rule of evidence rule of evidence /rul əv
evd(ə)ns/ noun a rule established by
law which determines the type of evidence
which a court will consider and
how such evidence must be given
of the Supreme Court Rules of the Supreme Court
/rulz əv də sυ|prim kɔt/ plural
noun rules governing practice and procedure
in the Supreme Court. Abbreviation
RSC. Civil Procedure Rules, County
Court Rules, White Book
ruling ruling /rulŋ/ noun a decision made
by someone with official authority such
as a judge, magistrate, arbitrator or chairman
According to the ruling of the
court, the contract was illegal. adjective
1. in power or in control the ruling
Democratic Party The actions of the
ruling junta have been criticised in the
press. 2. most important The ruling
consideration is one of cost. 3. in operation
at the moment We invoiced at ruling
prices.
runner /r nə/ noun a member of a
gang of pickpockets who takes the items
stolen and runs away with them to a safe
place (slang)
run-up run-up /r n p/ noun run-up to an
election period before an election In
the run-up to the General Election, opinion
polls were forecasting heavy losses
for the government.
rustle rustle /r s(ə)l/ verb to steal livestock,
especially cows and horses
rustler /r slə/ noun somebody who
steals livestock a cattle rustler
rustling rustling /r s(ə)lŋ/ noun the crime of
stealing cattle or horses
S
sabotage sabotage /sbətɑ/ noun malicious
damage done to machines or equipment
Several acts of sabotage were committed
against radio stations. (NOTE: no plural;
for the plural say acts of sabotage)
sack sack /sk/ noun to get the sack to be
dismissed from a job verb to sack
someone to dismiss someone from a job
He was sacked after being late for
work.
sacking sacking /skŋ/ noun dismissal from
a job The scandal led to the sacking of
several employees
safe safe /sef/ noun a heavy metal box
which cannot be opened easily, in which
valuable items such as documents or
money can be kept Put the documents
in the safe. We keep the petty cash in
the safe. adjective 1. out of danger
keep the documents in a safe place in a
place where they cannot be stolen or destroyed
2. referring to a judgment of a
court which is well-based and is not likely
to be quashed on appeal The court of
appeal found that the original conviction
was not safe. unsafe
safe deposit safe deposit /sef d|pɒzt/ noun a
safe in a bank vault where you can leave
jewellery or documents
safe deposit box safe deposit box /sef d|pɒzt
bɒks/ noun a small box which you can
rent to keep jewellery or documents in a
bank’s safe
safeguard safeguard /sefɑd/ noun an action
or plan for doing something that prevents
something unwanted from happening
The proposed legislation will provide a
safeguard against illegal traders. verb
to protect someone or something against
something unwanted happening The
court acted to safeguard the interests of
the shareholders. The management had
failed to safeguard their employees
against exposure to the hazard.
safekeeping /sef kipŋ/ noun care
and protection We put the documents
into the bank for safe keeping.
seat safe seat /sef sit/ noun a seat
where the Member of Parliament has a
large majority and is not likely to lose the
seat at an election
safety safety /sefti/ noun the situation of being
free from danger or risk to take
safety precautions, safety measures to
act to make sure something is safe
safety margin safety margin /sefti mɑdn/
noun time or space allowed for something
to be safe
safety measures safety measures /sefti meəz/
plural noun actions to make sure that
something is or will be safe
safety regulations safety regulations /sefti rejυ|
leʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun rules to make a
place of work safe for the workers
salary salary /sləri/ noun payment for work
made to an employee with a contract of
employment, especially in a professional
or office job (NOTE: The plural is salaries.)
sale sale /sel/ noun 1. the act of selling or
transferring an item or a property from
one owner to another in exchange for a
consideration, usually in the form of
money 2. for sale ready to be sold to
offer something for sale, to put something
up for sale to announce that something
is ready to be sold They put the
factory up for sale. 3. the selling of
goods at specially low prices The shop
is having a sale to clear old stock. The
sale price is 50% of the normal price.
half-price sale sale of items at half the
usual price the sales period when ma-
sale and lease-back 268
jor stores sell many items at specially
low prices
sale and lease-back sale and lease-back /sel ən lis
bk/ noun a situation where a company
sells a property to raise cash and then
leases it back from the purchaser
Sale of Goods Act Sale of Goods Act /sel əv υdz
kt/ noun an Act of Parliament which
regulates the selling of goods but not
land, copyrights or patents The law relating
to the sale of goods is governed by
the Sale of Goods Act.
sale or return sale or return /sel ɔ r|t$n/ noun a
system which allows unsold goods to be
delivered to a person, who then has the
right to keep the goods for a specified
time while deciding whether or not to
purchase them
sales department sales department /selz d|
pɑtmənt/ noun the section of a company
which deals in selling the company’s
products or services
salvage salvage /slvd/ noun 1. a right of a
person who saves a ship from being
wrecked or cargo from a ship which has
been wrecked in order to receive compensation
2. goods saved from a wrecked
ship or from a fire or other accident a
sale of flood salvage items verb to save
goods or a ship from being wrecked We
are selling off a warehouse full of salvaged
goods.
salvage agreement salvage agreement /slvd ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement between
the captain of a sinking ship and a salvage
crew, giving the terms on which the
ship will be saved
salvage vessel salvage vessel /slvd ves(ə)l/
noun a ship which specialises in saving
other ships and their cargoes
sample sample /sɑmpəl/ noun a small part of
something taken to show what the whole
is like They polled a sample group of
voters. verb to take a small part of
something and examine it The suspect’s
urine was sampled and the test
proved positive.
sanction sanction /sŋkʃən/ noun 1. an official
order to do something You will
need the sanction of the local authorities
before you can knock down the office
block. The payment was made without
official sanction. 2. US punishment by a
court for failure to comply with an order.
If the sanction is payment of costs, the
party in default may obtain relief by appealing.
3. a punishment for an act which
goes against what is generally accepted
behaviour (economic) sanctions restrictions
on trade with a country in order
to influence its political situation or in
order to make its government change its
policy to impose sanctions on a country
or to lift sanctions verb to approve
or permit something officially The
board sanctioned the expenditure of
£1.2m on the development plan.
sane sane /sen/ adjective mentally well
Was he sane when he made the will?
sanity sanity /snti/ noun the ability to
make rational decisions
sans frais sans frais /snz fres/ phrase a
French phrase meaning ‘with no expense’
sans recours sans recours /snz rə|kuəz/
phrase a French phrase meaning ‘with
no recourse’: used to show that someone
such as an agent acting for a principal in
endorsing a bill is not responsible for
paying it
satisfaction satisfaction /sts|fkʃən/ noun 1.
the acceptance of money or goods by an
injured party who then cannot make any
further claim 2. payment or giving of
goods to someone in exchange for that
person’s agreement to stop a claim
satisfy satisfy /stsfa/ verb 1. to convince
someone that something is correct
When opposing bail the police had to
satisfy the court that the prisoner was
likely to try to leave the country. 2. to fulfil
or to carry out fully Has he satisfied
all the conditions for parole? The company
has not satisfied all the conditions
laid down in the agreement. We cannot
produce enough to satisfy the demand for
the product.
scaffold scaffold /skfəυld/ noun a raised
platform on which executions take place
scale scale /skel/ noun large scale, small
scale working with large or small
amounts of investment, staff, etc. to
start in business on a small scale to
start in business with a small staff, few
products or little investment verb to
scale down, to scale up to lower or to increase
in proportion
269 seal
scale of charges scale of charges /skel əv
tɑdz/ noun a list showing various
prices
scale of salaries scale of salaries /skel əv sləriz/
noun a list of salaries showing different
levels of pay in different jobs in the same
company
scam scam /skm/ noun a dishonest plan to
deceive someone, especially in order to
obtain money (informal)
scene-of-crime scene-of-crime /sin əv kram/ adjective
relating or belonging to the part
of the police force responsible for collecting
forensic evidence at crime scenes
schedule schedule /ʃedjul/ noun 1. a plan of
the times when something will happen
to be ahead of schedule to be early to
be on schedule to be on time to be behind
schedule to be late I am sorry to
say that we are three months behind
schedule. 2. an additional document attached
to a contract schedule of markets
to which a contract applies see the
attached schedule or as per the attached
schedule the schedule before referred
to 3. a list We publish our new schedule
of charges. (NOTE: For the schedules
applying to drugs, see drug.) verb 1.
to list officially scheduled prices or
scheduled charges 2. to plan the time
when something will happen The
building is scheduled for completion in
May.
Schedule A Schedule A /ʃedjul e/ noun a
schedule to the Finance Acts under
which tax is charged on income from
land or buildings
Schedule B Schedule B /ʃedjul bi/ noun a
schedule to the Finance Acts under
which tax is charged on income from
woodlands
Schedule C Schedule C /ʃedjul si/ noun a
schedule to the Finance Acts under
which tax is charged on profits from government
stock
Schedule D Schedule D /ʃedjul di/ noun a
schedule to the Finance Acts under
which tax is charged on income from
trades, professions, interest and other
earnings which do not come from employment
Schedule F Schedule F /ʃedjul ef/ noun a
schedule to the Finance Acts under
which tax is charged on income from
dividends
scheme of arrangement scheme of arrangement /skim əv
ə|rendmənt/ noun a scheme drawn up
by an individual offering ways of paying
debts and so avoiding bankruptcy proceedings
scire facias scire facias /saəri feʃis/ noun a
writ that requires a defendant to appear
in court to show why the plaintiff should
not be permitted to take a specific legal
step
scope scope /skəυp/ noun the limits covered
by something The question does not
come within the scope of the authority’s
powers. The Bill plans to increase the
scope of the tribunal’s authority.
Scotland Yard Scotland Yard /skɒtlənd jɑd/
noun the headquarters of the Metropolitan
Police in London
screen screen /skrin/ verb to screen candidates
to examine candidates to see if
they are completely suitable
screening screening /skrinŋ/ noun the
screening of candidates examining candidates
to see if they are suitable
screw screw /skru/ noun a prison warder
(slang)
scrip scrip /skrp/ noun a certificate showing
that someone owns shares in a company
scuttle scuttle /sk t(ə)l/ verb to sink a ship
deliberately by making holes in the bottom
of it
seal seal /sil/ noun 1. a piece of wax or red
paper attached to a document to show
that it is legally valid 2. a stamp printed
or marked on a document to show that it
is valid 3. a mark put on a document by a
court to show that it has been correctly
issued by that court The document
bears the court’s seal and is admissible
in evidence. 4. a piece of paper, metal or
wax attached to close something, so that
it can be opened only if the paper, metal
or wax is removed or broken The seals
on the ballot box had been tampered
with. verb 1. to close something tightly
The computer disks were sent in a
sealed container. 2. (of a court) to attach
a mark to a document to show that it has
been issued by that court A court must
seal a claim form when it is issued. 3. to
attach a seal The customs sealed the
sealed envelope 270
shipment. 4. to stamp something with a
seal
envelope sealed envelope /sild envələυp/
noun an envelope where the back has
been stuck down to close it The information
was sent in a sealed envelope.
instrument sealed instrument /sild
nstrυmənt/ noun a document which
has been signed and sealed
tender sealed tender /sild tendə/ noun
tenders sent in sealed envelopes, which
will all be opened together at a specified
time
off seal off /sil ɒf/ verb to put barriers
across a street or an entrance to prevent
people from going in or out Police
sealed off all roads leading to the courthouse.
search /s$tʃ/ noun an act of examining
a place to try to find something.
power of search verb to examine a
place or a person to try to find something
The agent searched his files for a
record of the sale. All drivers and their
cars are searched at the customs post.
The police searched the area round the
house for clues. to stop and search to
stop a person in a public place and search
them for weapons, implements used for
burglary, stolen articles, etc.
order search order /s$tʃ ɔdə/ noun an
order by a court in a civil case allowing a
party to inspect and photocopy or remove
a defendant’s documents, especially
where the defendant might destroy evidence.
The search should be done in the
presence of an independent solicitor.
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has replaced Anton Piller order.)
warrant search warrant /s$tʃ wɒrənt/
noun an official document signed by a
magistrate allowing the police to enter
premises and look for persons suspected
of being criminals, objects which are believed
to have been stolen, or dangerous
or illegal substances
secede /s|sid/ verb to break away
from an organisation or a federation
The American colonies seceded from
Great Britain in 1776 and formed the
USA.
secession secession /s|seʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of
seceding
second second /sekənd/ verb to second a
motion, a candidate to agree to support
a motion after it has been proposed by
the proposer, but before a vote is taken
The motion is proposed by Mr Smith,
seconded by Mr Jones. The name of Mr
Brown has been proposed for the post of
treasurer, who is going to second him?
secondarily secondarily /sekən|deərli/ adverb
in second place The person making a
guarantee is secondarily liable if the
person who is primarily liable defaults.
primarily
secondary secondary /sekənd(ə)ri/ adjective
second in importance
secondary action secondary action /sekənd(ə)ri
kʃən/ noun the picketing of another
factory or place of work which is not directly
connected with a strike to prevent
it supplying a striking factory or receiving
supplies from it
secondary banks secondary banks /sekənd(ə)ri
bŋks/ plural noun companies which
provide money for hire-purchase deals
secondary evidence secondary evidence /sekənd(ə)ri
evd(ə)ns/ noun evidence which is not
the main proof, e.g. copies of documents
and not the original documents themselves.
Secondary evidence can be admitted
if there is no primary evidence
available.
secondary legislation secondary legislation
/sekənd(ə)ri led|sleʃ(ə)n/ noun
legislation passed by the European Union,
as opposed to primary legislation
passed by the Member States themselves
second degree murder second degree murder /sekənd d|
ri m$də/ noun US the unlawful killing
of a person without premeditation
and not committed at the same time as
rape or robbery
second mortgage second mortgage /sekənd
mɔd/ noun a further mortgage on a
property which is already mortgaged.
The first mortgage has prior claim.
second quarter second quarter /sekənd kwɔtə/
noun a period of three months from
April to the end of June
Second Reading Second Reading /sekənd ridŋ/
noun 1. a detailed presentation of a Bill
in the House of Commons by the respon-
271 security printer
sible minister, followed by a discussion
and vote 2. US a detailed examination of
a Bill in the House of Representatives,
before it is passed to the Senate
secret agent secret agent /sikrət edənt/ noun
somebody who tries to find out information
in secret about other countries, other
governments or other armed forces
Secretary-General Secretary-General /sekrətri
den(ə)rəl/ noun a main administrator
in a large organisation such as the United
Nations or a political party
Secretary of State for Defence Secretary of State for Defence
/sekrətri əv stet fə d|fens/ noun a
government minister in charge of the
armed forces. Also called Defence Secretary
(NOTE: The US term is Secretary
for Defense.)
of the Treasury Secretary of the Treasury
/sekrət(ə)ri əv də treəri/ noun US a
senior member of the government in
charge of financial affairs
to the Senate Secretary to the Senate /sekrətri
tə də senət/ noun US the head of the
administrative staff in the Senate
secret police secret police /sikrət pə|lis/ noun
police officers who work in secret, especially
dealing with people working
against the state
section section /sekʃən/ noun 1. a department
in an office legal section department
dealing with legal matters in a company
2. part of an Act of Parliament or
bylaw He does not qualify for a grant
under section 2 of the Act. (NOTE: When
referring to a section of an act, it is abbreviated
to s: s 24 LGA.)
secure secure /s|kjυə/ adjective 1. safe from
danger or harm 2. firmly fastened or held
The documents should be kept in a secure
place. The police and army have
made the border secure. verb to secure
a loan to pledge a property or other
assets as a security for a loan
creditor secured creditor /s|kjυəd
kredtə/ noun a person who is owed
money by someone and holds a mortgage
or charge on that person’s property as security
debts secured debts /s|kjυəd det/ plural
noun debts which are guaranteed by assets
secured loan secured loan /s|kjυəd ləυn/ noun a
loan which is guaranteed by the borrower
giving valuable property as security
secure investment secure investment /s|kjυə n|
vestmənt/ noun an investment where
you are not likely to lose money
secure job secure job /s|kjυə dɒb/ noun a job
from which you are not likely to be made
redundant
secure tenant secure tenant /s|kjυə tenənt/
noun a tenant of a local authority who
has the right to buy the freehold of the
property he or she rents at a discount
securities trader securities trader /s|kjυərtiz
tredə/ noun somebody whose business
is buying and selling stocks and shares
security security /s|kjυərti/ noun 1. safety
from danger or harm 2. the state of being
protected 3. a guarantee that someone
will repay money borrowed to stand
security for someone to guarantee that if
the person does not repay a loan, you will
repay it for him
security for costs security for costs /s|kjυərti fə
kɒsts/ noun a guarantee that a party in
a dispute will pay costs The master ordered
that the claimant should deposit
£2,000 as security for the defendant’s
costs.
COMMENT: Where a foreign claimant
or a company which may become insolvent
brings proceedings against a
defendant, the defendant is entitled to
apply to the court for an order that the
proceedings be stayed unless the
claimant deposits money to secure the
defendant’s costs if the claimant fails
in his action.
security guard security guard /s|kjυərti ɑd/
noun somebody whose job is to protect
money, valuables or an office against
possible theft or damage
security of employment security of employment /s|
kjυərti əv m|plɔmənt/ noun the
feeling by an employee that he or she has
the right to keep a job until retirement
security of tenure security of tenure /s|kjυərti əv
tenjə/ noun the right to keep a position
or rented accommodation, provided that
conditions are met
security printer security printer /s|kjυərti prntə/
noun a printer who prints paper money
or material such as secret government
documents
sedition 272
sedition sedition /s|dʃ(ə)n/ noun the crime of
doing acts or speaking or publishing
words which bring the royal family or
the government into hatred or contempt
and encourage civil disorder
COMMENT: Sedition is a lesser crime
than treason.
seditious seditious /s|dʃəs/ adjective provoking
sedition
seek seek /sik/ verb 1. to ask for a creditor
seeking a receiving order under the
Bankruptcy Act They are seeking damages
for loss of revenue. The applicant
sought judicial review to quash the order.
The Bill requires a social worker to
seek permission of the Juvenile Court.
to seek an interview to ask if you can
see someone she sought an interview
with the minister 2. to look for someone
or something The police are seeking a
tall man who was seen near the scene of
the crime. Two men are being sought by
the police. 3. to try to do something
The local authority is seeking to place
the ward of court in accommodation.
(NOTE: seeking – sought – has
sought)
segregate segregate /seret/ verb to separate
or keep apart, especially to keep different
ethnic groups in a country apart
Single-sex schools segregate boys from
girls.
seised seised /sizd/ adjective seised of a
property being legally in possession of
property
seisin seisin /sizn/ noun possession of land
(feudal law)
seizin seizin /sizn/ noun another spelling
of seisin
seizure seizure /siə/ noun the act of taking
possession of something The court ordered
the seizure of the shipment or of the
company’s funds.
selection board selection board /s|lekʃən bɔd/
noun a committee which chooses a candidate
for a job
selection procedure selection procedure /s|lekʃən prə|
sidə/ noun a general method of
choosing a candidate for election or for a
job
self-defence self-defence /self d|fens/ noun actions
or skills that you use to try to protect
yourself when attacked He pleaded
that he had acted in self-defence when he
had hit the mugger.
COMMENT: This can be used as a defence
to a charge of a crime of violence,
where the defendant pleads
that his actions were attributable to defending
himself rather than to a desire
to commit violence.
self-incrimination self-incrimination /self n|krm|
neʃ(ə)n/ noun the act of incriminating
yourself, of saying something which
shows you are guilty right against
self-incrimination right not to say anything,
when questioned by the police, in
case you may say something which
could incriminate you
sell sell /sel/ verb to transfer the ownership
of property to another person in exchange
for money to sell cars or to sell
refrigerators to sell something on credit
They have decided to sell their house.
They tried to sell their house for
£100,000. Her house is difficult to sell.
Their products are easy to sell. to sell
forward to sell foreign currency, commodities,
etc., for delivery at a later date
seller seller /selə/ noun 1. somebody who
sells There were few sellers in the market,
so prices remained high. 2. something
which sells This book is a good
seller.
selling price selling price /selŋ pras/ noun the
price at which someone is willing to sell
semble semble /semb(ə)l/ noun a French
word meaning ‘it appears’: word used in
discussing a court judgment where there
is some uncertainty about what the court
intended
semi-autonomous semi-autonomous /semi ɔ|
tɒnəməs/ noun with a limited amount
of autonomy
senate senate /senət/ noun 1. an upper house
of a legislative body France has a bicameral
system: a lower house or Chamber
of Deputies and a upper house or
Senate. 2. US the upper house of the
American Congress The US Senate
voted against the proposal. The Secretary
of State appeared before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. 3. the ruling
body of a university, college or other
institution
senator senator /senətə/, Senator noun a
member of a senate (NOTE: written with a
273 sequestrator
capital letter when used as a title: Senator
Jackson)
senatorial /senə|tɔriəl/ adjective referring
to a senate or to senators
COMMENT: The US Senate has 100
members, each state electing two senators
by popular vote. Bills may be introduced
in the Senate, with the exception
of bills relating to finance. The
Senate has the power to ratify treaties
and to confirm presidential appointments
to federal posts.
sender /sendə/ noun somebody who
sends a letter, parcel or message
senior /siniə/ adjective 1. more important
2. having been employed in a job
for longer than someone else
seniority /sini|ɒrti/ noun 1. the
state of being older or more important
than someone else the managers were
listed in order of seniority the manager
who had been an employee the longest or
the manager with the most important job
was put at the top of the list 2. the fact of
having been employed in a job for longer
than someone else, often a reason for an
employee to earn more pay than another,
even if the two jobs are the same
manager senior manager /siniə mndə/
noun a manager or director who has a
higher rank than others
partner senior partner /siniə pɑtnə/ noun
somebody who has a large part of the
shares in a partnership
sentence /sentəns/ noun a legal punishment
given by a court to a convicted
person He received a three-year jail
sentence. The two men accused of rape
face sentences of up to six years in prison.
to pass sentence on someone to
give a convicted person the official legal
punishment The jury returned a verdict
of manslaughter and the judge will pass
sentence next week. verb to give someone
an official legal punishment The
judge sentenced him to six months in
prison or he was sentenced to six
months’ imprisonment. The accused
was convicted of murder and will be sentenced
next week. Compare convict
sentencer /sentənsə/ noun a person
such as a judge who can pass a legal sentence
on someone
sentencing sentencing /sentənsŋ/ noun the act
of giving a judicial sentence to a defendant
separate property separate property /sep(ə)rət
prɒpəti/ noun US property owned by a
husband and wife before their marriage
(as opposed to ‘community property’).
