(a) smoking gun

(a) smoking gun
   conclusive evidence of guilt
   From the emission from the barrel immediately after a shot has been fired:
    ... the tape is a 'smoking gun', that is, in police and prosecutional slang, direct evidence of criminal guilt. (Colodny and Gettlin, 1991, writing of a White House tape dated June, 1973)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • smoking gun — smoking guns N COUNT: usu sing A smoking gun is a piece of evidence that proves that something is true or that someone is responsible for a crime. [mainly AM or, JOURNALISM] The search for other kinds of evidence tying him to trafficking has not… …   English dictionary

  • smoking gun — A smoking gun is definitive proof of someone s guilt …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • smoking gun — Slang for evidence that decisively proves a cause. Category: Criminal Law Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits Nolo’s Plain English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009 …   Law dictionary

  • smoking gun — n something that shows who is responsible for something bad or how something really happened …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • smoking gun — noun count INFORMAL clear proof that someone has done something wrong or illegal …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • smoking gun — ► NOUN ▪ a piece of undeniable incriminating evidence …   English terms dictionary

  • smoking gun — ☆ smoking gun n. Informal any conclusive evidence that proves guilt or fault …   English World dictionary

  • Smoking gun — The term smoking gun was originally, and is still primarily, a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act. In addition to this, its meaning has evolved to uses completely unrelated criminal… …   Wikipedia

  • smoking gun — noun indisputable evidence (especially of a crime) • Hypernyms: ↑evidence * * * noun, pl ⋯ guns [singular] : a piece of evidence that clearly proves who did something or shows how something happened This document is the smoking gun that proves… …   Useful english dictionary

  • smoking gun —    A smoking gun is definitive proof of someone s guilt.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    A smoking gun is a piece of evidence or the indisputable sign of someone s guilt.     The fingerprints left on the door handle was the smoking gun… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • smoking gun — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms smoking gun : singular smoking gun plural smoking guns informal clear proof that someone has done something wrong or illegal …   English dictionary

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