Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
The people, often scapegoats, routinely arrested in response to a crime.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ironic, often, plural, plural-only
Qualifier: crime
Topics: criminology, human-sciences, law, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The people or things that would be routinely expected to appear in a particular context.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, informal, plural, plural-only
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
The phrase was commonly used in New York in the 1930s, by both criminals and law enforcement, often with regard to baseless arrests. The phrase was popularized more broadly by its appearance in the film Casablanca (1942), especially since the 1990s.
Across languages
3 source translations are retained for this English entry.