Compare community property
separation separation /sepə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
an agreement between a husband and
wife to live apart from each other 2. US
the act of leaving a job by resigning, retiring,
being fired or made redundant 3.
the act of keeping things separate from
each other
COMMENT: In the USA, the three parts
of the power of the state are kept separate
and independent: the President
does not sit in Congress; Congress
cannot influence the decisions of the
Supreme Court, etc. In the UK, the
powers are not separated, because
Parliament has both legislative powers
(it makes laws) and judicial powers
(the House of Lords acts as a court of
appeal); the government (the executive)
is not independent and is responsible
to Parliament which can outvote
it and so cause a general election. In
the USA, members of government are
not members of Congress, though
their appointment has to be approved
by Senate; in the UK, members of government
are usually Members of Parliament,
although some are members
of the House of Lords.
separation of powers separation of powers
/sepəreʃ(ə)n əv paυəs/ noun a system
in which the power in a state is separated
between the legislative body
which passes laws, the judiciary which
enforces the law, and the executive
which runs the government
seq seq et seq.
sequester sequester /s|kwestə/, sequestrate
/sikwstret, s|kwestret/ verb to
take and keep property because a court
has ordered it
sequestration sequestration /sikwe|streʃ(ə)n/
noun the taking and keeping of property
on the order of a court, especially seizing
property from someone who is in contempt
of court His property has been
kept under sequestration.
sequestrator sequestrator /sikwstretə, s|
kwestretə/ noun somebody who takes
seriatim 274
and keeps property on the order of a
court
seriatim /səri|etm/ Latin word
meaning ‘one after the other in order’
Fraud Office Serious Fraud Office /sərəs
frɔd ɒfs/ noun a government department
in charge of investigating major
fraud in companies. Abbreviation SFO
Serjeant Common Serjeant
serve /s$v/ verb 1. to deal with (a customer),
to do a type of work to serve
articles to work in a solicitor’s office as
a trainee to serve on a jury to act as a
member of a jury 2. to give someone a legal
document that requires them to do
something They were served notice to
quit the premises in two months’ time.
to serve someone with a writ, to serve
a writ on someone to give someone an
official notice of a court case which has
to be defended or judgment will be taken
in the person’s absence 3. to spend a period
of time in prison after being sentenced
to imprisonment He served six
months in a local jail. She still has half
her sentence to serve. to serve time to
spend a period of time in prison for a particular
crime Her brother has served
time for robbery.
service /s$vs/ noun service (of
process), personal service the delivery
of a document such as a writ or summons
to someone in person or to his or her legal
representative to acknowledge
service to confirm that a legal document
such as a claim form has been received
service by an alternative method serving
a legal document on someone other
than by the legally prescribed method,
e.g. by posting it to the last known address,
or by advertising
COMMENT: The Civil Procedure Rules
give five methods of service of documents:
(i) personal service (i.e. physically
to a person himself); (ii) by firstclass
post; (iii) by sending or leaving
the document at an address for service;
(iv) by sending the document
through a document exchange; (v) by
fax or other electronic means, though
this method is only used in certain circumstances,
such as sending documents
to a legal representative. Note
also that under the new rules, documents
are prepared and usually
served by the court itself and not by
one or other of the parties concerned.
charge service charge /s$vs tʃɑd/ noun
1. a charge made by a landlord to cover
general work done to the property such
as cleaning stairs or collecting rubbish 2.
a charge made in a restaurant for serving
the customer
contract service contract /s$vs
kɒntrkt/ noun same as contract of
employment
servient /s$viənt/ adjective being
less important
owner servient owner /s$viənt əυnə/
noun the owner of land over which
someone else (the dominant owner) has a
right to use a path
tenement servient tenement /s$viənt
tenəmənt/ noun land over which the
owner (the servient owner) grants an
easement to the owner (the dominant
owner) of another property (the dominant
tenement)
session /seʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the period
when a group of people meets The
morning session will be held at 10.30
a.m. opening session, closing session
first part, last part of a conference 2. the
period during which formal meetings of
a body are being held The Act was
passed in the last session of Parliament
or the last Parliamentary session. (NOTE:
The Parliamentary session starts in
October with the Opening of Parliament
and the Queen’s Speech. It usually
lasts until August. In the USA, a new
congressional session starts on the 3rd
of January each year.) in session taking
place and carrying out the usual activities
COMMENT: The Parliamentary session
starts in October with the Opening of
Parliament and the Queen’s Speech. It
usually lasts until August. In the USA,
a new congressional session starts on
the 3rd of January each year.
Select Committee sessional Select Committee
/seʃ(ə)n(ə)l s|lekt kə|mti/ noun a Select
Committee set up at the beginning of
each session of parliament the Select
Committee on Defence or the Defence
Select Committee
sessions /seʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun court
275 sexual offence
set set /set/ noun set (of chambers) series
of offices for a group of barristers
who work together
set aside set aside /set ə|sad/ verb to decide
not to apply a decision, or to cancel an
order, judgment or step taken by a party
in legal proceedings The arbitrator’s
award was set aside on appeal.
set down set down /set daυn/ verb to arrange
for a trial to take place by putting it on
one of the lists of trials Pleadings must
be submitted to the court when the action
is set down for trial.
set forth set forth /set fɔθ/ verb to put down
in writing The argument is set forth in
the document from the European Court.
set-off set-off /set ɒf/ noun a counterclaim by
a defendant which should be deducted
from the sum being claimed by the
claimant
set out set out /set aυt/ verb 1. to put down
in writing The claim is set out in the enclosed
document. The figures are set
out in the tables at the back of the book.
2. to try to do something Counsel for
the prosecution has set out to discredit
the defence witness.
settle settle /set(ə)l/ verb 1. to settle an
account to pay what is owed to settle
a claim to agree to pay what is asked for
The insurance company refused to settle
his claim for storm damage. the two
parties settled out of court the two parties
reached an agreement privately without
continuing the court case 2. to settle
property on someone to arrange for
land to be passed to trustees to keep for
the benefit of future owners 3. to write
out in final form Counsel is instructed
to settle the defence.
settled land settled land /set(ə)ld lnd/ noun
land which is subject of a settlement
settlement settlement /set(ə)lmənt/ noun 1.
payment of an account our basic discount
is 20% but we offer an extra 5%
for rapid settlement we take a further
5% off the price if the customer pays
quickly 2. an agreement reached after an
argument to effect a settlement between
two parties to bring two parties
together and make them agree to a settlement
to accept something in full settlement
to accept money or service from
a debtor and agree that it covers all the
claim 3. an arrangement where land is
passed to trustees to keep for the benefit
of future owners
settlement day settlement day /set(ə)lmənt de/
noun the day when accounts have to be
settled
settle on settle on /set(ə)l ɒn/ verb to leave
property to someone when you die He
settled his property on his children.
settlor settlor /set(ə)lə/ noun somebody who
settles property on someone
sever sever /sevə/ verb to split off from the
rest The property was severed from the
rest of his assets and formed a specific
legacy to his friend.
severable severable /sev(ə)rəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be divided off from the rest
the deceased’s severable share of a
joint property
several several /sev(ə)rəl/ adjective 1. some
Several judges are retiring this year.
Several of our clients have received long
prison sentences. 2. separate
severally severally /sev(ə)rəli/ adverb separately
or not jointly they are jointly
and severally liable they are liable both
together as a group and as individuals
several tenancy several tenancy /sev(ə)rəl
tenənsi/ noun the holding of property
by a number of people, each separately
and not jointly with any other person
severance severance /sev(ə)rəns/ noun 1. the
ending of a joint tenancy 2. the ending of
a contract of employment
severance pay severance pay /sev(ə)rəns pe/
noun money paid as compensation to
someone who is losing his or her job
sexual sexual /sekʃuəl/ adjective relating to
the two sexes
sexual discrimination sexual discrimination /sekʃuəl
dskrm|neʃ(ə)n/ noun the unfair
treatment of someone because of their
sex, either before or after entering a contract
of employment or during the course
of their employment. It may be ‘direct’
or ‘indirect’.
sexual intercourse sexual intercourse /sekʃuəl
ntəkɔs/ noun a sexual act between a
man and a woman Sexual intercourse
with a girl under sixteen is an offence.
sexual offence sexual offence /sekʃuəl ə|fens/
noun criminal acts where sexual intercourse
takes place, e.g. rape, incest
SFO 276
SFO SFO abbreviation Serious Fraud Office
shady shady /ʃedi/ adjective not honest a
shady deal
sham sham /ʃm/ adjective false or not true
share capital share capital /ʃeə kpt(ə)l/ noun
the value of the assets of a company held
as shares
share certificate share certificate /ʃeə sə|tfkət/
noun a document proving that you own
shares
shareholder shareholder /ʃeəhəυldə/ noun
somebody who owns shares in a company
shareholders’ agreement shareholders’ agreement
/ʃeəhəυldəz ə|rimənt/ noun an
agreement showing the rights of shareholders
in a company
shareholders’ equity shareholders’ equity /ʃeəhəυldəz
ekwti/ noun the amount of a company’s
capital which is owned by shareholders
share option share option /ʃeər ɒpʃən/ noun the
right to buy or sell shares at a specific
price at a time in the future
share quoted ex dividend share quoted ex dividend /ʃeə
kwəυtd eks dvdend/ noun a share
price not including the right to receive
the next dividend
sharp practice sharp practice /ʃɑp prkts/ noun
a way of doing business which is not
honest or fair, but is not illegal
sheriff sheriff /ʃerf/ noun 1. US an official in
charge of justice in a county (NOTE: At
federal level, the equivalent is a marshal.)
2. (in Scotland) the chief judge in
a district
Sheriff Court Sheriff Court /ʃerf kɔt/ noun a
court presided over by a sheriff
sheriff’s sale sheriff’s sale /ʃerfs sel/ noun a
public sale of the goods of a person
whose property has been seized by the
courts because he or she has defaulted on
payments
shipper shipper /ʃpə/ noun a person who
sends goods or who organises the sending
of goods for other customers
shipping agent shipping agent /ʃpŋ edənt/
noun a company which specialises in the
sending of goods
shipping company shipping company /ʃpŋ
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which
owns ships
shipwreck shipwreck /ʃprek/ noun the action
of sinking or badly damaging a ship
shoot shoot /ʃut/ verb 1. to fire a gun 2. to
hit or kill a person or animal by firing a
gun
shootout shootout /ʃutaυt/ noun a fight between
people who are using guns
shop shop /ʃɒp/ verb to shop (for) something
to look for things in shops
shoplifter shoplifter /ʃɒplftə/ noun somebody
who steals goods from shops At Christmas
time gangs of shoplifters target the
stores in Oxford Street.
shoplifting shoplifting /ʃɒplftŋ/ noun the offence
of stealing goods from shops, by
taking them when the shop is open and
not paying for them
Short Cause List Short Cause List /ʃɔt kɔz lst/
noun the set of cases to be heard in the
Queen’s Bench Division which the judge
thinks are not likely to take very long to
hear
shorthand writer shorthand writer /ʃɔthnd ratə/
noun somebody who takes down in
shorthand evidence or a judgment given
in court
shorthold tenancy shorthold tenancy /ʃɔthəυld
tenənsi/ noun a protected tenancy for a
limited period of less than five years
short lease short lease /ʃɔt lis/ noun a lease
which runs for up to two or three years
to rent office space on a twenty-year
lease We have a short lease on our current
premises.
short sharp shock short sharp shock /ʃɔt ʃɑp ʃɒk/
noun formerly, a type of punishment for
young offenders where they were subjected
to harsh discipline for a short period
in a detention centre
short title short title /ʃɔt tat(ə)l/ noun the
usual name by which an Act of Parliament
is known
show of hands show of hands /ʃəυ əv hndz/
noun a way of casting votes where people
show how they vote by raising their
hands The motion was carried on a
show of hands.
shrink-wrap licence shrink-wrap licence /ʃrŋk rp
las(ə)ns/, license /las(ə)ns/ noun a
manufacturer’s licence applied to software
sold to a customer under which the
manufacturer grants only limited warranty
over the product
277 slip
COMMENT: In general, the customer
does not own the software he has
bought, and the manufacturer has no
liability for damages consequent on
using the product.
SI SI abbreviation statutory instrument
sic sic /sk/ noun used to show that this was
the way a word was actually written in
the document in question even if it looks
like a mistake The letter stated ‘my legal
adviser intends to apply for attack
(sic) of earnings’.
sick leave sick leave /sk liv/ noun a period
when an employee is away from work
because of illness
sight draft sight draft /sat drɑft/ noun a bill of
exchange which is payable when it is
presented
signatory signatory /snət(ə)ri/ noun a person
who signs an official document such as a
contract You have to get the permission
of all the signatories to the agreement if
you want to change the terms.
signature signature /sntʃə/ noun 1. a surname
and personal name or initials written
by person in the same typical way
every time they sign a document so that
it can be recognised as belonging only to
that person a pile of letters waiting for
the managing director’s signature The
contract has been engrossed ready for
signature. A will needs the signature of
the testator and two witnesses. All the
company’s cheques need two signatures.
electronic signature 2. the action of
signing a document Are the letters
ready for signature yet?
silk silk /slk/ noun a silk a Queen’s
Counsel (informal ) to take silk to become
a QC
similiter similiter /s|mltə/ adverb a Latin
word meaning ‘similarly’ or ‘in a similar
way’
simple contract simple contract /smpəl
kɒntrkt/ noun a contract which is not
under seal, but is made orally or in writing.
Compare contract under seal
sine die sine die /sini die/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘with no day’ the
hearing was adjourned sine die the
hearing was adjourned without saying
when it would meet again
sine qua non sine qua non /sni kwɑ nɒn/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘without
which nothing’: condition without which
something cannot work Agreement by
the management is a sine qua non of all
employment contracts.
sinking fund sinking fund /sŋkŋ f nd/ noun a
fund built up out of amounts of money
put aside regularly to meet a future need
sit-down protest sit-down protest /st daυn
prəυtest/ noun an action by members
of the staff who occupy their place of
work and refuse to leave
sitting sitting /stŋ/ noun a meeting of a
court, tribunal or parliament (NOTE:
There are four sittings in the legal year:
Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter and Trinity.)
sittings sittings /stŋz/ plural noun periods
when courts sit
sitting tenant sitting tenant /stŋ tenənt/ noun a
tenant who is living in a house when the
freehold or lease is sold
situate situate /stʃuetd/, situated adjective
in a specific place a freehold property
situated in the borough of Richmond
situations vacant situations vacant /stʃueʃ(ə)nz
vekənt/ plural noun a list of jobs
which are available
skeleton skeleton /skelt(ə)n/ noun the basic
details of something
skeleton key skeleton key /skelt(ə)n ki/ noun a
key which will fit several different doors
in a building
skimming skimming /skmŋ/ noun the crime of
fraudulently reusing the electronic information
from a swiped credit card or payment
card
slander slander /slɑndə/ noun an untrue spoken
statement which damages someone’s
character. defamation of character
action for slander, slander action case
in a law court where someone says that
another person had slandered him verb
to slander someone to damage someone’s
character by saying untrue things
about him. Compare libel
slanderous slanderous /slɑnd(ə)rəs/ adjective
being slander He made slanderous
statements about the Prime Minister on
television.
slip slip /slp/ noun 1. a small piece of paper,
especially a note of the details of a
marine insurance policy He handed a
slip of paper to the person sitting next to
slip law 278
him. 2. a slip of paper used for a particular
purpose a voting slip 3. a small mistake
He made a couple of slips in repeating
what he had said the day before.
slip law slip law /slp lɔ/ noun US a law published
for the first time after it has been
approved, printed on a single sheet of paper
or as a small separate booklet
slip rule slip rule /slp rul/ noun the name for
one of the Rules of the Supreme Court
allowing minor errors to be corrected on
pleadings
small ads small ads /smɔl dz/ plural noun
short private advertisements in a newspaper
selling small items, offering or requesting
jobs, etc.
small claim small claim /smɔl klem/ noun a
claim for less than £5000 in the County
Court
small claims court small claims court /smɔl klemz
kɔt/ noun a court which deals with disputes
over small amounts of money
small claims track small claims track /smɔl klemz
trk/ noun the case management system
which applies to claims under
£5,000
COMMENT: The aim of the small claims
track is to deal with disputes as rapidly
as possible, especially where the litigants
appear in person. Lawyers are
discouraged, but lay representatives
can appear. There is only a limited
right of appeal in this track.
smuggle smuggle /sm (ə)l/ verb to take
goods into or out of a country without
declaring them to the customs They
had to smuggle the spare parts into the
country.
smuggler smuggler /sm lə/ noun somebody
who smuggles
smuggling smuggling /sm lŋ/ noun the offence
of taking goods illegally into or out
of a country, without paying any tax He
made his money in arms smuggling.
snatch squad snatch squad /sntʃ skwɒd/ noun
a group of police officers trained to find
and arrest the leaders of groups causing
public disorder
snatch theft snatch theft /sntʃ θeft/ noun the
theft of an item of personal property such
as a bag or mobile phone in a public
place
social advantage social advantage /səυʃ(ə)l əd|
vɑntd/ noun a benefit which some
people are given, e.g. a bus pass given to
a retired person or a special loan given to
a family with many children
social class social class /səυʃ(ə)l klɑs/ noun a
group of people who have a position in
society
social ownership social ownership /səυʃ(ə)l
əυnəʃp/ noun a situation where an industry
is nationalised and run by a board
appointed by the government
social worker social worker /səυʃ(ə)l w$kə/
noun somebody who works in a social
services department, visiting and looking
after people who need help
SOCO SOCO /sɒkəυ/ noun a police officer
responsible for collecting forensic evidence.
Full form scene of crime officer
sodomy sodomy /sɒdəmi/ noun same as buggery
soft loan soft loan /sɒft ləυn/ noun a loan
from a company to an employee or from
one government to another with no interest
payable
sole sole /səυl/ adjective only
solemn solemn /sɒləm/ adjective solemn
and binding agreement agreement
which is not legally binding, but which
all parties are supposed to obey
sole owner sole owner /səυl əυnə/ noun a person
who owns a business and has no partners
sole trader sole trader /səυl tredə/ noun a person
who runs a business, usually without
partners, but has not registered it as a
company
solicit solicit /sə|lst/ verb 1. to solicit orders
to ask for orders, to try to get people
to order goods 2. to ask for something
immoral, especially to offer to provide
sexual intercourse for money
soliciting soliciting /sə|lstŋ/ noun the offence
of offering to provide sexual intercourse
for money
solicitor solicitor /sə|lstə/ noun a lawyer who
has passed the examinations of the Law
Society and has a valid certificate to
practise, who gives advice to members of
the public and acts for them in legal matters,
and who may have right of audience
in some courts to instruct a solicitor
to give orders to a solicitor to act on your
behalf the Official Solicitor solicitor
279 Special Branch
who acts in the High Court for parties
who have no one to act for them, usually
because they are under an official disability
COMMENT: Solicitors of ten years
standing can be appointed as judges.
Solicitor-advocates are fully qualified
solicitors who have taken additional
advocacy exams. Solicitor-advocates
have the same rights of audience as
barristers.
Solicitor-General Solicitor-General /sə|lstə
den(ə)rəl/ noun one of the law officers,
a Member of the House of Commons
and deputy to the Attorney-General
Solicitor-General for Scotland Solicitor-General for Scotland /sə|
lstə den(ə)rəl fə skɒtlənd/ noun a
junior law officer in Scotland
solicitors’ charges solicitors’ charges /sə|lstəz
tʃɑdz/ plural noun payments to be
made to solicitors for work done on behalf
of clients
solitary confinement solitary confinement /sɒlt(ə)ri
kən|fanmənt/ noun the practice of
keeping someone alone in a cell, without
being able to see or speak to other prisoners
He was kept in solitary confinement
for six months.
solus agreement solus agreement /səυləs ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement where
one party is linked only to the other party,
especially an agreement where a retailer
buys all their stock from a single
supplier
solvency solvency /sɒlv(ə)nsi/ noun the ability
to pay all debts. insolvency
solvent solvent /sɒlv(ə)nt/ adjective having
enough money to pay debts When he
bought the company it was barely solvent.
noun a powerful glue
solvent abuse solvent abuse /sɒlvənt ə|bjus/
noun the activity of sniffing solvent,
which acts as a hallucinatory drug
SOSR SOSR abbreviation some other substantial
reason
sought sought /sɔt/ seek
sound sound /saυnd/ adjective reliable, effective
or thorough The company’s financial
situation is very sound. The solicitor
gave us some very sound advice.
The evidence brought forward by the police
is not very sound. of sound mind
sane, mentally well He was of sound
mind when he wrote the will.
soundness soundness /saυndnəs/ noun the fact
of being reasonable
source source /sɔs/ noun a place where
something comes from source of income
You must declare income from all
sources to the Inland Revenue. income
which is taxed at source where the tax
is removed before the income is paid
South-Eastern Circuit South-Eastern Circuit /saυθ
ist(ə)n s$kt/ noun one of the six circuits
of the Crown Court to which barristers
belong, with its centre in London
sovereign sovereign /sɒvrn/ adjective having
complete freedom to govern itself
sovereign immunity sovereign immunity /sɒvrn |
mjunti/ noun immunity of a foreign
head of state or former head of state from
prosecution outside his or her country for
crimes committed inside his or her country
in the course of exercising public
function
sovereign rights sovereign rights /sɒvrn rats/
noun the rights of a state, which are limited
by the application of EU law
Speaker Speaker /spikə/ noun somebody
who presides over a meeting of a parliament
discussions held behind the
Speaker’s chair informal discussions
between representatives of opposing political
parties meeting on neutral ground
away from the floor of the House
COMMENT: In the House of Commons,
the speaker is an ordinary Member of
Parliament chosen by the other members;
the equivalent in the House of
Lords is the Lord Chancellor. In the US
Congress, the speaker of the House of
Representatives is an ordinary congressman,
elected by the other congressmen;
the person presiding over
meetings of the Senate is the Vice-
President.
Speaker’s Chaplain Speaker’s Chaplain /spikəz
tʃpln/ noun a priest who reads
prayers at the beginning of each sitting of
the House of Commons
special special /speʃ(ə)l/ adjective referring
to one particular thing
special agent special agent /speʃ(ə)l edənt/
noun 1. a person who represents someone
in a particular matter 2. a person who
does secret work for a government
Special Branch Special Branch /speʃ(ə)l brɑnʃ/
noun a department of the British police
which deals with terrorism
special constable 280
special constable special constable /speʃ(ə)l
k nstəb(ə)l/ noun a part-time policeman
who works mainly at weekends or
on important occasions
special damages special damages /speʃ(ə)l
dmdz/ plural noun damages
awarded by court to compensate for a
loss such as the expense of repairing
something, which can be calculated
(NOTE: Damages are noted at the end
of a report on a case as: Special damages:
£100; General damages:
£2,500.)
special deposits special deposits /speʃ(ə)l d|
pɒzts/ plural noun large sums of money
which banks have to deposit with the
Bank of England
special directions special directions /speʃ(ə)l da|
rekʃənz/ plural noun instructions given
by a court in a specific case, which are
additional to the standard instructions
special indorsement special indorsement /speʃ(ə)l n|
dɔsmənt/ noun full details of a claim
involving money, land or goods which a
claimant is trying to recover
specialise specialise /speʃəlaz/ verb 1. to
study one particular subject He specialised
in employment cases. 2. to produce
one thing in particular The company
specialises in electronic components.
(NOTE: specialised -
specialising)
special procedure special procedure /speʃ(ə)l prə|
sidə/ noun a special system for dealing
quickly with undefended divorce
cases whereby the parties can obtain a divorce
without the necessity of a full trial
special resolution special resolution /speʃ(ə)l rezə|
luʃ(ə)n/ noun a resolution of the members
of a company which is only valid if
it is approved by 75% of the votes cast at
a meeting
COMMENT: 21 days’ notice that special
resolution will be put to a meeting must
be given. A special resolution might
deal with an important matter, such as
a change to the company’s articles of
association, a change of the company’s
name, or of the objects of the
company.
special sessions special sessions /speʃ(ə)l
seʃ(ə)ns/ plural noun a Magistrates’
Court for a district which is held for a
special unusual reason
specialty contract specialty contract /speʃ(ə)lti kən|
trkt/ noun a contract made under seal
specific devise specific devise /spə|sfk d|vaz/
noun devise of a specified property to
someone
specific disclosure specific disclosure /spə|sfk ds|
kləυə/ noun an order by a court for a
party to disclose specific documents or
to search for them and disclose them if
they are found to exist
specific legacy specific legacy /spə|sfk leəsi/
noun a legacy of a specific item to someone
in a will
specific performance specific performance /spə|sfk pə|
fɔməns/ noun a court order to a party
to carry out his or her obligations in a
contract
specimen specimen /spesmn/ noun something
which is given as a sample to give
specimen signatures on a bank mandate
to write the signatures of all people
who can sign cheques on an account so
that the bank can recognise them
speeding speeding /spidŋ/ noun an offence
committed when driving a vehicle faster
than the speed limit He was booked for
speeding.
spent conviction spent conviction /spent kən|
vkʃən/ noun a conviction for which an
accused person has been sentenced in the
past and which must not be referred to in
open court when trying a different case
sphere of influence sphere of influence /sfə əv
nfluəns/ noun an area of the world
where a very strong country can exert
powerful influence over other states
Some Latin American states fall within
the USA’s sphere of influence.
splendid isolation splendid isolation /splendd asə|
leʃ(ə)n/ noun a policy where a country
refuses to link with other countries in
treaties
spoils of war spoils of war /spɔlz əv wɔ/ plural
noun goods or valuables taken by an
army from an enemy
spoilt ballot paper spoilt ballot paper /spɔlt blət
pepə/ noun a voting paper which has
not been filled in correctly by the voter
(NOTE: spoiling – spoiled or spoilt)
spokesperson spokesperson /spəυks|p$s(ə)n/
noun somebody who speaks in public on
behalf of a group (NOTE: The word
spokesperson is now often used, as it
281 standard
avoids making a distinction between
men and women.)
spot price spot price /spɒt pras/ noun the
price for immediate delivery of a commodity
spouse spouse /spaυs/ noun 1. a husband or
wife 2. a person who is married to another
person
springing use springing use /sprŋŋ jus/ noun a
use which will come into effect if something
happens in the future
spy spy /spa/ noun somebody who tries to
find out secrets about another country
He spent many years as a spy for the enemy.
He was arrested as a spy. verb
1. to watch another country secretly to
get information She was accused of
spying for the enemy. 2. to see I spy
strangers words said by an MP when he
or she wants to tell the Speaker to clear
the public galleries
squad squad /skwɒd/ noun 1. a special group
of police 2. a special group of soldiers or
workers
squad car squad car /skwɒd kɑ/ noun a police
patrol car
square measure square measure /skweə meə/
noun area in square feet or metres, calculated
by multiplying width and length
squat squat /skwɒt/ verb to occupy premises
belonging to another person unlawfully
and without title or without paying rent
(NOTE: squatting – squatted)
squatter squatter /skwɒtə/ noun somebody
who squats in someone else’s property
COMMENT: If a squatter has lived on
the premises for a long period (over 12
years) and the owner has not tried to
evict him or her, he or she may have
rights over the premises.
squatter’s rights squatter’s rights /skwɒtəz rats/
plural noun rights of a person who is
squatting in another person’s property to
remain in unlawful possession of premises
until ordered to leave by a court
squeal squeal /skwil/ verb to inform the police
about other criminals (slang)
squire squire /skwaə/ noun US a local legal
official such as a magistrate
stabvest stabvest /stbvest/ noun a padded
waistcoat, designed to protect a police or
security officer against attacks with
knives
turnover staff turnover /stɑf t$nəυvə/
noun the regular changes in staff that occur
in a workplace, when some leave and
others join
stakeholder /stekhəυldə/ noun 1.
someone with a personal interest in how
something happens 2. a person or group
of people who have invested in and own
part of a business 3. a person who holds
money impartially, such as money deposited
by one of the parties to a wager,
until it has to be given it up to another
party
pension stakeholder pension /stekhəυldə
penʃən/ noun a pension scheme available
to employees through their employer,
although the employer does not have to
contribute any funds to it
duty stamp duty /stmp djuti/ noun a
tax on documents recording legal activities
such as the conveyance of a property
to a new owner or the contract for the
purchase of shares
addressed envelope stamped addressed envelope
/stmpd ə|dresd envələυp/ noun an
envelope with your own address written
on it and a stamp stuck on it to pay for the
return postage
stand /stnd/ noun 1. an active campaign
against something the government’s
stand against racial prejudice
The police chief criticised the council’s
stand on law and order. 2. the position of
a member of Congress on a question (either
for or against) 3. to take the stand
to go into the witness box to give evidence
verb 1. to offer yourself as a candidate
in an election He stood as a Liberal
candidate in the General Election.
He is standing against the present deputy
leader in the leadership contest. She
was persuaded to stand for parliament.
He has stood for office several times, but
has never been elected. 2. to exist, to be
in a state The report stood referred to
the Finance Committee. (NOTE: standing
– stood)
standard /stndəd/ noun the normal
quality or normal conditions against
which other things are judged production
standards quality of production
up to standard of acceptable quality
standard agreement 282
standard agreement standard agreement /stndəd ə|
rimənt/ noun a normal printed contract
form
standard directions standard directions /stndəd da|
rekʃənz/ plural noun directions as laid
out in the practice direction for a particular
track
standard disclosure standard disclosure /stndəd ds|
kləυə/ noun a statement by a party
about the existence of documents which
will support his case, or which do not
support his case, or which will support
the case of the other party
standard form contract standard form contract /stndəd
fɔm kɒntrkt/ noun a contract which
states the conditions of carrying out a
common commercial arrangement such
as chartering a ship
standard letter standard letter /stndəd letə/
noun a letter which is sent with only minor
changes to various correspondents
standard of living standard of living /stndəd əv
lvŋ/ noun a quality of personal home
life such as amount of food or clothes
bought or the size of a family car
standard rate standard rate /stndəd ret/ noun a
general level of tax such as the level of
income tax which is paid by most taxpayers
or the level of VAT which is levied
on most goods and services
Standard Time Standard Time /stndəd tam/
noun normal time as in the winter
months
stand down stand down /stnd daυn/ verb to
withdraw your name from an election
The wife of one of the candidates is ill
and he has stood down.
standi standi locus standi
stand in for stand in for /stnd n fɔ/ verb to
take the place of someone Mr Smith is
standing in for the chairman who is away
on holiday.
standing standing /stndŋ/ adjective permanent
noun good reputation the financial
standing of a company
standing committee standing committee /stndŋ kə|
mti/ noun a permanent committee
which deals with matters not given to
other committees, e.g. a parliamentary
committee which examines Bills not sent
to other committees
standing orders standing orders /stndŋ ɔdəz/
plural noun rules or regulations which
control the conduct of any official institution
or committee
stand over stand over /stnd əυvə/ verb to adjourn
The case has been stood over to
next month.
Star Chamber Star Chamber /stɑ tʃembə/ noun
formerly, a royal court which tried cases
without a jury
stare decisis stare decisis /stɑre d|sass/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘stand by
preceding decisions’: principle that
courts must abide by precedents set by
judgments made in higher courts
state state /stet/ noun 1. a semi-independent
section of a federal country such as
the USA 2. the government of a country
offence against the state an act of attacking
the lawful government of a country,
e.g. sedition, treason verb to say
clearly The document states that all
revenue has to be declared to the tax office.
state capital state capital /stet kpt(ə)l/ noun
the main town in a state or province
State Capitol State Capitol /stet kpt(ə)l/ noun
in the USA, a building which houses the
State legislature in the main city of a
state
state-controlled state-controlled /stet kən|trəυld/
adjective run by the state state-controlled
television
state enterprise state enterprise /stet entəpraz/
noun a company run by the state The
bosses of state industries are appointed
by the government.
stateless person stateless person /stetləs
p$s(ə)n/ noun somebody who is not a
citizen of any state
statement statement /stetmənt/ noun 1. an announcement
of something in public
The company issued a statement denying
the allegations. The celebrity’s manager
made a brief statement to the press. 2.
a formal account of what happened or
what was seen at a particular time, given
to the police who are investigating a
crime to make a statement to give details
of something to the police to
make a false statement to give wrong
details to the police about something that
happened or was seen 3. the presentation
of information about something statements
of case (in a civil court) docu-
283 statute-barred
ments relating to a claim, including the
claim form, the particulars of claim, the
defence and counterclaim, the reply and
the defence to the counterclaim statement
of claim a pleading containing details
of a claimant’s case and the relief
sought against the defendant statement
of truth a statement attached to a
claim form or the particulars of claim by
which the claimant or defendant states
that he believes that the facts given are
true (if it can be proved that he signed the
statement without believing it to be true,
he is guilty of contempt of court) statement
of value a document filed by the
claimant as part of his claim, detailing
the value of the claim, or a document
filed by the defendant giving his estimate
of value in reply to the claim 4. a document
that shows the amount of money in
a bank account or information about
business accounts a financial statement
a monthly statement
statement of account statement of account /stetmənt
əv ə|kaυnt/ noun a list of invoices and
credits and debits sent by a supplier to a
customer at the end of each month
statement of affairs statement of affairs /stetmənt əv
ə|feəz/ noun an official statement made
by an insolvent company, listing its assets
and liabilities
statement of claim statement of claim /stetmənt əv
klem/ noun particulars of claim
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has been replaced by particulars
of claim.)
Statement of Means Statement of Means /stetmənt əv
minz/ noun a statement showing the financial
position of the claimant, attached
to an application for Legal Aid
statement of truth statement of truth /stetmənt əv
truθ/ noun a statement attached to a
claim form or the particulars of a claim
by which the claimant or defendant
states that he or she believes that the facts
given are true. If it can be proved that the
statement was signed without believing
it to be true, the claimant is guilty of contempt
of court.
statement of value statement of value /stetmənt əv
vlju/ noun a document filed by the
claimant as part of a claim, detailing the
value of the claim, or a document filed by
the defendant giving an estimate of value
in reply to the claim
statements of case statements of case /stetmənts əv
kes/ plural noun documents relating to
a claim, including the claim form, the
particulars of claim, the defence and
counterclaim, the reply and the defence
to the counterclaim (NOTE: Since the introduction
of the new Civil Procedure
Rules in April 1999, this term has replaced
pleadings.)
state of indebtedness state of indebtedness /stet əv n|
detdnəs/ noun the state of owing money
state of repair state of repair /stet əv r|peə/ noun
the physical condition of something
The house was in a bad state of repair
when he bought it.
State of the Union message State of the Union message /stet
əv də junjən mesd/ noun US an
annual speech by the President of the
USA which summarises the political situation
in the country
States of the Union States of the Union /stets əv də
junjən/ plural noun the states joined
together to form the United States of
America
statistical discrepancy statistical discrepancy /stə|
tstk(ə)l d|skrepənsi/ noun the
amount by which two sets of figures differ
statistics statistics /stə|tstks/ plural noun
study of facts in the form of figures He
asked for the birth statistics for 1998.
Council statistics show that the amount
of rented property in the borough has increased.
Government trade statistics
show that exports to the EC have fallen
over the last six months.
status inquiry status inquiry /stetəs n|kwaəri/
noun a request for a check on a customer’s
credit rating
status quo status quo /stetəs kwəυ/ noun the
state of things as they are now The contract
does not alter the status quo.
status quo ante status quo ante /stetəs kwəυ
nti/ noun the situation as it was before
statute statute /sttʃut/ noun an established
written law, especially an Act of Parliament
statute-barred statute-barred /sttʃut bɑd/ adjective
being unable to take place be-
statute book 284
cause the time laid down in the statute of
limitations has expired
statute book statute book /sttʃut bυk/ noun
all laws passed by Parliament which are
still in force
statute of limitations statute of limitations /sttʃut əv
lm|teʃ(ə)nz/ noun a law which allows
only a certain amount of time (usually
six years) for someone to start legal
proceedings to claim property or compensation
for damage, etc.
statutorily statutorily /sttʃυt(ə)rli/ adverb by
statute a statutorily protected tenant
statutory statutory /sttʃυt(ə)ri/ adjective
fixed by law or by a statute powers conferred
on an authority by the statutory
code There is a statutory period of probation
of thirteen weeks. The authority
has a statutory obligation to provide free
education to all children.
statutory books statutory books /sttʃυt(ə)ri
bυks/ plural noun official registers
which a company must keep
statutory declaration statutory declaration
/sttʃυt(ə)ri deklə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun 1.
a statement made to the Registrar of
Companies that a company has complied
with certain legal conditions 2. a declaration
signed and witnessed for official
purposes
statutory duty statutory duty /sttʃυt(ə)ri djuti/
noun a duty which someone must perform
and which is laid down by statute
statutory holiday statutory holiday /sttʃυt(ə)ri
hɒlde/ noun a holiday which is fixed
by law
statutory instrument statutory instrument /sttʃυt(ə)ri
nstrυmənt/ noun an order with the
force of law made under authority granted
to a minister by an Act of Parliament.
Abbreviation SI
statutory legacy statutory legacy /sttʃυt(ə)ri
leəsi/ noun the amount of money
which is distributed to a surviving spouse
of a person who dies intestate and has
other surviving relatives but no surviving
children
statutory trust statutory trust /sttʃυt(ə)ri tr st/
noun an arrangement for holding property
on behalf of the children of a person
who has died intestate
statutory undertakers statutory undertakers
/sttʃυt(ə)ri ndə|tekəz/ plural
noun bodies formed by statute and having
legal duties to provide services such
as gas, electricity or water
will statutory will /sttʃυt(ə)ri wl/
noun a will made on behalf of a person
who is judged unable to do so themselves
on the instructions of the Court of Protection
stay /ste/ noun the temporary stopping
of an order made by a court verb to stop
an action temporarily The defendant
made an application to stay the proceedings
until the claimant gave security for
costs. One of the parties asked for the
action to be stayed for a month to allow
for a settlement to be attempted.
away order stay away order /ste ə|we ɔdə/
noun a court order that tells someone to
have no contact or communication with
another person
of execution stay of execution /ste əv eks|
kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun a temporary prevention
of someone from enforcing a judgment
The court granted the company a twoweek
stay of execution. The stay was
extended for a further four weeks.
of proceedings stay of proceedings /ste əv prə|
sidŋz/ noun the stopping of a case
which is being heard Proceedings will
continue when the stay is lifted.
steal /stil/ verb to take something
which does not belong to you Two burglars
broke into the office and stole the
petty cash. One of our managers left to
form her own company and stole the list
of our clients’ addresses. One of our
biggest problems is stealing in the wine
department. handling, receiving stolen
goods the offence of dealing with
goods (receiving them or selling them)
which you know to have been stolen
stealing /stilŋ/ noun the crime of
taking property which belongs to someone
else going equipped for stealing
notifiable offence of carrying tools
which could be used for burglary
steaming /stimŋ/ noun an offence
committed by a group of youths, usually
unarmed, who rush down a street or
through a public place such as a department
store, stealing items and harassing
people
285 street crime
stenographer stenographer /stə|nɒrəfə/ noun an
official person who can write in shorthand
and so take records of what is said
in court
step- step- /step/ prefix showing a family relationship
through a parent who has married
again
stepfather stepfather /stepfɑdə/ noun a man
who has married a child’s mother but is
not the natural father of the child
stepmother stepmother /stepm də/ noun a
woman who has married a child’s father
but is not the natural mother of the child
stepparent stepparent /step|peərənt/ noun a
stepfather or stepmother
stinger stinger /stŋə/ noun a device covered
in spikes that can be thrown across a road
to puncture a car’s tyres if the police
want to stop someone
stipendiary magistrate stipendiary magistrate /sta|
pendiəri mdstret/ noun a magistrate
who is a qualified lawyer and who
receives a salary (as opposed to an unpaid
Justice of the Peace). Compare lay
magistrate (NOTE: Now called District
Judge or Senior District Judge.)
stipulate stipulate /stpjυlet/ verb to demand
that a condition be put into a contract to
stipulate that the contract should run for
five years to pay the stipulated charges
The company failed to pay on the stipulated
date or on the date stipulated in
the contract. The contract stipulates
that the seller pays the buyer’s legal
costs.
stipulation stipulation /stpjυ|leʃ(ə)n/ noun a
condition in a contract
stirpes stirpes per stirpes
stirpital stirpital /st$pt(ə)l/ adjective referring
to an entitlement which is divided
among branches of a family rather than
among individuals The judge placed a
stirpital construction on the rule that
children of a deceased person dying intestate
must bring interest received from
that person into hotchpot.
stock stock /stɒk/ noun in stock, out of
stock available or not available in the
warehouse or store
stockbroking stockbroking /stɒkbrəυkŋ/ noun
the trade of dealing in shares for clients
a stockbroking firm
stock certificate stock certificate /stɒk sə|tfkət/
noun a document proving that someone
owns shares in a company
Stock Exchange listing Stock Exchange listing /stɒk ks|
tʃend lstŋ/ noun an official list of
shares which can be bought or sold on
the Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange operation Stock Exchange operation /stɒk
ks|tʃend ɒpə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun buying
or selling of shares on the Stock Exchange
stock market manipulator stock market manipulator /stɒk
mɑkt mə|npjυletə/ noun somebody
who tries to influence the price of
shares in his or her own favour
stock market valuation stock market valuation /stɒk
mɑkt vlju|eʃ(ə)n/ noun the value
of shares based on the current market
price
stock movements stock movements /stɒk
muvmənts/ plural noun passing of
stock into or out of the warehouse
stock option stock option /stɒk ɒpʃən/ noun the
right to buy shares at a cheap price given
by a company to its employees
stock transfer form stock transfer form /stɒk
trnsf$ fɔm/ noun a form to be
signed by the person transferring shares
to another
stock valuation stock valuation /stɒl vlju|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun estimation of the value of
stock at the end of an accounting period
stolen goods stolen goods /stəυlən υdz/ plural
noun goods which have been stolen
stop and search stop and search /stɒp ən s$tʃ/,
stop and frisk US /stɒp ən frsk/ noun
the power held by a police officer to stop
anyone and search them, even though
there is no evidence that the person has
committed any offence
storm damage storm damage /stɔm dmd/
noun damage caused by a storm
straight straight /stret/ adjective not dishonest
to play straight, to act straight
with someone to act honestly with
someone to go straight to stop criminal
activities
stranger crime stranger crime /strendə kram/
noun a violent crime in which the attacker
is someone whom the victim does not
know
street crime street crime /strit kram/ noun
criminal activity in a public place, espe-
street vendor 286
cially an urban area, especially theft of
personal possessions or cars, or the illegal
possession or use of firearms
street vendor street vendor /strit vendə/ noun
somebody who sells food or small items
in the street
strict liability strict liability /strkt laə|blti/
noun total liability for an offence which
has been committed whether you are at
fault or not
strife strife /straf/ noun violent public arguments
and disorder
strike strike /strak/ noun 1. the activity of
stopping work because of inability to
reach agreement with management or
because of orders from a union 2. to
take strike action to go on strike verb
1. to stop working because there is no
agreement with management to strike
for higher wages or for shorter working
hours to strike in protest against bad
working conditions 2. to hit someone or
something Two policemen were struck
by bottles. He was struck on the head
by a cosh. 3. to strike from the record
to remove words from the written minutes
of a meeting because they are incorrect
or offensive The chairman’s remarks
were struck from the record.
strike off strike off /strak ɒf/ verb to delete a
name or item from a list or record to
strike someone off the rolls to stop a solicitor
from practising by removing his or
her name from the list of solicitors
strike out strike out /strak aυt/ verb 1. to delete
a word or words from a document
to strike out the last word US way of
getting permission of the chair to speak
on a question, by moving that the last
word of the amendment or section being
discussed should be deleted 2. to order
something written to be deleted, so that it
no longer forms part of the case to
strike out a pleading or a statement of
case A party can apply for a statement
of case to be struck out if it is not verified.
A court may strike out a statement of
case if it appears that the statement
shows no grounds for bringing the claim.
strip search strip search /strp s$tʃ/ noun the
searching of a person after he or she has
removed their clothes (strip searches
should be carried out by a doctor or
nurse, or at least by a police officer of the
same sex as the person being searched)
(NOTE: Strip searches should be carried
out by a doctor or nurse, or at least by a
police officer of the same sex as the
person being searched.)
strongbox strongbox /strɒŋbɒks/ noun a heavy
metal box which cannot be opened easily,
in which valuable documents, money,
etc., can be kept
strongroom strongroom /strɒŋrum/ noun a special
room in a bank where valuable documents,
money, gold, etc., can be kept
STV STV abbreviation single transferable
vote
sub- sub- /s b/ prefix less important
sub-agency sub-agency /s b edəns/ noun a
small agency which is part of a large
agency
sub-agent sub-agent /s b edənt/ noun
somebody who is in charge of a subagency
sub-clause sub-clause /s b klɔz/ noun part of
a clause in a Bill being considered by
Parliament, which will become a subsection
when the Bill becomes an Act
sub-committee sub-committee /s b kə|mti/ noun
a small committee which reports on a
special subject to a main committee He
is chairman of the Finance Sub-Committee.
subcontract subcontract noun /s b|kɒntrkt/ a
contract between the main contractor for
a whole project and another firm who
will do part of the work They have been
awarded the subcontract for all the electrical
work in the new building. We will
put the electrical work out to subcontract.
verb /s bkən|trkt/ to agree
with a company that they will do part of
the work for a project The electrical
work has been subcontracted to Smith
Ltd.
subcontractor subcontractor /s bkən|trktə/
noun a company which has a contract to
do work for a main contractor
subject subject /s bdkt/ noun 1. what
something is concerned with The subject
of the action was the liability of the
defendant for the claimant’s injuries. 2.
somebody who is a citizen of a country
and bound by its laws He is a British
subject. British subjects do not need visas
to visit Common Market countries.
287 subsidiarity
liberty of the subject the right of a citizen
to be free unless convicted of a crime
which is punishable by imprisonment
subject to subject to /s bdkt tə/ adjective 1.
depending on the contract is subject
to government approval the contract
will be valid only if it is approved by the
government agreement, sale subject
to contract agreement or sale which is
not legal until a proper contract has been
signed offer subject to availability the
offer is valid only if the goods are available
2. being able to receive these articles
are subject to import tax import
tax has to be paid on these articles
sub judice sub judice /s b dudsi/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘under the law’:
being considered by a court and so not
decided (NOTE: Cases which are ‘sub judice’
cannot be mentioned in the media
or in Parliament if the mention is likely
to prejudice the trial, and so would constitute
contempt of court.)
sublease sublease noun /s blis/ a lease from
a tenant to another tenant verb /s b|
lis/ to lease a leased property from another
tenant They subleased a small office
in the centre of town.
sublessee sublessee /s ble|si/ noun a person
or company which holds a property on a
sublease
sublessor sublessor /s ble|sɔ/ noun a tenant
who lets a leased property to another tenant
sublet sublet /s b|let/ verb to let a leased
property to another tenant We have
sublet part of our office to a financial
consultancy. (NOTE: subletting – sublet
– has sublet)
submission submission /səb|mʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a
statement made to a judge or other person
considering a case The court heard
the submission of defence counsel that
there was no case to answer. or In the
submission of defence counsel there was
no case to answer. 2. a document outlining
a proposal given to someone who has
to make a decision about it The deadline
for submissions is the end of June. 3.
the process of presenting something for
consideration 4. the state of giving in or
having to obey someone
submit submit /səb|mt/ verb 1. to put something
forward to be examined to submit
a proposal to the committee She submitted
a claim to the insurers. 2. to plead
an argument in court Counsel submitted
that the defendant had no case to answer.
It was submitted that the right of
self-defence can be available only
against unlawful attack. 3. to agree to be
ruled by something He refused to submit
to the jurisdiction of the court.
(NOTE: submitting – submitted)
subornation of perjury subornation of perjury
/s bɔneʃ(ə)n əv p$dəri/ noun the
offence of getting someone to commit
perjury
subpoena subpoena /sə|pinə/ noun a court order
requiring someone to appear in court
verb to order someone to appear in
court The finance director was subpoenaed
by the prosecution.
subpoena ad testificandum subpoena ad testificandum /sə|
pinə d testf|kndəm/ noun a
court order requiring someone to appear
as a witness
subpoena duces tecum subpoena duces tecum noun a
court order requiring someone to appear
as a witness and bring with them documents
relevant to the case (NOTE: Since
the introduction of the new Civil Procedure
Rules in April 1999, these terms
have been replaced by witness summons.)
subrogation subrogation /s brəυ|eʃ(ə)n/
noun a legal principle whereby someone
stands in the place of another person and
acquires that person’s rights and is responsible
for that person’s liabilities
subscribe subscribe /səb|skrab/ verb 1. to
subscribe to a magazine to pay for a series
of issues of a magazine 2. to subscribe
for shares to apply to buy shares
in a new company
sub-section sub-section /s b sekʃən/ noun a
part of a section of a document such as an
Act of Parliament You will find the information
in sub-section 3 of Section 47.
subsequent subsequent /s bskwənt/ adjective
following because of something
subsidiarity subsidiarity /səb|sdi|rti/ noun (in
the EU) a principle that the Community
shall only decide on matters which are
better decided at Community level than
at the level of the individual Member
States and that other matters shall be left
subsidiary 288
to each Member State to decide (NOTE:
Subsidiarity only operates in those areas
where the EU does not have exclusive
jurisdiction.)
subsidiary subsidiary /səb|sdiəri/ adjective related
to, but less important than, something
else He faces one serious charge
and several subsidiary charges arising
out of the main charge.
subsidiary company subsidiary company /səb|sdiəri
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company which is
owned by a parent company
subsidise subsidise /s bsdaz/, subsidize
verb to help by giving money The government
has refused to subsidise the car
industry.
subsidised accommodation subsidised accommodation
/s bsdazd ə|kɒmə|deʃ(ə)n/ noun
cheap accommodation which is partly
paid for by someone else such as an employer
or a local authority
substance substance /s bstəns/ noun 1. a
drug, solvent, gas or other material on
which someone can become dependent
or which can cause harm regulations
on the transport of dangerous substances
such as corrosive chemicals illegal
substances controlled drug 2. the real
basis of a report or argument There is
no substance to the stories about his resignation.
substance abuse substance abuse /s bstəns ə|
bjus/ noun the practice of drinking too
much alcohol or using illegal drugs or
other substances
substantive substantive /səb|stntv/ adjective
real or actual
substantive law substantive law /s bstəntv lɔ/
noun all laws including common law and
statute law which deal with legal principles
(as opposed to procedural law which
refers to the procedure for putting law
into practice). Compare procedural law
substantive motion substantive motion /səb|stntv
məυʃ(ə)n/ noun a motion which is
complete in itself
substantive offence substantive offence /s bstəntv ə|
fens/ noun an offence which has actually
taken place
substitute substitute /s bsttjut/ noun somebody
or something which takes the place
of someone or something else verb 1.
to take the place of something else 2. to
put something in the place of something
else They made an application to substitute
a party, but the claimant refused
his consent.
substituted service substituted service /s bsttjutd
s$vs/ noun serving a legal document
on someone other than by the legally prescribed
method, e.g. by posting it to the
last known address, or by advertising in
the press (NOTE: Since the introduction
of the new Civil Procedure Rules in
April 1999, this term has been replaced
by service by an alternative method.)
substitution substitution /s bst|tjuʃ(ə)n/ noun
an act of putting something or someone
in the place of something else The substitution
of a party may take place if the
court agrees that the original party was
named by mistake.
substitutionary substitutionary /s bst|
tjuʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ adjective acting as a
substitute He made a will leaving everything
to his wife, but with the substitutionary
provision that if she died before
him, his estate devolved on their children.
subtenancy subtenancy /s b|tenənsi/ noun an
agreement to sublet a property
subtenant subtenant /s b|tenənt/ noun a person
or company to which a property has
been sublet
subversive subversive /səb|v$sv/ adjective
acting secretly against the government
The police is investigating subversive
groups in the student organisations.
success fee success fee /sək|ses fi/ noun a fee
which is only paid to a lawyer if the case
he or she has taken has been successful
for his or her client
succession succession /sək|seʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of acquiring property or title from
someone who has died
successor successor /sək|sesə/ noun somebody
who takes over from someone Mr
Smith’s successor as chairman will be
Mr Jones.
sue sue /sju/ verb to start legal proceedings
against someone to get compensation
for a wrong to sue someone for
damages He is suing the company for
£50,000 compensation.
sufferance sufferance /s fərəns/ noun an
agreement to something which is not
289 sunshine law
stated, but assumed because no objection
has been raised He has been allowed to
live in the house on sufferance.
suffrage suffrage /s frd/ noun the right to
vote in elections
suggestion box suggestion box /sə|destʃən bɒks/
noun a place in a company where members
of staff can put forward their ideas
for making the company more efficient
and profitable
suicide suicide /susad/ noun 1. the act of
killing yourself The police are treating
the death as suicide, not murder. to
commit suicide to kill yourself After
shooting his wife, he committed suicide
in the bedroom. 2. somebody who has
committed suicide
COMMENT: Aiding suicide is a notifiable
offence.
suicide pact suicide pact /susad pkt/ noun
an agreement between two or more people
that they will all commit suicide at
the same time
sui generis sui generis /sua denərs/ phrase
a Latin phrase meaning ‘of its own
right’: being in a class of its own
sui juris sui juris /sua dυərs/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘in one’s own
right’: legally able to make contracts and
sue others or be sued. Compare alieni juris
suit suit /sut/ noun a civil legal case
sum sum /sɒm/ verb to sum up (of a
judge) to speak at the end of a trial and
review all the evidence and arguments
for the benefit of the jury
summarily summarily /s mərli/ adverb immediately
Magistrates can try a case summarily
or refer it to the Crown Court.
summarise summarise /s məraz/ verb to write
or give a short account of what has been
said or what happened (NOTE: summarised
– summarising)
summary summary /s məri/ noun a short account
of what has happened or of what
has been written The chairman gave a
summary of his discussions with the German
delegation. The police inspector
have a summary of events leading to the
raid on the house. adjective happening
immediately
summary arrest summary arrest /s məri ə|rest/
noun an arrest without a warrant
summary conviction summary conviction /s məri kən|
vkʃən/ noun a conviction by a magistrate
sitting without a jury
summary dismissal summary dismissal /s məri ds|
ms(ə)l/ noun the dismissal of an employee
without giving the notice stated in
the contract of employment
summary judgment summary judgment /s məri
d dmənt/ noun an immediate judgment
of a case without a trial. This can be
decided by the court itself or can be applied
for by a party believing the opposing
party has no real chance of succeeding
with the case.
summary jurisdiction summary jurisdiction /s məri
dυərs|dkʃən/ noun the power of a
magistrates’ court to try a case without a
jury or to try a case immediately without
referring it to the Crown Court
summary offence summary offence /s məri ə|fens/
noun a minor crime which can be tried
only in a magistrates’ court
summary trial summary trial /s məri traəl/ noun
the trial of a petty offence by magistrates
summing up summing up /s mŋ p/ noun a
speech by a judge at the end of a trial, reviewing
all the evidence and arguments
and noting important points of law for
the benefit of the jury (NOTE: The US
term is instructions.)
summit conference summit conference /s mt
kɒnf(ə)rəns/ noun the meeting of two
or more heads of government The summit
conference or summit meeting was
held in Geneva. The matter will be discussed
at next week’s summit of the EC
leaders.
summon summon /s mən/ verb to call someone
to come He was summoned to appear
before the committee.
summons summons /s mənz/ noun an official
command from a court requiring someone
to appear in court to be tried for a
criminal offence or to defend a civil action
He tore up the summons and went
on holiday to Spain.
Sunday closing Sunday closing /s nde kləυzŋ/
noun the act of not opening a shop on
Sundays
sunshine law sunshine law /s nʃan lɔ/ noun a
law that prohibits closed meetings of
public bodies
super 290
super super /supə/ noun same as police
superintendent
supergrass supergrass /supərɑs/ noun a person,
usually a criminal, who gives information
to the police about a large
number of criminals (slang)
supervision order supervision order /supə|v(ə)n
ɔdə/ noun a court order for a young offender
to be placed under the supervision
of the probation service
supplemental supplemental /s pl|mentəl/ adjective
being additional to something
supplementary supplementary /s pl|ment(ə)ri/
adjective additional
supply and demand supply and demand /sə|pla ən d|
mɑnd/ noun the amount of a product
which is available at a specific price and
the amount which is wanted by customers
at that price
Supply Bill Supply Bill /sə|pla bl/ noun a Bill
for providing money for government requirements
supply price supply price /sə|pla pras/ noun the
price at which something is provided
suppress suppress /sə|pres/ verb 1. to hide
documents 2. to prevent evidence being
given
suppressio veri suppressio veri /sə|presiəυ vera/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘suppressing
the truth’: act of not mentioning
some important fact
supra supra /suprə/ adverb above
supremacy supremacy /sυ|preməsi/ noun 1. a
situation where one person or group is
much more powerful than any other
the supremacy of Parliament the situation
where the UK Parliament can both
pass and repeal laws 2. the feeling that
the ethnic group you belong to is superior
to other groups 3. one of the twin pillars
of EU law, by which it cannot be
overridden by national laws even if the
national laws existed before the EU law.
It is based on all forms of EU law, i.e.
treaty articles, community acts and
agreements with third parties. direct
effect
Supreme Court Supreme Court /sυ|prim kɔt/
noun 1. Supreme Court (of Judicature)
the highest court in England and
Wales, consisting of the Court of Appeal
and the High Court of Justice 2. in the
United Kingdom, a court that is planned
as a replacement for the Law Lords committee
as the highest court in the land 3.
the highest federal court in the USA and
other countries
surcharge surcharge /s$tʃɑd/ noun 1. an extra
charge 2. a penalty for incurring expenditure
without authorisation
surety surety /ʃυərəti/ noun 1. somebody
who guarantees that someone will do
something, especially by paying to guarantee
that someone will keep the peace
to stand surety for someone 2. something
such as money, deeds or share certificates
deposited as security for a loan
surrender surrender /sə|rendə/ noun 1. the giving
up of a right or power 2. the giving up
of an insurance policy before the contracted
date for maturity The contract
becomes null and void when these documents
are surrendered. verb to give in
a document, to give up a right The
court ordered him to surrender his passport.
She surrendered her rights to the
piece of land.
surrender value surrender value /sə|rendə vlju/
noun money which an insurer will pay if
an insurance policy is given up before it
matures
surrogate surrogate /s rəət/ noun a person
appointed to act in place of someone else
surrogate mother surrogate mother /s rəət m də/
noun a woman who has a child by artificial
insemination for a couple when the
wife cannot bear children, with the intention
of handing the child over to them
when it is born
surveillance surveillance /sə|veləns/ noun the
activity of keeping careful watch on
someone to find out what they are doing
The diplomats were placed under police
surveillance. Surveillance at international
airports has been increased.
surveillance device surveillance device /sə|veləns d|
vas/ noun same as bug
survive survive /sə|vav/ verb to live longer
than another person he survived his
wife She is survived by her husband
and three children. he left his estate to
his surviving relatives to the relatives
who were still alive
surviving spouse surviving spouse /sə|vavŋ
spaυs/ noun the living husband or wife
of a person who has died, who is usually
291 syllabus
the beneficiary of the estate, even if the
dead person died intestate. If there are
living children, then the spouse takes the
personal chattels, a statutory sum as legacy,
and interest in half the remaining estate.
survivor survivor /sə|vavə/ noun someone
who lives longer than another person
survivorship survivorship /sə|vavəʃp/ noun the
state of being the survivor of two or more
people who hold a joint tenancy on a
property
SUS law SUS law /s s lɔ/ noun formerly, a
law which allowed the police to stop and
arrest a person whom they suspected of
having committed an offence
suspect suspect noun /s spekt/ somebody
whom the police think has committed a
crime The police have taken six suspects
into custody. The police are questioning
the suspect about his movements
at the time the crime was committed.
verb /sə|spekt/ to believe that someone
has done something He was arrested as
a suspected spy. The police suspect that
the thefts were committed by a member
of the shop’s staff. (NOTE: You suspect
someone of committing a crime.)
suspend suspend /sə|spend/ verb 1. to stop
something happening for a period of
time We have suspended payments
while we are waiting for news from our
agent. The hearings have been suspended
for two weeks. Work on the
preparation of the case has been suspended.
The employers decided to suspend
negotiations. 2. to stop someone
working for a period of time She was
suspended on full pay while the police investigations
were proceeding. 3. to punish
a student by refusing to allow him to
attend school or college Three boys
were suspended from school for fighting.
suspended sentence suspended sentence /sə|spendd
sentəns/ noun a sentence of imprisonment
which a court orders shall not take
effect unless the offender commits another
crime
suspension suspension /sə|spenʃən/ noun the
act of stopping something for a time
suspension of payments suspension of
deliveries
COMMENT: When an MP is ‘named’ by
the Speaker, the House will vote to
suspend him. Suspension is normally
for five days, though it may be for longer
if the MP is suspended twice in the
same session of Parliament.
suspicion suspicion /sə|spʃ(ə)n/ noun on
suspicion feeling that someone has committed
a crime He was arrested on suspicion
of being an accessory to the
crime.
suspicious suspicious /sə|spʃəs/ adjective
which makes someone suspect The police
are dealing with the suspicious package
found in the car. Suspicious substances
were found in the man’s pocket.
swear swear /sweə/ verb to promise that what
you will say will be the truth He swore
to tell the truth. ‘I swear to tell the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth’ words used when a witness
takes the oath in court
swear in swear in /sweə n/ verb to make
someone take an oath before taking up a
position He was sworn in as a Privy
Councillor.
swearing-in swearing-in /sweərŋ n/ noun the
act of making someone take an oath before
taking up a position
swindle swindle /swnd(ə)l/ noun an illegal
deal in which someone is cheated out of
his or her money verb to cheat someone
out of his or her money He made
£50,000 by swindling small shopkeepers.
The gang swindled the bank out of
£1.5m.
swindler swindler /swndlə/ noun somebody
who swindles
syllabus syllabus /sləbəs/ noun US a headnote
giving a short summary of a case
T
table table /teb(ə)l/ noun to let a bill lie
on the table US not to proceed with discussion
of a bill, but to hold it over to be
debated later to lay a bill on the table
US 1. to present a bill to the House of
Commons for discussion 2. to kill debate
on a bill in the House of Representatives
to table a motion US 1. to put forward
a proposal for discussion by putting
details of it on the table at a meeting 2. to
remove a motion from consideration for
an indefinite period
Table A Table A /teb(ə)l e/ noun model articles
of association of a limited company
set out in the Companies Act, 1985
Table B Table B /teb(ə)l bi/ noun a model
memorandum of association of a limited
company set out in the Companies Act,
1985
Table C Table C /teb(ə)l si/ noun a model
memorandum and articles of association
set out in the Companies Act, 1985 for a
company limited by guarantee having no
share capital
Table D Table D /teb(ə)l di/ noun a model
memorandum and articles of association
of a public company with share capital
limited by guarantee, set out in the Companies
Act, 1985
Table E Table E /teb(ə)l i/ noun a model
memorandum and articles of association
of an unlimited company with share capital
set out in the Companies Act, 1985
tabs tabs /tbz/ plural noun bands of white
cloth worn by a barrister round his or her
neck, instead of a tie
tacit tacit /tst/ adjective agreed but not
stated He gave the proposal his tacit
approval. The committee gave its tacit
agreement to the proposal.
tail tail /tel/ fee tail
take in take in /tek n/ verb to trick someone
into believing something that is not true
We were taken in by his promise of
quick profits.
take out take out /tek aυt/ verb to take out
a patent for an invention to apply for
and receive a patent to take out insurance
against theft to pay a premium to
an insurance company, so that if a theft
takes place the company will pay compensation
take over take over /tek əυvə/ verb 1. to start
to do something in place of someone else
Miss Black took over from Mr Jones on
May 1st. The new chairman takes over
on July 1st. the take-over period is always
difficult the period when one person
is taking over work from another 2.
to take over a company to buy a business
by offering to buy most of its shares
The company was taken over by a large
international corporation.
takeover takeover /tekəυvə/ noun the activity
of one business buying another to
make a takeover bid for a company to
offer to buy a majority of the shares in a
company to withdraw a takeover bid
to say that you no longer offer to buy
most of the shares in a company the
company rejected the takeover bid the
directors recommended that the shareholders
should not accept the bid
Takeover Panel Takeover Panel /tekəυvə pn(ə)l/
noun a non-statutory body which examines
takeovers and applies the City Code
on Takeovers and Mergers
talaq talaq /tlk/ noun an Islamic form of
divorce where the husband may divorce
his wife unilaterally by an oral declaration
made three times
tamper tamper /tmpə/ verb to tamper
with something to change something or
293 tax-free
to act in such a way that something does
not work The police were accused of
tampering with the evidence. The
charges state that she had tampered with
the wheels of the victim’s car.
assets tangible assets /tndb(ə)l
sets/ plural noun assets which are visible,
e.g. machinery, buildings, furniture
or jewellery
tariff /trf/ noun the minimum period
of time which a life prisoner must serve
in prison
tax /tks/ noun 1. money taken compulsorily
by the government or by an official
body to pay for government services
2. to levy a tax, to impose a tax to
make a tax payable The government
has imposed a 15% tax on petrol. to lift
a tax to remove a tax tax deducted at
source tax which is removed from a salary,
interest payment or dividend payment
before the money is paid out tax
loophole legal means of not paying tax
tax planning planning one’s financial
affairs so that one pays as little tax as
possible verb 1. to impose a tax on
something, or make someone pay a tax
to tax businesses at 50% Income is
taxed at 29%. These items are heavily
taxed. 2. to have the costs of a legal action
assessed by the court The court ordered
the costs to be taxed if not agreed.
3. to assess the bill presented by a Parliamentary
agent
abatement tax abatement /tks ə|betmənt/
noun the reduction of tax
taxable /tksəb(ə)l/ adjective being
able to be taxed taxable items items on
which a tax has to be paid
income taxable income /tksəb(ə)l
nk m/ noun income on which a person
has to pay tax
advantage tax advantage /tks əd|vɑntd/
noun a special tax reduction accorded to
some classes of taxpayers such as those
with low pay, which must be extended to
workers who are not nationals of the
country
allowances tax allowances /tks ə|laυənsz/
plural noun part of one’s income which a
person is allowed to earn and not pay tax
on
taxation of costs taxation of costs /tk|seʃ(ə)n əv
kɒsts/ noun formerly, the assessment of
the costs of a legal action by the Taxing
Master (NOTE: Since the introduction of
the new Civil Procedure Rules in April
1999, this term has been replaced by
assessment of costs.)
tax avoidance tax avoidance /tks ə|vɔd(ə)ns/
noun a legal attempt to minimise the
amount of tax to be paid
tax code tax code /tks kəυd/ noun a number
given to indicate the amount of tax allowances
a person has
tax concession tax concession /tks kən|seʃ(ə)n/
noun a reduction in the amount of tax
that has to be paid
tax consultant tax consultant /tks kən|s ltənt/
noun somebody who gives advice on tax
problems
tax court tax court /tks kɔt/ noun US a tribunal
which hears appeals from taxpayers
against the Internal Revenue Service
tax credit tax credit /tks kredt/ noun a part
of a dividend on which a company has already
paid tax, so that the shareholder is
not taxed on it again
deductible tax-deductible /tks d|d ktb(ə)l/
adjective being possible to deduct from
an income before tax is calculated
these expenses are not tax-deductible
tax has to be paid on these expenses
deductions tax deductions /tks d|d kʃənz/
plural noun US 1. money removed from
a salary to pay tax 2. business expenses
which can be claimed against tax
taxed costs taxed costs /tksd kɒsts/ plural
noun varying amount of costs which can
be awarded in legal proceedings
tax evasion tax evasion /tks |ve(ə)n/ noun
illegally trying not to pay tax
exempt tax-exempt /tks |zempt/ adjective
1. (of a person or organisation) not
required to pay tax 2. (of income or
goods) not subject to tax
tax exemption tax exemption /tks |zempʃən/
noun US 1. the state of being free from
payment of tax 2. a part of income which
a person is allowed to earn and not pay
tax on
tax-free tax-free /tks fri/ adjective on
which tax does not have to be paid
tax haven 294
tax haven tax haven /tks hev(ə)n/ noun a
country where taxes levied on foreigners
or foreign companies are low
tax holiday tax holiday /tks hɒlde/ noun the
period when a new business is exempted
from paying tax
Taxing Master Taxing Master /tksŋ mɑstə/
noun an official of the Supreme Court
who assesses the costs of a court action
(NOTE: Since the introduction of the new
Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, this
term has been replaced in some contexts
by costs judge.)
taxing officer taxing officer /tksŋ ɒfsə/ noun a
person appointed by the House of Commons
to assess the charges presented by
a Parliamentary agent
tax inspector tax inspector /tks n|spektə/
noun an official of the Inland Revenue
who examines tax returns and decides
how much tax someone should pay
taxpayer taxpayer /tkspeə/ noun a person or
company which has to pay tax basic
taxpayer or taxpayer at the basic rate
tax point tax point /tks pɔnt/ noun 1. the
date when goods are supplied and VAT is
charged 2. the date at which a tax begins
to be applied
tax relief tax relief /tks r|lif/ noun a reduction
in the amount of tax that has to be
paid
tax return tax return /tks r|t$n/ noun a completed
tax form, with details of income
and allowances
tax schedules tax schedules /tks ʃedjulz/ plural
noun six types of income as classified
in the Finance Acts for British tax
TDTD abbreviation Teachta Dala
Teachta Dala Teachta Dala /txtə dlə/ noun a
member of the lower house of the parliament
of the Republic of Ireland, the Dáil.
Abbreviation TD
technical technical /teknk(ə)l/ adjective referring
to a specific legal point, using a
strictly legal interpretation Nominal
damages were awarded as the harm was
judged to be technical rather than actual.
technicality technicality /tekn|klti/ noun a
special interpretation of a legal point
The Appeal Court rejected the appeal on
a technicality.
teleological teleological /tiliə|lɒdk(ə)l/ adjective
referring to the final purpose of
something The ECJ uses a teleological
approach to legislation.
telephone book telephone book /telfəυn bυk/
noun a book which lists names of people
or companies with their addresses and
telephone numbers
telephone hearing telephone hearing /telfəυn
hərŋ/ noun a hearing conducted by
telephone and recorded on tape, using a
telephone conferencing system
tem tem /tem/ pro tem
Temple Temple Middle Temple
temporary employment temporary employment
/temp(ə)rəri m|plɔmənt/ noun fulltime
work which does not last for more
than a few days or months
tenancy tenancy /tenənsi/ noun 1. an agreement
by which a person can occupy a
property 2. the period during which a
person has an agreement to occupy a
property 3. the period during which a
barrister occupies chambers
tenancy at sufferance tenancy at sufferance /tenənsi ət
s f(ə)rəns/ noun a situation where a
previously lawful tenant is still in possession
of property after the termination of
the lease
tenancy at will tenancy at will /tenənsi ət wl/
noun a situation where the owner of a
property allows a tenant to occupy it as
long as either party wishes
tenancy in common tenancy in common /tenənsi n
kɒmən/ noun a situation where two or
more persons jointly lease a property and
each can leave his or her interest to an
heir on their death
tenant tenant /tenənt/ noun a person or company
which rents a house, flat or office in
which to live or work The tenant is liable
for repairs.
tenant at will tenant at will /tenənt ət wl/ noun a
tenant who holds a property at the will of
the owner
tenant for life tenant for life /tenənt fə laf/ noun
somebody who can occupy a property
for life
tender tender /tendə/ noun tender before
claim defence that the defendant offered
the claimant the amount of money
claimed before the claimant started proceedings
against him. Also called de-
295 terrorism
fence before claim verb 1. to tender
for a contract to put forward an estimate
of cost for work to be carried out
under contract to tender for the construction
of a hospital 2. to tender
one’s resignation to give in one’s resignation
tenderer tenderer /tendərə/ noun a person or
company which tenders for work The
company was the successful tenderer for
the project.
tenement tenement /tenəmənt/ noun 1. property
which is held by a tenant 2. in Scotland,
a building which is divided into
rented flats
tenens tenens /tenənz/ locum
tenure tenure /tenjə/ noun 1. the right to
hold property or a position 2. the time
when a position is held during his tenure
of the office of chairman
term term /t$m/ noun 1. a period of time
the term of a lease to have a loan for a
term of fifteen years during his term of
office as chairman The term of the loan
is fifteen years. term of years a fixed
period of several years (of a lease) 2.
term, terms conditions or duties which
have to be carried out as part of a contract,
arrangements which have to be
agreed before a contract is valid He refused
to agree to some of the terms of the
contract. By or under the terms of the
contract, the company is responsible for
all damage to the property. 3. a part of a
legal year when courts are in session.
The four law terms are Easter, Hilary,
Michaelmas and Trinity. The autumn
or winter term starts in September. 4. a
word or phrase which has a particular
meaning Counsel used several technical
terms which the prisoner didn’t understand.
term deposit term deposit /t$m d|pɒzt/ noun
money invested for a fixed period which
gives a higher rate of interest than normal
terminable terminable /t$mnəb(ə)l/ adjective
being possible to terminate
terminate terminate /t$m|net/ verb to end
something, bring something to an end, or
come to an end to terminate an agreement
His employment was terminated.
An offer terminates on the death of the
offeror.
termination termination /t$m|neʃ(ə)n/ noun
1. bringing to an end the termination of
an offer or of a lease to appeal against
the termination of a foster order 2. US
the act of leaving a job by resigning, retiring,
or being fired or made redundant
termination clause termination clause /t$m|
neʃ(ə)n klɔz/ noun a clause which explains
how and when a contract can be
terminated
term insurance term insurance /t$m n|ʃυərəns/
noun life assurance which covers a person’s
life for a fixed period of time
term loan term loan /t$m ləυn/ noun a loan for
a fixed period of time
term shares term shares /t$m ʃeəz/ plural noun
type of building society deposit for a
fixed period of time at a higher rate of interest
terms of employment terms of employment /t$mz əv
m|plɔmənt/ plural noun conditions set
out in a contract of employment
terms of payment terms of payment /t$mz əv
pemənt/ plural noun conditions for
paying something
terms of reference terms of reference /t$mz əv
ref(ə)rəns/ plural noun areas which a
committee or an inspector can deal with
Under the terms of reference of the
committee, it cannot investigate complaints
from the public. The tribunal’s
terms of reference do not cover traffic offences.
terms of sale terms of sale /t$mz əv sel/ plural
noun same as conditions of sale
territorial territorial /ter|tɔriəl/ adjective referring
to land territorial claims
claims to own land which is part of another
country territorial waters sea
waters near the coast of a country, which
is part of the country and governed by the
laws of that country outside territorial
waters in international waters, where a
single country’s jurisdiction does not run
territoriality territoriality /tertɔri|lti/ noun
the principle that a country has jurisdiction
only over its own territory. extraterritory
territory /tert(ə)ri/ noun an area of
land over which a government has control
Their government has laid claim to
part of our territory.
terrorism terrorism /terərz(ə)m/ noun the use
of violent actions such as assassination
terrorist 296
or bombing for political reasons The
act of terrorism was condemned by the
Minister of Justice.
terrorist terrorist /terərst/ noun somebody
who commits a violent act for political
reasons The bomb was planted by a terrorist
group or by a group of terrorists.
Six people were killed in the terrorist attack
on the airport.
testacy testacy /testəsi/ noun the condition
of having made a legally valid will
testamentary testamentary /testə|mentəri/ adjective
referring to a will
testamentary capacity testamentary capacity /testə|
mentəri kə|psti/ noun the legal ability
of someone to make a will
COMMENT: A testator must be able to
make a will: he must be of sound mind
(i.e. must know what he is doing, what
property he has, and who he is leaving
it to), he must approve of the will (for
example, in cases where a will is prepared
for a testator by someone else),
he must be acting freely (not coerced
by anyone else, not tricked into making
a fraudulent will).
testamentary disposition testamentary disposition /testə|
mentəri dspə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun the passing
of property to someone in a will
testamentary freedom testamentary freedom /testə|
mentəri fridəm/ noun freedom to dispose
of your property in a will as you
want
testate testate /testet/ adjective having
made a will Did he die testate? intestate
testator testator /te|stetə/ noun a man who
has made a will
testatrix testatrix /te|stetrks/ noun a woman
who has made a will
test case test case /test kes/ noun a legal action
where the decision will fix a principle
which other cases can follow
test certificate test certificate /test sə|tfkət/
noun a certificate to show that something
has passed a test
testify testify /testfa/ verb to give evidence
in court
testimonium clause testimonium clause /test|
məυniəm klɔz/ noun the last section
of a document such as will or conveyance
which shows how it has been witnessed
COMMENT: The testimonium clause
usually begins with the words: ‘in witness
whereof I have set my hand’.
testimony testimony /testməni/ noun an oral
statement given by a witness in court
about what happened She gave her testimony
in a low voice.
test of effectiveness test of effectiveness /est əv |
fektvnəs/ noun in the European Union,
a test to show if an action is more effective
when taken by a Member State
than when taken centrally. It is one of the
tests used to decide on subsidiarity.
test of scale test of scale /test əv skel/ noun in
the European Union, a test to show if an
action is more effective when taken centrally
than when taken by a Member
State. It is one of the tests used to decide
on subsidiarity.
TEU TEU abbreviation Treaty on European
Union
textbook textbook /tekstbυk/ noun a book of
legal commentary which can be cited in
court
theft theft /θeft/ noun 1. the crime of taking
of property which belongs to someone
else with the intention of depriving that
person of it to take out insurance
against theft We have brought in security
guards to protect the store against
theft. The company is trying to reduce
losses caused by theft. 2. the act of stealing
There has been a wave of thefts
from newsagents.
COMMENT: Types of theft which are
notifiable offences are: theft from the
person of another; theft in a dwelling;
theft by an employee; theft of mail,
pedal cycle or motor vehicle; theft from
vehicles, from a shop or from an automatic
machine or meter.
there- there- /deə/ prefix that thing
thereafter thereafter /deər|ɑftə/ adverb after
that
thereby thereby /deə|ba/ adverb by that
therefor therefor /deə|fɔ/ adverb for that
therefrom therefrom /deə|fr m/ adverb from
that
therein therein /deər|n/ adverb in that
thereinafter thereinafter /deərn|ɑftə/ adverb
afterwards listed in that document
thereinbefore thereinbefore /deərnb|fɔ/ adverb
mentioned before in that document
297 time summons
thereinunder thereinunder /deərn| ndə/ adverb
mentioned under that heading
thereof thereof /deər|ɒv/ adverb of that in
respect thereof regarding that thing
thereto thereto /deə|tu/ adverb to that
theretofore theretofore /deətυ|fɔ/ adverb before
that time
therewith therewith /deə|wd/ adverb with that
thief thief /θif/ noun somebody who steals
or who takes property which belongs to
someone else Thieves broke into the office
and stole the petty cash.
third party third party /θ$d pɑti/ noun 1. any
person other than the two main parties
involved in proceedings or contract the
case is in the hands of a third party the
case is being dealt with by someone who
is not one of the main interested parties.
party 2. the other person involved in an
accident
third party insurance third party insurance /θ$d pɑti
n|ʃυərəns/ noun insurance which pays
compensation if someone who is not the
insured person incurs loss or injury
third party notice third party notice /θ$d pɑt
nəυts/ noun a pleading served by a defendant
on another party joining that party
to an existing court action
third party proceedings third party proceedings /θ$d
pɑti prə|sidŋz/ plural noun the introduction
of a third party into a case by the
defendant, or by the claimant in the case
of a counterclaim (NOTE: The US term is
impleader.)
third quarter third quarter /θ$d kwɔtə/ noun a
period of three months from July to the
end of September
Third Reading Third Reading /θ$d ridŋ/ noun a
final discussion and vote on a Bill in Parliament
threat threat /θret/ noun 1. spoken or written
words which say that something unpleasant
may happen to someone, and which
frighten that person 2. an action or situation
that could be harmful or dangerous
The introduction of ID cards might be regarded
as a threat to civil liberties.
threaten threaten /θret(ə)n/ verb to warn
someone that unpleasant things may
happen to him or her He threatened to
take the tenant to court or to have the
tenant evicted. She complained that
her husband had threatened her with a
knife. threatening behaviour acting in
a way which threatens someone
threshold criteria threshold criteria /θreʃhəυld kra|
təriə/ plural noun the conditions that
need to be met before the social services
of a local authority can begin care proceedings,
mainly, whether the child is
suffering or likely to suffer significant
harm if left in the care of its natural parents,
indicating that the child is beyond
parental control (NOTE: Since the introduction
of the Human Rights Act 1998,
the court must be satisfied that such an
order does not contravene Article 8,
which guarantees a right to family life.
Consequently, the court must be satisfied
that any intervention is proportionate
to the legitimate aim of protecting
family life.)
ticket office ticket office /tkt ɒfs/ noun an office
where tickets can be bought
tied cottage tied cottage /tad kɒtd/ noun a
house owned by an employer and let to
an employee for the period of his or her
employment
time and motion study time and motion study /tam ən
məυʃ(ə)n st di/ noun a study in an office
or factory of the time taken to do
specific jobs and the movements employees
have to make to do them
time-bar time-bar /tam bɑ/ verb to stop
someone doing something such as exercising
a right because a set time limit has
expired (NOTE: time-barring – timebarred)
time charter time charter /tam tʃɑtə/ noun an
agreement to charter a ship for a fixed
period
time limit time limit /tam lmt/ noun the maximum
time which can be taken to do
something
time limitation time limitation /tam lm|teʃ(ə)n/
noun the amount of time which is available
time lock time lock /tam lɒk/ noun a lock such
as one in a bank vault which will open
only at a specific time of day
time policy time policy /tam pɒlsi/ noun a marine
insurance policy which runs for a
fixed period of time
time summons time summons /tam s mənz/
noun a summons issued to apply to the
timetable 298
court for more time in which to serve a
pleading
timetable timetable /tamteb(ə)l/ noun a
printed list which shows the times of
things that are going to happen
tip off tip off /tp ɒf/ verb to tip someone
off to warn someone (informal ) We
think he tipped the burglars off that the
police were outside. She tipped them
off that a police investigation was about
to take place.
tip-off tip-off /tp ɒf/ noun a piece of useful
information, given secretly (informal)
Acting on a tip-off from a member of the
public, customs officials stopped the
truck. The police received a tip-off
about a bomb in the building. The police
raided the club after a tip-off from a
member of the public.
tipstaff tipstaff /tpstɑf/ noun an official of
the Supreme Court who is responsible
for arresting persons in contempt of
court
title title /tat(ə)l/ noun 1. the right to hold
goods or property She has no title to
the property. 2. a document proving a
right to hold a property He has a good
title to the property. to have a clear title
to something to have a right to something
with no limitations or charges 3.
the name of a bill which comes before
Parliament or of an Act of Parliament
title deeds title deeds /tat(ə)l didz/ plural
noun document showing who owns a
property We have deposited the deeds
of the house in the bank.
token charge token charge /təυkən tʃɑd/ noun
a small charge which does not cover the
real costs A token charge is made for
heating.
token payment token payment /təυkən pemənt/
noun a small payment to show that a
payment is being made
token rent token rent /təυkən rent/ noun a
very low rent payment to show that a rent
is being asked
toll toll /təυl/ verb US to suspend a law for
a period
top security prison top security prison /tɒp s|kjυərti
prz(ə)n/ noun a prison with very strict
security where category ‘A’ prisoners are
kept
tort tort /tɔt/ noun a civil wrong done by
one person to another and entitling the
victim to claim damages action in tort
a case brought by a claimant who alleges
he or she has suffered damage or harm
caused by the defendant
tortfeasor tortfeasor /tɔt|fizə/ noun somebody
who has committed a tort
tortious tortious /tɔʃəs/ adjective referring to
a tort tortious act a wrong, an act
which damages someone tortious liability
liability for harm caused by a
breach of duty
torture torture /tɔtʃə/ verb to hurt someone
badly so as to force him or her to give information
torturer torturer /tɔtʃərə/ noun somebody
who tortures
total intestacy total intestacy /təυt(ə)l n|testəsi/
noun a state where a person has not made
a will, or where a previous will has been
revoked
total loss total loss /təυt(ə)l lɒs/ noun the
cargo was written off as a total loss the
cargo was so badly damaged that the insurers
said it had no value
toties quoties toties quoties /təυʃiz kwəυʃiz/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘as often
as necessary’
totting up totting up /tɒtŋ p/ noun the procedure
of adding previous convictions for
traffic offences to a present conviction.
Each conviction leads to an endorsement
of the driver’s licence and he or she may
be sufficient for disqualification from
driving if all the endorsements are added
together.
tourist visa tourist visa /tυərst vizə/ noun a
visa which allows a person to visit a
country for a short time on holiday
town planner town planner /taυn plnə/ noun a
person who supervises the design of a
town, the way the streets and buildings in
a town are laid out and how the land in a
town used
town planning town planning /taυn plnŋ/ noun
the activity of supervising the design of a
town and the use of land in a town
trace trace /tres/ verb to look for someone
or something We have traced the missing
documents. The police traced the
two men to a hotel in London.
299 traffic police
tracing action tracing action /tresŋ kʃən/
noun a court action begun to trace money
or the proceeds of a sale
track track /trk/ noun one of three management
systems by which a court case is
processed: the small claims track, the
fast track or the multi-track
track record track record /trk rekɔd/ noun the
success or failure of someone in the past
He has a good track record as a detective.
The company has no track record
in the computer market.
trade trade /tred/ noun 1. the business of
buying and selling 2. to ask a company
to supply trade references to ask a
company to give names of traders who
can report on the company’s financial situation
and reputation 3. all the people or
companies dealing in the same type of
product He is in the secondhand car
trade. She is very well known in the
clothing trade.
trade agreement trade agreement /tred ə|rimənt/
noun an international agreement between
countries over general terms of
trade
trade association trade association /tred əsəυsi|
eʃ(ə)n/ noun a group which joins together
companies in the same type of
business
trade description trade description /tred d|
skrpʃən/ noun a description of a product
to attract customers
Trade Descriptions Act Trade Descriptions Act /tred d|
skrpʃənz kt/ noun an Act of Parliament
which limits the way in which
products can be described so as to protect
consumers from wrong descriptions
made by the makers
trade dispute trade dispute /tred d|spjut/ noun
1. an international dispute over trade
matters 2. a dispute between management
and workers over conditions of employment
or union membership
trade fixtures trade fixtures /tred fkstʃəz/ plural
noun equipment attached to a property
by a tenant so that they can exercise
their trade, which may be removed at the
end of the tenancy
trade paper trade paper /tred pepə/ noun a
newspaper aimed at people working in a
particular industry
Trades Union Congress Trades Union Congress /tredz
junjən kɒŋres/ noun a central organisation
for all British trade unions.
Abbreviation TUC (NOTE: Although
Trades Union Congress is the official
name for the organisation, trade union
is commoner than trades union.)
trade terms trade terms /tred t$mz/ plural
noun special discount for people in the
same trade
trade union /tred junjən/, trades
union /tredz junjən/ noun an organisation
which represents employees in
discussions about wages and conditions
of employment with employers They
are members of a trade union or they are
trade union members. He has applied
for trade union membership or he has
applied to join a trade union.
trading loss trading loss /tredŋ lɒs/ noun a situation
where the company’s receipts are
less than its expenditure
trading profit trading profit /tredŋ prɒft/ noun
a result where the company’ receipts are
higher than its expenditure
Trading Standards Department Trading Standards Department
/tredŋ stndədz d|pɑtmənt/
noun a department of a council which
deals with weighing and measuring
equipment used by shops and other consumer
matters. Also called Weights and
Measures Department
trading standards officer trading standards officer /tredŋ
stndədz ɒfsə/ noun an official in
charge of a council’s Trading Standards
Department
traffic traffic /trfk/ verb to buy and sell
something illegally He was charged
with trafficking in drugs.
trafficking trafficking /trfkŋ/ noun the activity
of dealing in illegal goods drug trafficking
trafficking in persons the illegal
practice of finding and using human
beings for unpaid often unpleasant work
in situations their circumstances prevent
them from leaving
traffic offences traffic offences /trfk ə|fensz/
plural noun offences committed by drivers
of vehicles
traffic police traffic police /trfk pə|lis/ noun a
section of the police concerned with
problems on the roads
traffic warden 300
traffic warden traffic warden /trfk wɔdən/
noun a person whose job is to regulate
the traffic under the supervision of the
police, especially to deal with cars which
are illegally parked
trainee trainee /tre|ni/ noun a young person
who is learning a skill or job
traineeship traineeship /tre|niʃp/ noun the period
during which someone is working in
a solicitor’s office to learn the law
trainee solicitor trainee solicitor /tre|ni sə|lstə/
noun someone who is bound by a training
contract to work in a solicitor’s office
for some years to learn the law (NOTE:
This term has officially replaced articled
clerk.)
training contract training contract /trenŋ
kɒntrkt/ noun a contract under which
a trainee works in a solicitor’s office to
learn the law (NOTE: This term has officially
replaced articles.)
training levy training levy /trenŋ levi/ noun a
tax to be paid by companies to fund the
government’s training schemes
training officer training officer /trenŋ ɒfsə/
noun somebody who deals with the
training of staff
transact transact /trn|zkt/ verb to transact
business to carry out a piece of business
transaction transaction /trn|zkʃən/ noun a
transaction on the Stock Exchange
purchase or sale of shares on the Stock
Exchange
transcript transcript /trn|skrpt/ noun a
record in full of something noted in
shorthand or of recorded speech The
judge asked for a full transcript of the evidence.
transfer transfer noun /trnsf$/ 1. the movement
of someone or something to a new
place 2. the movement of the hearing of
a case to another court verb /trns|f$/
to pass to someone else
transferable transferable /trns|f$rəb(ə)l/ adjective
being able to be passed to someone
else the season ticket is not transferable
the ticket cannot be given or lent
to someone else to use
transferee transferee /trnzfə|ri/ noun somebody
to whom property or goods are
transferred
transfer of property transfer of property /trnsf$ əv
prɒpəti/, transfer of shares
/trnsf$ əv ʃeəz/ noun the movement
of the ownership of property or
shares from one person to another
transferor transferor /trns|f$rə/ noun somebody
who transfers goods or property to
another
transit transit /trnst/ in transit
transit visa transit visa /trnst vizə/ noun a
visa which allows someone to spend a
short time in one country while travelling
to another country
transparency transparency /trns|prənsi/ noun
the state of being open and easy to understand
Too many different decision-making
processes can cause a lack of transparency.
transparent transparent /trns|prənt/ adjective
1. completely obvious Her explanation
was a transparent lie. 2. open and
honest about official actions The government
insists on the importance all its
actions being transparent.
traveller’s cheques traveller’s cheques /trv(ə)ləz
tʃeks/ plural noun cheques used by a
traveller which can be exchanged for
cash in a foreign country
traverse traverse /trə|v$s/ noun denial in a
pleading by one side in a case that the
facts alleged by the other side are correct
treason treason /triz(ə)n/ noun a notifiable
offence of betraying one’s country, usually
by helping the enemy in time of war
He was accused of treason. Three
men were executed for treason. The
treason trial lasted three weeks.
treasonable treasonable /triz(ə)nəb(ə)l/ adjective
being considered as treason He
was accused of making treasonable remarks.
treason felony treason felony /triz(ə)n feləni/
noun the notifiable offence of planning
to remove a King or Queen, or of planning
to start a war against the United
Kingdom
treasure treasure /treə/ noun gold, silver or
jewels, especially when found or stolen
Thieves broke into the palace and stole
the king’s treasure.
treasure trove treasure trove /treə trəυv/ noun
treasure which has been hidden by some-
301 trial
one in the past and has now been discovered
COMMENT: Formerly, any treasure
found was declared to the coroner,
who decided if it was treasure trove. If
it was declared treasure trove, it belonged
to the state, though the person
who found it usually got a reward
equal to its market value. Since 1997
there is a new Treasure Act regarding
treasure. The word now covers objects
made of at least 10% gold or silver and
over 300 years old, whether they have
been buried intentionally or simply
lost. It also covers other items of value
such as pottery. Anyone finding treasure
still has to report it to the local coroner,
but they will only receive a reward
if a museum wants to acquire the
object. The reward is based on an independent
expert’s valuation. The
owner of the land where the object
was found is now also eligible for a reward.
treasury treasury /treəri/ noun the Treasury
Benches front benches in the House
of Commons where the government ministers
sit
COMMENT: In most countries, the government’s
finances are the responsibility
of the Ministry of Finance, headed
by the Finance Minister. In the UK,
the Treasury is headed by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer.
treasury bonds treasury bonds /treəri bɒnd/ plural
noun bonds issued by the Treasury of
the USA
Treasury counsel Treasury counsel /treəri
kaυnsəl/ noun a barrister who pleads in
the Central Criminal Court on behalf of
the Director of Public Prosecutions
Treasury Solicitor Treasury Solicitor /treəri sə|
lstə/ noun the solicitor who is the
head of the Government’s legal department
in England and Wales and legal adviser
to the Cabinet Office and other government
departments
treaty treaty /triti/ noun 1. a written legal
agreement between countries commercial
treaty cultural treaty 2. a formal
written agreement, especially between
two or more countries to sell (a house)
by private treaty to sell (a house) to another
person not by auction
Treaty of Accession Treaty of Accession /triti əv ək|
seʃn/ noun the treaty whereby the UK
joined the EC
Treaty of Rome Treaty of Rome /triti əv rəυm/
noun the treaty which established the EC
in 1957
Treaty on European Union Treaty on European Union /triti
ɒn jυərəpiən junjən/ noun the treaty
which created the European Union,
with three main pillars: the European
Community, the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, and the Common Home
Affairs and Justice Policy. Abbreviation
TEU
COMMENT: The TEU established a
committee of the regions; the Court of
Auditors became part of the Community;
more emphasis was put on cooperation
in culture, education, etc.; the
European Parliament had a greater
role than before; capital can move
freely between Member States.
trespass trespass /trespəs/ noun the tort of interfering
with the land or goods of another
person (note that trespass on someone’s
property is not a criminal offence)
(NOTE: Trespass on someone’s property
is not a criminal offence.) trespass
to goods tort of harming, stealing or interfering
with goods which belong to
someone else trespass to land tort of
interfering with, going on someone’s
property or putting things or animals on
someone’s property without permission
trespass to the person tort of harming
someone by assault or false imprisonment
verb to offend by going on to
property without the permission of the
owner
trespasser trespasser /trespəsə/ noun somebody
who commits trespass by going
onto land without the permission of the
owner
triable triable /traəb(ə)l/ adjective referring
to an offence for which a person can be
tried in a court offence triable either
way offence which can be tried before
the Magistrates’ Court or before the
Crown Court
triad triad /trad/ noun a secret Chinese
criminal organisation
trial trial /traəl/ noun 1. a criminal or civil
court case heard before a judge The trial
lasted six days. The judge ordered a
new trial when one of the jurors was
found to be the accused’s brother. he is
on trial, is standing trial for embezzlement
he is being tried for embezzlement
trial balance 302
to commit someone for trial to send
someone to a court to be tried 2. a test to
see if something is good on trial 1. being
tested the product is on trial in our
laboratories 2. before a court
trial balance trial balance /traəl bləns/ noun a
draft adding of debits and credits to see if
they balance
trial bundle trial bundle /traəl b nd(ə)l/ noun
all the documents brought together by
the claimant for a trial in a ring binder
trial by jury trial by jury /traəl ba dυəri/ noun
proceedings where an accused is tried by
a jury and judge
trial judge trial judge /traəl d d/ noun a
judge who is hearing a trial
trial location trial location /traəl ləυ|keʃ(ə)n/
noun a place where a trial is to be held
trial period trial period /traəl pəriəd/ noun the
time when a customer can test a product
before buying it
trial sample trial sample /traəl sɑmpəl/ noun a
small piece of a product used for testing
trial timetable trial timetable /traəl tamteb(ə)l/
noun a detailed timetable of a hearing,
set out in the listing directions, including
information such as the length of time allowed
for speeches and for cross-examination
of witnesses
trial window trial window /traəl wndəυ/ noun a
period of three weeks during which a trial
is scheduled to take place
tribunal tribunal /tra|bjun(ə)l/ noun a specialist
court outside the judicial system
which examines special problems and
makes judgments
trier of fact trier of fact /traə əv fkt/ noun US
a person such as a member of a jury
whose role it is to find out the true facts
about a case
Trinity Trinity /trnti/ noun 1. one of the four
sittings of the law courts 2. one of the
four law terms
Trinity House Trinity House /trnti haυz/ noun a
body which superintends lighthouses
and pilots in some areas of the British
coast
trove trove treasure
trover trover /trəυvə/ noun an action to recover
property which has been converted,
or goods which have been taken or
passed to other parties
true true /tru/ adjective correct or accurate
true copy exact copy I certify that
this is a true copy. The document has
been certified as a true copy.
true bill true bill /tru bl/ noun the verdict by
a grand jury that an indictment should
proceed
trust trust /tr st/ noun 1. a feeling of confidence
that something is correct, will
work, etc. we took his statement on
trust we accepted his statement without
examining it to see if it was correct 2. the
duty of looking after goods, money or
property which someone (the beneficiary)
has passed to you (the trustee) He
left his property in trust for his grandchildren.
3. the management of money or
property for someone They set up a
family trust for their grandchildren. 4.
US a small group of companies which
control the supply of a product verb
to trust someone with something to
give something to someone to look after
Can he be trusted with all that cash?
trust company trust company /tr st k mp(ə)ni/
noun US an organisation which supervises
the financial affairs of private
trusts, executes wills, and acts as a bank
to a limited number of customers
trust deed trust deed /tr st did/ noun a document
which sets out the details of a trust
trustee trustee /tr |sti/ noun a person who
has charge of money or property in trust
the trustees of the pension fund
trustee in bankruptcy trustee in bankruptcy /tr |sti n
bŋkr ptsi/ noun somebody who is
appointed by a court to run the affairs of
a bankrupt and pay his or her creditors
trusteeship trusteeship /tr |stiʃp/ noun the position
of being a trustee The territory is
under United Nations trusteeship.
trust for sale trust for sale /tr st fə sel/ noun a
trust whereby property is held but can be
sold and the money passed to the beneficiaries
trust fund trust fund /tr st f nd/ noun assets
such as money, securities or property that
are held in trust for someone
trust territory trust territory /tr st tert(ə)ri/
noun a territory which is being administered
by another country under a trusteeship
agreement
303 turn over
trusty trusty /tr sti/ noun a prisoner who is
trusted by the prison warders (slang)
truth in sentencing truth in sentencing /truθ n
sentənsŋ/ noun the principal, often
enforced by government legislation, that
convicted criminals should serve the full
sentence they have been given and not
become eligible for early parole
try try /tra/ verb to hear a civil or criminal
trial He was tried for murder and sentenced
to life imprisonment. The court
is not competent to try the case.
TUC TUC abbreviation Trades Union Congress
turnkey operation turnkey operation /t$nki ɒpə|
reʃ(ə)n/ noun a contract where a company
takes all responsibility for building,
fitting and staffing for a building such as
a school, hospital or factory so that it is
completely ready for the purchaser to
take over at an agreed date
turn over turn over /t$n əυvə/ verb to have a
specific amount of sales We turn over
£2,000 a week.
U
fidei uberrimae fidei /u|bermi fade/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘of total
good faith’: state which should exist between
parties to some types of legal relationship
such as partnerships or insurance
An insurance contract is uberrimae
fidei.
UCC UCC abbreviation Universal Copyright
Convention
UDI UDI abbreviation Unilateral Declaration
of Independence
motive ulterior motive / l|təriə məυtv/
noun a reason for doing something
which is not immediately connected with
the action, but is done in anticipation of
its result and so is an act of bad faith
ultimate consumer ultimate consumer / ltmət kən|
sjumə/ noun the person who actually
uses the product
owner ultimate owner / ltmət əonə/
noun the real or true owner
ultimatum / lt|metəm/ noun a
statement to someone that unless something
is done within a period of time a
punishment will follow (NOTE: The plural
is ultimatums or ultimata.)
leftist ultra-leftist / ltrə leftst/ noun extremely
left-wing
vires ultra vires / ltrə variz/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘beyond powers.’
intra vires their action was ultra
vires they acted in a way which exceeded
their legal powers
umpire umpire / mpaə/ noun a person called
in to decide when two arbitrators cannot
agree
unadmitted / nəd|mtd/ adjective
(of a member of staff of a solicitor’s office)
not having been admitted as a solicitor
unanimous unanimous /ju|nnməs/ adjective
where everyone votes in the same way
There was a unanimous vote against the
proposal. They reached unanimous
agreement. unanimous verdict verdict
agreed by all the jurors The jury
reached a unanimous verdict of not
guilty.
unanimously unanimously /ju|nmməsli/ adverb
with everyone agreeing The appeal
court decided unanimously in favour
of the defendant.
unascertained unascertained / nsə|tend/ adjective
not identified Title to unascertained
goods cannot pass to the buyer
until the goods have been ascertained.
unborn unborn / n|bɔn/ adjective referring
to a child still in the mother’s body and
not yet born
unchallenged unchallenged / n|tʃlndd/ adjective
not questioned or argued about
unclean unclean clean hands
unconditional unconditional / nkən|dʃ(ə)nəl/
adjective with no conditions attached
unconditional acceptance of the offer by
the board On the claimant’s application
for summary judgment the master
gave the defendant unconditional leave
to defend. the offer went unconditional
last Thursday the takeover bid
was accepted by the majority of the
shareholders and therefore the conditions
attached to it no longer apply
unconfirmed unconfirmed / nkən|f$md/ adjective
having not been confirmed There
are unconfirmed reports that a BBC reporter
has been arrested.
unconstitutional unconstitutional / nkɒnst|
tjuʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective 1. being not according
to the constitution of a country
Legislation which is contrary to European
Community regulations is declared
305 undisclosed principal
unconstitutional. The Appeal Court
ruled that the action of the Attorney-
General was unconstitutional. 2. being
not allowed by the rules of an organisation
The chairman ruled that the meeting
was unconstitutional.
uncontested uncontested / nkən|testd/ adjective
being not contested or defended an
uncontested divorce case or election
uncrossed cheque uncrossed cheque / nkrɒst tʃek/
noun a cheque which does not have two
lines across it and can be exchanged for
cash anywhere
undefended undefended / nd|fendd/ adjective
referring to a case in which the defendant
does not acknowledge service and does
not appear at the court to defend the case
an undefended divorce case
undercover agent undercover agent / ndək və
edənt/ noun someone acting secretly
to get information or catch criminals
underlease underlease / ndəlis/ noun a lease
from a tenant to another tenant
underlet underlet / ndəlet/ verb to let a property
which is held on a lease
undermentioned undermentioned / ndə|
menʃ(ə)nd/ adjective mentioned lower
down in a document
undersheriff undersheriff / ndə|ʃerf/ noun a
person who is second to a High Sheriff
and deputises for him
undersigned undersigned / ndə|sand/ noun
somebody who has signed a letter we,
the undersigned we, the people who
have signed below
understanding understanding / ndə|stndŋ/
noun a private agreement The two parties
came to an understanding about the
division of the estate. on the understanding
that on condition that, provided
that We accept the terms of the contract,
on the understanding that it has to
be ratified by the full board.
undertake undertake / ndə|tek/ verb to promise
to do something to undertake an investigation
of the fraud The members
of the jury have undertaken not to read
the newspapers. He undertook to report
to the probation office once a month.
(NOTE: undertaking – undertook –
has undertaken)
undertaking undertaking / ndə|tekŋ/ noun 1. a
business a commercial undertaking 2.
a promise to do something that has legal
force They have given us a written undertaking
that they will not infringe our
patent. The judge accepted the defendant’s
undertaking not to harass the
claimant.
undertenant undertenant / ndə|tenənt/ noun
somebody who holds a property on an
underlease
underworld / ndəw$ld/ noun the
world of criminals The police has informers
in the London underworld.
The indications are that it is an underworld
killing.
underwrite / ndə|rat/ verb 1. to accept
responsibility for to underwrite a
share issue to guarantee that a share issue
will be sold by agreeing to buy all
shares which are not subscribed The issue
was underwritten by three underwriting
companies. to underwrite an
insurance policy to accept liability for
the payment of compensation according
to the policy 2. to agree to pay for costs
The government has underwritten the
development costs of the building. (NOTE:
underwriting – underwrote – has underwritten)
underwriter / ndəratə/ noun 1.
somebody who underwrites a share issue
2. somebody who accepts liability for an
insurance
undesirable alien undesirable alien / ndzarəb(ə)l
eliən/ noun a person who is not a citizen
of a country, and who the government
considers should not be allowed to
stay in the country He was deported as
an undesirable alien.
undischarged bankrupt undischarged bankrupt
/ ndstʃɑdd bŋkr pt/ noun
somebody who has been declared bankrupt
and has not been released from that
state
undisclosed / nds|kləυzd/ adjective
not identified
COMMENT: The doctrine of the undisclosed
principal means that the agent
may be sued as well as the principal if
his identity is discovered.
principal undisclosed principal
/ ndskləυzd prnsp(ə)l/ noun a
principal who has not been identified by
his or her agent
undue influence 306
undue influence undue influence / ndju nfluəns/
noun wrongful pressure put on someone
which prevents that person from acting
independently
unemployment unemployment / nm|plɔmənt/
noun absence of work the unemployment
figures or the figures for unemployment
are rising
unemployment pay unemployment pay / nm|
plɔmənt pe/ noun money given by the
government to someone who is unemployed
unenforceable unenforceable / nn|fɔsəb(ə)l/ adjective
unable to be enforced
unequivocal unequivocal / n|kwvək(ə)l/ adjective
clear and not ambiguous in any
way
unfair unfair / n|feə/ adjective not just or reasonable
unfair competition unfair competition / nfeə kɒmpə|
tʃ(ə)n/ noun an attempt to do better
than another company by using methods
such as importing foreign products at
very low prices or by wrongly criticising
a competitor’s products
unfair contract term unfair contract term / nfeə
kɒntrkt t$m/ noun a term in a contract
which is held by law to be unjust
unfair dismissal unfair dismissal / nfeə ds|
ms(ə)l/ noun the act of removing
someone from a job in a way that appears
not to be reasonable such as dismissing
someone who wants to join a union
COMMENT: An employee can complain
of unfair dismissal to an employment
tribunal.
unfit to plead unfit to plead / n|ft tə plid/ noun
mentally not capable of being tried
uni- uni- /juni/ prefix meaning single
Uniform Commercial Code Uniform Commercial Code
/junfɔm kə|m$ʃ(ə)l kəυd/ noun in
the USA, a set of uniform laws governing
commercial transactions
unilateral unilateral /jun|lt(ə)rəl/ adjective
on one side only, or done by one party
only They took the unilateral decision
to cancel the contract.
unilaterally unilaterally /jun|lt(ə)rəli/ adverb
by one party only They cancelled the
contract unilaterally.
unincorporated association unincorporated association
/ nnkɔpəretd ə|səυsi|eʃ(ə)n/
noun a group of people, such as a club or
partnership, which is not legally incorporated
uninsured uninsured / nn|ʃυəd/ adjective with
no valid insurance The driver of the car
was uninsured.
United Kingdom United Kingdom /ju|natd
kŋdəm/ noun an independent country,
formed of England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland He came to the UK to
study. Does she have a UK passport?
Is he a UK citizen? Abbreviation UK
United Nations United Nations /ju|natd
neʃ(ə)nz/, United Nations Organization
noun an international organisation
including almost all sovereign states in
the world, where member states are represented
at meetings. Abbreviation UNO
United States Code United States Code /ju|natd
stets kəυd/ noun a book containing all
the permanent laws of the USA, arranged
in sections according to subject, and revised
from time to time
United States of America United States of America /ju|
natd stets əv ə|merkə/ noun an independent
country, a federation of 50
states in North America. Abbreviation
USA
COMMENT: The federal government
(based in Washington D.C.) is formed
of a legislature (the Congress) with
two chambers (the Senate and House
of Representatives), an executive (the
President) and a judiciary (the Supreme
Court). Each of the fifty states
making up the USA has its own legislature
and executive (the Governor) as
well as its own legal system and constitution.
Universal Copyright Convention Universal Copyright Convention
/junv$s(ə)l kɒpirat kən|venʃ(ə)n/
noun an international agreement on copyright
set up by the United Nations in
Geneva in 1952. Abbreviation UCC
COMMENT: Both the Berne Convention
of 1886 and the UCC were drawn up to
try to protect copyright from pirates;
under the Berne Convention, published
material remains in copyright
until 50 years after the death of the author
and for 25 years after publication
under the UCC. In both cases, a work
which is copyrighted in one country is
automatically covered by the copyright
legislation of all countries signing the
convention.
universal franchise universal franchise /junv$s(ə)l
frntʃaz/ noun the right to vote which
307 unreliable
is given to all adult members of the population
universal suffrage universal suffrage /junv$s(ə)l
s frd/ noun same as universal franchise
unjust unjust / n|d st/ adjective not according
to legal or reasonable moral
standards
unlawful unlawful / n|lɔf(ə)l/ adjective
against the law unlawful sexual intercourse
sexual intercourse with someone
who is under the age of consent, etc.
verdict of unlawful killing (in a coroner’s
court) verdict that a person’s death
was murder or manslaughter
unlawful assembly unlawful assembly / n|lɔf(ə)l ə|
sembl/ noun a notifiable offence when
a number of people come together to
commit a breach of the peace or any other
crime
unless order unless order /ən|les ɔdə/ noun an
order that a statement of claim will be
struck out if a party does not comply
with the order
unlimited company unlimited company / n|lmtd
k mp(ə)ni/ noun a company where the
shareholders have no limit as regards liability
unlimited liability unlimited liability / n|lmtd laə|
blti/ noun a situation where a sole
trader or each single partner is responsible
for all the firm’s debts with no limit
at the amount each may have to pay
unliquidated claim unliquidated claim / nlkwdetd
klem/ noun a claim for unliquidated
damages
unliquidated damages unliquidated damages
/ nlkwdetd dmdz/ plural
noun damages which are not for a fixed
amount of money but are awarded by a
court as a matter of discretion depending
on the case
COMMENT: Torts give rise to claims for
unliquidated damages.
unmarried unmarried / n|mrid/ adjective not
legally married
unofficial unofficial / nə|fʃ(ə)l/ adjective not
official
unofficially unofficially / nə|fʃəli/ adverb not
officially The tax office told the company,
unofficially, that it would be prosecuted.
unopposed unopposed / nə|pəυzd/ adjective
(motion) with no one voting against
unparliamentary unparliamentary / n|pɑlə|
ment(ə)ri/ adjective not suitable for
Parliament
COMMENT: Various terms of abuse are
considered unparliamentary, in particular
words which suggest that an MP
has not told the truth. In a recent exchange
in the House of Commons, a
Member called others ‘clowns’ and
‘drunks’; the Deputy Speaker said: ‘Order.
That is unparliamentary language,
and I must ask the hon. Member to
withdraw’. Another recent example occurred
when an MP said: ‘if the hon.
Member were honest, I suspect that
he would have to do the same’. Mr.
Speaker: ‘Order. All hon. Members are
honest.’.
unprecedented unprecedented / n|presdentd/
adjective having not happened before, or
having no legal precedent In an unprecedented
move, the tribunal asked the
witness to sing a song.
unprofessional conduct unprofessional conduct / nprə|
feʃən(ə)l kɒnd kt/ noun a way of behaving
which is not suitable for a professional
person and goes against the code
of practice of a profession
unquantifiable unquantifiable / n|kwɒnt|
faəb(ə)l/ adjective unable to be stated
exactly
unreasonable unreasonable / n|riz(ə)nəb(ə)l/
adjective not fair or acceptable according
to what might be usually expected
unreasonable conduct unreasonable conduct / n|
riz(ə)nəb(ə)l kən|d kt/ noun behaviour
by a spouse which is not reasonable
and which shows that a marriage has broken
down
unreasonably unreasonably / n|riz(ə)nəbli/ adverb
in a way which is not reasonable or
which cannot be explained Approval of
any loan will not be unreasonably withheld.
unredeemed pledge unredeemed pledge / nrdimd
pled/ noun a pledge which the borrower
has not claimed back by paying back
his or her loan
unregistered unregistered / n|redstəd/ adjective
referring to land which has not been
registered
unreliable unreliable / nr|laəb(ə)l/ adjective
being impossible to rely on The prose-
unreported 308
cution tried to show that the driver’s evidence
was unreliable. The defence
called two witnesses and both were unreliable.
unreported / nr|pɔtd/ adjective
1. not reported to the police There are
thousands of unreported cases of theft. 2.
not reported in the Law Reports Counsel
referred the judge to a number of relevant
unreported cases.
unsafe / n|sef/ adjective referring to
a judgment which is not acceptable in
law and may be quashed on appeal
creditor unsecured creditor / nskjυəd
kredtə/ noun a creditor who is owed
money, but has no mortgage or charge
over the debtor’s property as security
debt unsecured debt / nskjυəd det/
noun a debt which is not guaranteed by
assets
loan unsecured loan / nskjυəd ləυn/
noun a loan made with no security
unsolicited / nsə|lstd/ adjective
having not been asked for an unsolicited
gift
goods unsolicited goods / nsəlstd
υdz/ plural noun goods which are sent
to someone who has not asked for them,
suggesting that he or she might like to
buy them
unsolved / n|sɒlvd/ adjective not
solved an unsolved crime
unsound / n|saυnd/ adjective persons
of unsound mind people who are
not sane
unsworn / n|swɔn/ adjective having
not been made on oath an unsworn
statement
agreement unwritten agreement / n|rt(ə)n ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement which
has been reached orally but has not been
written down
law unwritten law / n|rt(ə)n lɔ/ noun a
rule which is established by precedent
uphold / p|həυld/ verb to keep in
good order to uphold the law to make
sure that laws are obeyed to uphold a
sentence to reject an appeal against a
sentence The Appeal Court upheld the
sentence.
uplift / plft/ noun in a conditional fee
agreement, an extra fee paid by a client
to a lawyer if the case is won
Chamber Upper Chamber / pə tʃembə/
noun the House of Lords or the Senate
class upper class / pə klɑs/ noun the aristocracy
and the richest and most influential
business and professional people
middle class upper middle class / pə md(ə)l
klɑs/ noun wealthy professional people
and businessmen
sample urine sample /jυərn sɑmpəl/
noun a small amount of urine taken from
someone to be tested
test urine test /jυərn test/ noun a test of
a sample of a person’s urine to see if it
contains drugs or alcohol
use /jus/ noun 1. land held by the legal
owner on trust for a beneficiary 2. land
zoned for industrial use land where
planning permission has been given to
build factories
guide user’s guide /juzəz ad/ noun a
book showing someone how to use
something
usher / ʃə/ noun somebody who
guards the door leading into a courtroom
and maintains order in court
usufruct /jusjufr kt/ noun the right
to enjoy the use or the profit of the property
or land of another person
usurp /ju|z$p/ verb to take and use
someone’s else role, position or right
when you do not have the authority to do
it
usurpation /juz$|peʃ(ə)n/ noun
the activity of taking and using a right
which is not yours
usurper /ju|z$pə/ noun somebody
who usurps power The army killed the
usurper and placed the king back on his
throne again.
usury /juəri/ noun the practice of
lending money at very high interest
utter / tə/ verb to use a forged document
criminally
V
v. v. against. Abbreviation of versus
(NOTE: Titles of cases are quoted as
Hills v. The Amalgamated Company
Ltd; R. v. Smith.)
vacant vacant /vekənt/ adjective not occupied
vacantia vacantia bona vacantia
possession vacant possession /vekənt pə|
zeʃ(ə)n/ noun the right to occupy a
property immediately after buying it because
it is empty The property is to be
sold with vacant possession.
vacate vacate /və|ket/ verb to vacate the
premises to leave premises, so that they
become empty
vacation /və|keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a period
when the courts are closed between
sittings 2. US a period when people are
not working
vagrancy /verənsi/ noun the state
of being a vagrant He was charged with
vagrancy.
vagrant vagrant /verənt/ noun somebody
who goes about with no work and no
place to live
valid /vld/ adjective 1. being acceptable
because it is true That is not a valid
argument or excuse. 2. being able to be
used lawfully The contract is not valid
if it has not been witnessed. Ticket
which is valid for three months. He was
carrying a valid passport.
validate validate /vl|det/ verb 1. to check
to see if something is correct The document
was validated by the bank. 2. to
make something valid The import documents
have to be validated by the customs
officials.
validation validation /vl|deʃ(ə)n/ noun the
act of making something valid
validity validity /və|ldti/ noun the state of being
valid A national court can ask the
ECJ for a ruling about the validity of a
Community act.
valorem valorem /və|lɔrəm/ ad valorem
valuable valuable /vljυəb(ə)l/ adjective being
worth a lot of money
valuable consideration valuable consideration
/vljυəb(ə)l kən|sdə|reʃ(ə)n/ noun
something of value which is passed from
one party (the promisee) to another (the
promisor) as payment for what is promised
valuable property valuable property /vljυb(ə)l
prɒpəti/ noun personal items which are
worth a lot of money
valuation valuation /vlju|eʃ(ə)n/ noun an estimate
of how much something is worth
to ask for a valuation of a property before
making an offer for it
value value /vlju/ noun the amount of
money which something is worth the
fall in the value of the dollar He imported
goods to the value of £250. The
valuer put the value of the stock at
£25,000. verb to estimate how much
money something is worth goods valued
at £250 He valued the stock at
£25,000. We are having the jewellery
valued for insurance.
Value Added Tax Value Added Tax /vlju dd
tks/ noun a tax imposed as a percentage
of the invoice value of goods and
services. Abbreviation VAT
valued policy valued policy /vljud pɒlsi/ noun
a marine insurance policy where the value
of what is insured is stated
valuer valuer /vljυə/ noun somebody who
values property for insurance purposes
vandal vandal /vnd(ə)l/ noun somebody
who destroys property, especially public
vandalise 310
property, wilfully Vandals have pulled
the telephones out of the call boxes.
vandalise vandalise /vndəlaz/, vandalize
verb to destroy property wilfully None
of the call boxes work because they have
all been vandalised.
vandalism /vndə|lz(ə)m/ noun the
wilful destruction of property
variable /veəriəb(ə)l/ adjective
changing
costs variable costs /veəriəb(ə)l kɒsts/
plural noun costs of producing a product
or service which change according to the
amount produced
variance /veəriəns/ noun the difference
variation variation /veəri|eʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. the
amount by which something changes
seasonal variations changes which take
place because of the seasons 2. a change
in conditions The petitioner asked for a
variation in her maintenance order.
vary vary /veəri/ verb to change The court
has been asked to vary the conditions of
the order. Demand for social services
varies according to the weather.
VAT VAT /vi e ti, vt/ abbreviation Value
Added Tax
VAT declaration VAT declaration /vt deklə|
reʃ(ə)n/ noun a statement declaring
VAT income to the VAT office
vault vault /vɔlt/ noun an underground
strongroom usually built under a bank
VCVC abbreviation Vice Chancellor
vendee /ven|di/ noun somebody who
buys
vendible vendible /vendb(ə)l/ adjective able
to be sold For a patent application to
succeed, the product being patented must
be vendible.
vendor vendor /vendə/ noun somebody who
sells the solicitor acting on behalf of
the vendor
venue /venju/ noun a place where a
meeting or hearing is held
verbal /v$b(ə)l/ adjective 1. using
spoken words, not writing 2. referring to
spoken or written evidence verb to use
threatening words when interviewing a
suspect
verbal agreement verbal agreement /v$b(ə)l ə|
rimənt/ noun an agreement which is
spoken and not written down
verbal evidence verbal evidence /v$b(ə)l
evd(ə)ns/ noun written or spoken evidence.
Compare non-verbal evidence
(NOTE: British lawyers refer specifically
to spoken evidence as oral evidence.)
verbally verbally /v$bəli/ adverb using spoken
words, not writing They agreed to
the terms verbally, and then started to
draft the contract.
verbals verbals /v$b(ə)lz/ plural noun words
spoken to a police officer by a suspect
(informal )
verbal warning verbal warning /v$b(ə)l wɔnŋ/
noun a stage in warning an employee
that his or her work is not satisfactory,
followed by a written warning, if performance
does not improve
verbatim verbatim /v$|betm/ adjective, adverb
in the exact words a verbatim
transcript of the trial Hansard provides
a verbatim account of the proceedings of
the House of Commons.
verdict verdict /v$dkt/ noun 1. the decision
of a jury or magistrate to bring in, to
return a verdict to state a verdict at the
end of a trial The jury brought in or returned
a verdict of not guilty. to come
to a verdict, to reach a verdict to decide
whether the accused is guilty or not
The jury took two hours to reach their
verdict. 2. the decision reached by a coroner’s
court The court returned a verdict
of death by misadventure.
versa versa vice versa
versus versus /v$səs/ preposition against
(NOTE: usually abbreviated to v. as in
the case of Smith v. Williams)
vest vest /vest/ verb to transfer to someone
the legal ownership and possession of
land or of a right The property was
vested in the trustees. (NOTE: You vest
something in or on someone.)
vested interest vested interest /vestd ntrəst/
noun an interest in a property which will
come into a person’s possession when
the interest of another person ends
vested remainder vested remainder /vestd r|
mendə/ noun a remainder which is absolutely
vested in a person
311 Vienna Conventions
vesting assent vesting assent /vestŋ ə|sent/ noun
a document which vests settled land on a
tenant for life
vesting order vesting order /vestŋ ɔdə/ noun a
court order which transfers property
vet vet /vet/ verb to examine someone or a
document carefully to see if there is any
breach of security All applications are
vetted by the Home Office.
veto veto /vitəυ/ noun a ban or order not to
allow something to become law, even if it
has been passed by a parliament The
President has the power of veto over
Bills passed by Congress. The UK used
its veto in the Security Council. verb to
refuse to allow something, especially to
use an official power to do so The resolution
was vetoed by the president.
The council has vetoed all plans to hold
protest marches in the centre of town.
COMMENT: In the United Nations Security
Council, each of the five permanent
members has a veto. In the USA,
the President may veto a bill sent to
him by Congress, provided he does so
within ten days of receiving it. The bill
then returns to Congress for further
discussion, and the President’s veto
can be overridden by a two-thirds majority
in both House of Representatives
and Senate.
vexatious vexatious /vek|seʃəs/ adjective annoying
vexatious action vexatious action /vek|seʃəs
kʃən/ noun a case brought in order to
annoy the defendant
vexatious litigant vexatious litigant /vek|seʃəs
ltənt/ noun somebody who frequently
starts legal actions to annoy people
and who is barred from bringing actions
without leave of the court
viable viable /vaəb(ə)l/ adjective able to be
done not commercially viable not
likely to make a profit viable alternative
different proposal which may work
vicarious vicarious /v|keəriəs/ adjective not
personally interested
COMMENT: If the employee is on a frolic
of his own, the employer may not be
liable.
vicarious liability vicarious liability /v|keəriəs laə|
blti/ noun a liability of one person for
torts committed by another, especially
the liability of an employer for acts committed
by an employee in the course of
work
vicariously vicariously /v|keəriəsli/ adverb not
directly
vicarious performance vicarious performance /v|keəriəs
pə|fɔməns/ noun the performance of a
contract where the work has been done
by a third party
vice vice /vas/ Latin word meaning ‘in the
place of’ was present: Councillor
Smith (vice Councillor Brown)
Vice Chancellor Vice Chancellor /vas tʃɑnsələ/
noun a senior judge in charge of the
Chancery Division of the High Court.
Abbreviation VC
vice-consul vice-consul /vas kɒnsəl/ noun a
diplomat with a rank below consul
Vice-President Vice-President /vas prezdənt/
noun the deputy to a president
COMMENT: In the USA, the Vice-President
is the president (i.e. the chairman)
of the Senate. He also succeeds
a president if the president dies in office
(as Vice-President Johnson succeeded
President Kennedy).
vice versa vice versa /vasi v$sə/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘reverse position’:
in the opposite way the responsibilities
of the employer towards the employee
and vice versa
victim victim /vktm/ noun somebody who
suffers a crime or a wrong The mugger
left his victim lying in the road. He was
the victim of a con trick. The accident
victims or victims of the accident were
taken to hospital.
victimless crime victimless crime /vktmləs
kram/ noun a crime where there is no
obvious victim, e.g. drug pushing or
prostitution
vide vide /vdi/ Latin word meaning ‘see’:
used in written texts to refer to another
reference
videlicet videlicet /vdilset/ phrase a Latin
word meaning ‘that is’ (NOTE: usually
abbreviated to viz)
video conferencing video conferencing /vdiəυ
kɒnf(ə)rənsŋ/ noun a system of conducting
a hearing using closed-circuit
television and recording the events on
tape
Vienna Conventions Vienna Conventions /vi|enə kən|
venʃ(ə)nz/ noun conventions signed in
villain 312
Austria, generally relating to international
treaties and the rights of diplomats
villain villain /vlən/ noun a criminal
(informal ) The job of the policeman is
to catch villains.
villainy villainy /vləni/ noun a wilful illegal
act
violate violate /vaəlet/ verb to break a rule
or a law The council has violated the
planning regulations. The action of the
government violates the international
treaty on commercial shipping. The
legislation was inapplicable in this case,
and the country had not violated the
Treaty.
violation violation /vaə|leʃ(ə)n/ noun the act
of breaking a rule The number of traffic
violations has increased. The court
criticised the violations of the treaty on
human rights. in violation of a rule
breaking a rule
violence violence /vaələns/ noun an action
using force violence against the person
one of the types of notifiable offences
against the person, e.g. murder, assault
violent violent /vaələnt/ adjective using
force a violent attack on the police
the prisoner became violent the prisoner
tried to attack
virement virement /vaəmənt/ noun the transfer
of money from one account to another
or from one section of a budget to another
The council may use the virement
procedure to transfer money from one
area of expenditure to another.
vires vires intra vires, ultra vires
virtue virtue /v$tʃu/ noun good quality
virtute officii virtute officii /v$|tuti ɒ|fsi/
phrase a Latin phrase meaning ‘because
of his office’
visa visa /vizə/ noun a special document
or special stamp in a passport which allows
someone to enter a country You
will need a visa before you go to the
USA. She filled in her visa application
form.
visitor visitor /vztə/ noun somebody who
goes to see someone for a short time
visitor’s visa visitor’s visa /vztəz vizə/ noun a
visa which allows a person to visit a
country for a short time
vis major vis major /vs medə/ noun Latin
words meaning ‘superior force’: force of
people or of nature such as a revolution
or an earthquake which cannot be
stopped
vital statistics vital statistics /vat(ə)l stə|tstks/
noun statistics dealing with births, marriages
and deaths in a town or district
viva voce viva voce /vavə vəυtʃi/ phrase a
Latin phrase meaning ‘orally’, ‘by
speaking’
vivos vivos /vavəυs/ plural noun a Latin
word meaning ‘living people’
viz viz videlicet
void void /vɔd/ adjective not having any legal
effect the contract was declared
null and void the contract was said to be
no longer valid verb to void a contract
to make a contract invalid
voidable voidable /vɔdəb(ə)l/ adjective being
able to be made void
COMMENT: A contract is void where it
never had legal effect, but is voidable
if it is apparently of legal effect and remains
of legal effect until one or both
parties take steps to rescind it.
voided voided /vɔdd/ adjective deprived of
legal force
void marriage void marriage /vɔd mrd/ noun
a marriage which is declared not to have
had any legal existence
volenti non fit injuria volenti non fit injuria /vəυ|lenti
nəυn ft n|dυəriə/ phrase a Latin
phrase meaning ‘there can be no injury to
a person who is willing’: a rule that if
someone has agreed to take the risk of an
injury he or she cannot sue for it, as in the
case of someone injured in a boxing
match
volition volition /və|lʃ(ə)n/ noun the will to do
something of your own volition because
you decide to do something yourself
She gave up her job of her own volition.
voluntary voluntary /vɒlənt(ə)ri/ adjective 1.
done without being forced or without being
paid 2. without being paid a salary
voluntary confession voluntary confession /vɒlənt(ə)ri
kən|feʃ(ə)n/ noun a confession made by
an accused person without being threatened
or paid
voluntary disposition voluntary disposition /vɒlənt(ə)ri
dspə|zʃ(ə)n/ noun the transfer of
property without any valuable consideration
313 vouch for
voluntary liquidation voluntary liquidation /vɒlənt(ə)ri
lkw|deʃ(ə)n/ noun a situation where
a company itself decides it must close
and sell its assets
voluntary manslaughter voluntary manslaughter
/vɒlənt(ə)ri mnslɔtə/ noun the offence
of killing someone intentionally,
but under mitigating circumstances such
as provocation or diminished responsibility.
involuntary manslaughter
voluntary organisation voluntary organisation
/vɒlənt(ə)ri ɔənazeʃ(ə)n/ noun an
organisation which has no paid staff
voluntary redundancy voluntary redundancy
/vɒlənt(ə)ri r|d ndənsi/ noun a situation
where the employee asks to be made
redundant, usually in return for a payment
voluntary unemployment voluntary unemployment
/vɒlənt(ə)ri nm|plɔmənt/ noun a
situation where an employee resigns
from a job of his or her own free will and
does not look for another
volunteer volunteer /vɒlən|tə/ noun 1. somebody
who gives or receives property
without consideration 2. somebody who
offers to do something without being
forced verb 1. to offer information
without being asked He volunteered
the information that the defendant was
not in fact a British subject. 2. to offer to
do something without being forced Six
men volunteered to go into the burning
house.
down vote down /vəυt daυn/ verb to
vote down to defeat a motion The proposal
was voted down.
in vote in /vəυt n/ verb to vote someone
in to elect someone The Tory candidate
was voted in.
out vote out /vəυt aυt/ verb to vote
someone out to make someone lose an
election The government was voted out
of office within a year.
voter /vəυtə/ noun somebody who
votes
voting /vəυtŋ/ noun the act of making
a vote
paper voting paper /vəυtŋ pepə/ noun a
piece of paper on which the voter puts a
cross to show for whom he or she wants
to vote
rights voting rights /vəυtŋ rats/ plural
noun rights of shareholders to voting at
company meetings
for vouch for /vaυtʃ fɔ/ verb 1. to state
that you believe something is correct, to
say that you take responsibility for something
I cannot vouch for the correctness
of the transcript of proceedings. 2.
to say that you take responsibility for
something
W
wage claim wage claim /wed klem/ noun a request
for an increase in wages
wage review wage review /wed r|vju/ noun
an examination of salaries or wages in a
company to see if the employees should
earn more
waive waive /wev/ verb to give up a right
He waived his claim to the estate. to
waive a payment to say that payment is
not necessary
waiver waiver /wevə/ noun an act of voluntarily
giving up a right, or removing the
conditions of a rule If you want to work
without a permit, you will have to apply
for a waiver.
waiver clause waiver clause /wevə klɔz/ noun a
clause in a contract giving the conditions
under which the rights in the contract can
be given up
Wales and Chester Circuit Wales and Chester Circuit /welz
ən tʃestə s$kt/ noun one of the six
circuits of the Crown Court to which barristers
belong, with its centre in Cardiff
walking possession walking possession /wɔkŋ pə|
zeʃ(ə)n/ noun temporary possession of
a debtor’s goods taken by a bailiff or
sheriff until they can be sold to satisfy
execution
wall safe wall safe /wɔl sef/ noun a safe fixed
in a wall
wanted wanted /wɒntd/ adjective required
for questioning as a suspect in a crime
war crimes war crimes /wɔ kramz/ plural noun
criminal acts committed by a country, or
by people in positions of power during
time of war
ward ward /wɔd/ noun 1. a division of a
town or city for administrative purposes
an electoral ward area of a town represented
by a councillor on a local council
2. a minor protected by a guardian
Mr Jones acting on behalf of his ward,
Miss Smith. 3. a minor protected by a
court verb to make a child a ward The
court warded the girl.
warden /wɔd(ə)n/ noun 1. somebody
who is in charge of an institution 2. US
the head of a prison (NOTE: The British
equivalent is prison governor.) 3.
somebody who sees that rules are obeyed
warder /wɔdə/ noun a guard in a prison
of court ward of court /wɔd əv kɔt/ noun
a minor under the protection of the High
Court The High Court declared the girl
ward of court, to protect her from her uncle
who wanted to take her out of the
country.
wardship /wɔdʃp/ noun 1. the role
of being in charge of a ward The judge
has discretion to exercise the wardship
jurisdiction. 2. the power of a court to
take on itself the rights and responsibilities
of parents in the interests of a child
warehousing /weəhaυzŋ/ noun the
act of storing goods Warehousing costs
are rising rapidly. warehousing in
bond keeping imported goods in a warehouse
without payment of duty, either to
be exported again, or for sale into the
country when the duty has been paid
warrant /wɒrənt/ noun 1. an official
document from a court which allows
someone to do something to issue a
warrant for the arrest of someone, to
issue an arrest warrant for someone to
make out and sign an official document
which authorises the police to arrest
someone 2. an official document authorising
the payment of money a dividend
warrant
warrantee /wɒrən|ti/ noun somebody
who is given a warranty
315 wheresoever
warrant of attachment warrant of attachment /wɒrənt əv
ə|ttʃmənt/ noun a warrant which authorises
the bailiff to arrest a person in
contempt of court
warrant of committal warrant of committal /wɒrənt əv
kə|mt(ə)l/ noun same as committal
warrant
warrant of execution warrant of execution /wɒrənt əv
eks|kjuʃ(ə)n/ noun a warrant issued
by a court which gives the bailiffs or
sheriffs the power to seize goods from a
debtor in order to pay his or her debts
warrantor warrantor /wɒrən|tɔ/ noun somebody
who gives a warranty
warranty warranty /wɒrənti/ noun 1. a guarantee
The car is sold with a twelve-month
warranty. The warranty covers spare
parts but not labour costs. 2. a contractual
term which is secondary to the main
purpose of the contract 3. a statement
made by an insured person which declares
that the facts stated by them are
true
wash sale wash sale /wɒʃ sel/ noun the activity
of buying stock and selling it almost
immediately, to give the impression that
business is good
wasted costs order wasted costs order /westd kɒsts
ɔdə/ noun an order by a court that a
party has to pay the costs involved in a
case which has to be postponed because
the party’s representative is badly prepared
or incompetent
watch watch /wɒtʃ/ noun a group of people
who patrol the streets to maintain law
and order
watch committee watch committee /wɒtʃ kə|mti/
noun a committee of a local authority
which supervises the policing of an area
watchdog watchdog /wɒtʃdɒ/, watchdog
body /wɒtʃdɒ bɒdi/ noun 1. a body
which sees that the law is obeyed The
Commission acts as the watchdog for
competition law. 2. a body which takes
note of what official bodies such as government
departments or commercial
firms are doing to see that regulations are
not being abused
water pollution water pollution /wɔtə pə|luʃ(ə)n/
noun the polluting of the sea, rivers,
lakes or canals
weapon weapon /wepən/ noun dangerous,
offensive weapon an item which can be
used to harm someone physically, e.g. a
gun, a knife carrying offensive weapons
the offence of holding a weapon or
something such as a bottle which could
be used as a weapon
Weekly Law Reports Weekly Law Reports /wikli lɔ r|
pɔts/ plural noun regular reports of
cases published by the Council of Law
Reporting. Abbreviation WLR
weight limit weight limit /wet lmt/ noun the
maximum permitted weight
welfare welfare /welfeə/ noun the state of being
well cared for It is the duty of the
juvenile court to see to the welfare of
children in care.
Wells notice Wells notice /welz nəυts/ noun a
notice from the US Securities and Exchange
Commission informing the recipient
that a lawsuit will be filed against
him or he and outlining the charges and
evidence supporting them
Western Circuit Western Circuit /westən s$kt/
noun one of the six circuits of the Crown
Court to which barristers belong, with its
centre in Bristol
whatsoever whatsoever /wɒtsəυ|evə/ adjective
of any sort There is no substance whatsoever
in the report. The police found
no suspicious documents whatsoever.
(NOTE: always used after a noun and after
a negative)
whereas whereas /weər|z/ conjunction as the
situation is stated, taking the following
fact into consideration whereas the
property is held in trust for the appellant
whereas the contract between the two
parties stipulated that either party may
withdraw at six months’ notice
whereby whereby /weə|ba/ adverb by which
a deed whereby ownership of the property
is transferred
wherein wherein /weər|n/ adverb in which a
document wherein the regulations are
listed
whereof whereof /weər|ɒv/ adverb of which
in witness whereof I sign my hand I
sign as a witness that this is correct
whereon whereon /weər|ɒn/ adverb on which
land whereon a dwelling is constructed
wheresoever wheresoever /weəsəυ|evə/ adverb
in any place where the insurance covering
jewels wheresoever they may be
kept
White Book 316
White Book White Book /wat bυk/ noun a book
containing the Rules of the Supreme
Court and a commentary on them
white collar crime white collar crime /wat kɒlə
kram/ noun crime committed by business
people or office workers, e.g. embezzlement,
computer fraud or insider
dealings
White Paper White Paper /wat pepə/ noun a report
issued by the government as a statement
of government policy on a particular
problem, often setting out proposals
for changes to legislation for discussion
before a Bill is drafted. Compare Green
Paper
whole-life insurance whole-life insurance /həυl laf n|
ʃυərəns/ noun an insurance policy for
which the insured person pays premiums
for an entire lifetime and the insurance
company pays a sum when he or she dies
(NOTE: For life insurance, British English
prefers to use assurance.)
wholesale wholesale /həυlsel/ adjective, adverb
buying goods direct from the producers
and selling in large quantities to
traders who then sell in smaller quantities
to the general public
wholesale dealer wholesale dealer /həυlsel dilə/
noun somebody who buys in bulk from
producers and sells to retailers
wholly-owned subsidiary wholly-owned subsidiary /həυlli
əυnd səb|sdjəri/ noun a company
which is owned completely by another
company
wilful wilful /wlf(ə)l/ adjective 1. (person)
who is determined to do what he or she
wants 2. done because someone wants to
do it, regardless of the effect it may have
on others (NOTE: [all senses] The US
spelling is willful.)
wilfully wilfully /wlfυli/ adverb done because
someone wants to do it, regardless of the
effect on others He wilfully set fire to
the building.
wilful misconduct wilful misconduct /wlf(ə)l ms|
kɒnd kt/ noun an act of doing something
which harms someone while knowing
it is wrong
wilful murder wilful murder /wlf(ə)l m$də/
noun murder which is premeditated
wilful neglect wilful neglect /wlf(ə)l n|lekt/
noun intentionally not doing something
which it is your duty to do
will will /wl/ noun last will and testament
COMMENT: To make a valid will, a person
must be of age and of sound mind;
normally a will must be signed and witnessed
in the presence of two witnesses
who are not interested in the will. In
English law there is complete freedom
to dispose of one’s property after
death as one wishes. However, any
dependant may apply for provision to
be made out of the estate of a deceased
under the Inheritance (Provision
for Family and Dependants) Act.
winding up winding up /wandŋ p/ noun liquidation,
the closing of a company and
selling its assets
winding up petition winding up petition /wandŋ p
pə|tʃ(ə)n/ noun an application to a
court for an order that a company be put
into liquidation
window window /wndəυ/ noun window of
opportunity short moment when the
conditions for something are especially
favourable
wind up wind up /wand p/ verb 1. to end
something such as a meeting He wound
up the meeting with a vote of thanks to
the committee. 2. to wind up a company
to put a company into liquidation
The court ordered the company to be
wound up.
wire fraud wire fraud /waə frɔd/ noun in the
USA, the crime of using interstate telecommunications
systems to obtain money
or some other benefit by deception
wiretapping wiretapping /waətpŋ/ noun the
action of secretly listening in on a telephone
line
with costs with costs /wd kɒsts/ adverb
judgment for someone with costs judgment
that the party’s plea was correct and
that all the costs of the case should be
paid by the other party
withdraw withdraw /wd|drɔ/ verb 1. to say that
a charge, accusation or statement is no
longer valid The prosecution has withdrawn
the charges against him. He was
forced to withdraw his statement. The
chairman asked him to withdraw the remarks
he had made about the finance director.
2. to take money out of an account
to withdraw money from the bank or
from your account You can withdraw
up to £50 from any bank on presentation
317 wreck
of a banker’s card. 3. to take back an offer
one of the company’s backers has
withdrawn he stopped supporting the
company financially
withhold withhold /wd|həυld/ verb not to give
something such as information which
should be given She was charged with
withholding information from the police.
Approval of any loan will not be unreasonably
withheld.
without without /w|daυt/ preposition without
prejudice phrase spoken or written
in letters when attempting to negotiate a
settlement, meaning that the negotiations
cannot be referred to in court or relied
upon by the other party if the discussions
fail without reserve sale at an auction
where an item has no reserve price
witness witness /wtnəs/ noun 1. somebody
who sees something happen or who is
present when something happens to
act as a witness to a document, a signature
to sign a document to show that you
have watched the main signatory sign it
in witness whereof first words of the
testimonium clause, where the signatory
of the will or contract signs 2. somebody
who appears in court to give evidence
verb to sign a document to show that you
guarantee that the other signatures on it
are genuine to witness an agreement or
a signature ‘now this deed witnesseth’
words indicating that the details of
the agreement follow
witness box witness box /wtnəs bɒks/ noun a
place in a courtroom where the witnesses
give evidence
witness of fact witness of fact /wtnəs əv fkt/
noun somebody who gives evidence to
say that facts in a claim are true
witness statement witness statement /wtnəs
stetmənt/ noun a written statement
made by a witness and signed, containing
evidence which he or she will make
orally in court
witness summary witness summary /wtnəs
s məri/ noun a short document which
summarises the evidence which will be
in a witness statement, or which lists
points which a witness will be questioned
on in court
witness summons witness summons /wtnəs
s mənz/ noun a court order requiring
someone to appear as a witness and if
necessary produce documents relevant to
the case (NOTE: Since the introduction of
the new Civil Procedure Rules in April
1999, this term has replaced subpoena
ad testificandum and subpoena
duces tecum.)
WLR WLR abbreviation Weekly Law Reports
woman police constable woman police constable /wυmən
pə|lis k nstəb(ə)l/ noun the lowest
rank of police officer The sergeant and
six constables searched the premises.
(NOTE: Constable can be used to address
a policeman; also used with a
name: Constable Smith; it is usually
abbreviated to PC or WPC.)
Woolsack Woolsack /wυlsk/ noun the seat of
the Lord Chancellor in the House of
Lords
word word /w$d/ noun to give one’s word
to promise He gave his word that the
matter would remain confidential.
wording wording /w$dŋ/ noun a series of
words Did you understand the wording
of the contract?
words of art words of art /w$dz əv ɑt/ noun
words that have a special meaning in law
working party working party /w$kŋ pɑti/ noun
a group of experts who study a problem
The government has set up a working
party to study the problems of industrial
waste. Professor Smith is the chairman
of the working party on drug abuse.
work in hand work in hand /w$k n hnd/ noun
work which is in progress but not finished
work permit work permit /w$k p$mt/ noun an
official document which allows someone
who is not a citizen to work in a country
wound wound /wund/ noun a cut done to the
skin of a person She has a knife wound
in her leg. verb to injure or to hurt
someone in such a way that his or her
skin is cut He was wounded in the fight.
wounding with intent wounding with intent /wundŋ
wd n|tent/ noun the offence of injuring
someone, especially when trying to
avoid arrest
WPC WPC abbreviation woman police constable
wreck wreck /rek/ noun 1. the action of sinking
or badly damaging a ship They
saved the cargo from the wreck. 2. a ship
which has sunk or which has been badly
writ 318
damaged and cannot float Oil poured
out of the wreck of the ship. 3. a company
which has become insolvent He managed
to save some of his investment from
the wreck of the company. Investors
lost thousands of pounds in the wreck of
the investment company. verb to damage
badly or to ruin They are trying to
salvage the wrecked ship. The defence
case was wrecked by the defendant’s behaviour
in court.
writ /rt/ noun 1. to serve someone
with a writ to give someone a writ officially,
so that he or she has to defend it or
allow judgment to be taken in their absence
2. a legal action to hold a by-election
to move a writ to propose in the
House of Commons that a by-election
should be held
in write in /rat n/ verb US to write the
name of a candidate in a space on the
voting paper
in candidate write-in candidate /rat n
knddet/ noun a candidate whose
name has been written by the voters on
their voting papers
of fieri facias writ of fieri facias /rt əv fara
feʃis/ noun a court order to a sheriff
telling them to seize the goods of a debtor
against whom judgment has been
made (NOTE: often abbreviated to fi. fa.)
of habeas corpus writ of habeas corpus /rt əv
hebiəs kɔpəs/ noun a writ to obtain
the release of someone who has been unlawfully
held in prison or in police custody,
or to make the person holding them
bring them to court to explain why they
are being held
writ of summons writ of summons /rt əv s mənz/
noun claim form
written application written application /rt(ə)n pl|
keʃ(ə)n/ noun the first part of proceedings
in the European Court of Justice,
where an applicant makes a written application
against which the defendant
may reply in writing. The papers will
then be examined by the judge rapporteur
and one of the Advocates General,
before moving on to oral hearings.
wrong wrong /rɒŋ/ noun an act against natural
justice or which infringes someone else’s
right Civil wrongs against persons or
property are called ‘torts’.
wrongdoer wrongdoer /rɒŋduə/ noun somebody
who commits an offence
wrongdoing wrongdoing /rɒŋduŋ/ noun activity
which is against the law
wrongful wrongful /rɒŋf(ə)l/ adjective unlawful
wrongful dismissal wrongful dismissal /rɒŋf(ə)l ds|
ms(ə)l/ noun the removal of someone
from a job for a reason which does not
justify dismissal and is in breach of the
contract of employment
COMMENT: An employee can complain
of wrongful dismissal to a county court
or, where the compensation claimed is
less than £25 000, to an employment
tribunal.
wrongfully wrongfully /rɒŋf(ə)li/ adverb in an
unlawful way He claimed he was
wrongfully dismissed. She was accused
of wrongfully holding her clients’ money.
wrongly wrongly /rɒŋli/ adverb not correctly
He wrongly invoiced Smith Ltd for £250,
when he should have credited them with
the same amount.
YZ
and a day rule year and a day rule /jə ənd ə de
rul/ noun an ancient rule that a person
could not be convicted of murder if the
victim died more than 366 days after the
attack
COMMENT: The rule was abolished in
1996, as it had come to be used as a
defence in cases of work-related
deaths, such as from asbestosis or radiation,
which may occur many years
after the first contamination.
end year end /jə end/ noun the end of
the financial year, when a company’s accounts
are prepared The accounts department
has started work on the yearend
accounts.
dog contract yellow dog contract /jeləυ dɒ
kɒntrkt/ noun US a contract of employment
where the employee is forbidden
to join a trade union
offender young offender /j ŋ ə|fendə/,
youthful offender US /juθf(ə)l ə|
fendə/ noun a person aged between
seventeen and twenty years of age who
has committed an offence
Offender Institution Young Offender Institution /j ŋ ə|
fendə nsttjuʃ(ə)n/, young offenders
institution noun a centre where
young offenders are sent for training if
they have committed crimes which
would usually be punishable by a prison
sentence
young person young person /j ŋ p$s(ə)n/ noun
somebody over fourteen years of age, but
less than seventeen
youth youth /juθ/ noun a young man
Youth Court Youth Court /juθ kɔt/ noun a court
which tries offenders between the ages of
10 and 18. Former name Juvenile
Court
youth custody order youth custody order /juθ k stədi
ɔdə/ noun a sentence sending a young
person to detention in a special centre
zebra crossing zebra crossing /zebrə krɒsŋ/
noun a place in a street marked with
white lines, where pedestrians have right
of way to cross
zero inflation zero inflation /zərəυ n|fleʃ(ə)n/
noun inflation at 0%
zero-rated zero-rated /zərəυ retd/ adjective
having a VAT rate of 0%
zip code zip code /zp kəυd/ noun US a series
of numbers used to represent the area or
part of a city or town where an address is
situated (NOTE: The British term is post
code.)
zipper clause zipper clause /zpə klɔz/ noun US
a standard clause in a contract of employment,
which tries to prevent any discussion
of employment conditions during
the life of the agreement
zoning zoning /zəυnŋ/ noun an order by a
local council that land shall be used only
for one type of building
SUPPLEMENTS
Legislative procedure in the UK
Green Paper Stage a paper discussing the issues surrounding the
proposed bill (optional)
White Paper Stage a paper stating current policy on the issues
surrounding the proposed bill (optional)
Draft Bill Stage the wording of the Bill is drafted
First Reading the Bill is presented formally in Parliament
as a reading with no debate or decision
Second Reading the Bill is read again to the House and a
debate takes place
Committee stage a standing committee (a committee of about
18 house members, more for long or
complicated bills) debates whether each
clause and schedule of the Bill should be
kept or dropped
Report Stage the whole house looks at the amendments
proposed by the standing committee and
propose and debate any of their own
Third Reading Stage the whole redrafted Bill is read once more in
the House and briefly discussed
Lords Approval Stage the House of Lords takes the Bill and goes
through the same procedure from First to
Third Reading, debating any amendments.
The Lords and Commons agree on a final
text
Royal Assent Stage royal approval is given and the Bill becomes
a statute (Act of Parliament)
Legislative procedure in the UK continued
Important Note: The Parliament Act
The entire process must take place in one Session of Parliament, meaning
that a Bill may not be passed purely because it has run out of time.
This means that the House of Lords may ‘kill’ a Bill they don’t wish to
pass (for example the Hunting Bill 2002) by taking an overly long time
to discuss it. In this case the Parliament Act means that the Bill can be
reintroduced and passed in the following Session without the approval
of the Lords, with the following conditions:
1. The Lords had enough time to debate it before the end of the
session (at least one month).
2. The wording of the Bill hasn’t changed since the last
presentation.
3. One year has passed since the Bill was given its Second
Reading in the Commons.
Private Members’ Bills go through the same procedure from First Reading.
However, there is intense competition for the little Parliamentary
time available for considering these. Unless the Bill is completely
uncontroversial it is likely to be formally objected to at some stage and
therefore dropped; otherwise it is more or less ‘nodded through’ without
much debate.
Legislative procedure in the European Union
Proposal the European Commission drafts the text of
a Bill
First Reading the European Parliament submits the Bill to
a committee reading and a report is prepared
with suggested amendments
Common Position the European Council either accepts the
amended Bill or suggests its own
amendments (NB this is the first point at
which the Bill can be passed)
Recommendation a further committee assessment is
undertaken of the Council’s proposed
amendments at Parliament and a
recommendation given
Second Reading Parliament debates the committee’s report
and vote by absolute majority whether to
accept the Council’s amendments and on
further amendments of their own
Amended proposal the Commission looks at Parliament’s
second reading decisions and drafts an
amended proposal for the Council, who vote
whether to accept or modify it (this is the
second point at which the Bill can be passed)
Conciliation committee a committee of members from both the
Council and Parliament meet to agree on a
joint text
Third Reading Parliament meets to finally discuss whether
to adopt the Bill as law. If no mutual
agreement can be reached the Bill will lapse.
Legislative procedure in the US
Introduction the draft Bill is submitted to the House
without reading or debate (any time while
the House is in session)
Referral to Committee the Bill is published and assigned an
identification number, then sent to the
appropriate committee (of 19) according to
its subject
Committee Action 1 relevant offices and departments give their
input, reports are prepared on the validity of
the Bill and committee meetings are held
Committee Action 2 a public hearing may be held before a
subcommittee with the questioning of
witnesses and the attendance of interested
parties
Markup the subcommittee prepares a report on the
hearing with any relevant amendments to the
Bill
Final Committee Action the full committee reads and amends the Bill
and either reports it back favourably to the
House, tables it or discharges it (thereby
preventing it from progressing any further),
or reports it back without recommendation
(rare)
House Floor the committee report is debated in the House
Consideration and any further amendments voted on
Resolving Differences the Bill is sent to the Senate for house floor
consideration and an identical version is
agreed on by both bodies, possibly with the
help of a mediating committee
Final Step the Bill is approved (signed) by the President
and becomes a Law
UK court structure
Court of Justice of the European Communities (ECJ)
House of Lords
Court of Appeal
Criminal Division Civil Division
Crown Court High Court
Magistrates Court County Court
US court structure
Supreme Court
Courts of Appeal Court of Appeal Court of Military
(12 Circuits) (Federal Circuit) Appeals
94 District Courts Tax Court Courts of Military
Review
International Trade Claims Court Court of Veterans’
Court Appeals
Useful Internet Links
UNITED KINGDOM
The United Kingdom Parliament: www.parliament.uk
Casetrack: www.casetrack.com
UK Court Service: www.courtservice.gov.uk
Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (published Acts of Parliament):
www.hmso.gov.uk/acts.htm
Citizens Advice Bureau Online: www.nacab.org.uk
The Crown Prosecution Service: www.cps.gov.uk
The British and Irish Legal Information Institute: www.bailii.org
Legal Week (an online newspaper for people in the legal profession):
www.legalweek.net
Infolaw (a legal web portal): www.infolaw.co.uk
The Law Society: www.lawsoc.org.uk
The Law Commission: www.lawcom.gov.uk
Just ask! (Community Legal Service online):
www.justask.org.uk/index.jsp
Law Campus (online resource for law students):
www.lexisnexis.co.uk/lawcampus/student/student_index.htm
Scotland Legislation: www.scotland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk
Wales Legislation: www.wales-legislation.hmso.gov.uk
Northern Ireland Legislation: www.northernireland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk
EUROPEAN UNION
Europa (Summaries of EU legislation by area):
http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/scad_en.htm
UNITED STATES
Office of the Law Revision Council (complete guide to the US code):
http://uscode.house.gov
Enactment of a Law (legislative procedure in the United States):
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/enactment/enactlaw.html