Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
A
Above board: Chn tht, ci m, ph hp vi php lut (if a
situation/business is described as above board, it is open,
honest and legal)
Dont worry about the contract; its all completely above board (hp php).
There are not secret negotiations. Our dealings have always been above board
(ci m).
Accessory after the fact: ng phm sau khi thc hin ti phm (a person
who helps someone to commit a crime or who knows
about it and protects the person from the police after
the crime was committed)
An eye for an eye: n ming tr ming (a person who treats someone else
badly should be treated in the same way)
The death penalty for murder works on the principle of an eye for an eye (n
ming tr ming).
An act of God: Thin tai (an event caused by natural forces which
people cannot control or prevent, for example, a
hurricane, earthquake, etc).
The insurance company refused to pay the money they said the forest fire was
an act of God (thin tai).
The insurance policy covers your house against all types of damage, excluding
those caused by acts of God (thin tai).
The Arm of the law: Quyn lc ca lut php (the extent to which the
authority/power of the law extends)
He fled to South America hoping to escape the arm of the law (quyn lc lut
php)
The prosecution was unable to assemble a case (thu thp chng c kin)
against the man.
Assume liability: Tha nhn trch nhim (accept the responsibility for
paying the cost of something)
The business refused to assume liability (tha nhn trch nhim) for the
dangerous products.
We purchased the property at arms length (khng v li) and we were not
involved in any management decisions
B
The family of the accused criminal pay much money to bail him out (bo lnh
cho hn c ti ngoi hu cu)
If you hang around with that gang, youll find yourself behind bars ( t).
The judge sent the man to jail because he believed, beyond a reasonable
doubt (khng nghi ng g na), that he had committed the crime.
in Black and white: Trn giy t, c chng c giy trng mc en (to say
that something is in black and white means that there is
written proof of it)
Its an obligation. Its in black and white (giy trng mc en) in the contract.
He refused to blow the whistle on (t co) his boss for fear of losing his job.
The man was charged with a breach of the peace (ti ph ri trt t cng cng)
when he began fighting with the store clerk.
The two men were found guilty of breaking and entering (ti t nhp).
Break the law: Vi phm php lut (to fail to obey the law)
The woman was forced to quit her job after it was discovered that she had
broken the law (vi phm php lut)
Brush with the law: Chm trn vi lut php (when you have a brush with
the law, you encounter or experience it briefly)
Had a brush with the law ( chm trn vi lut php) for speeding a few years
ago, but he has had a clean record ever since.
Build a case (against someone): Thu thp chng c kin ai (to gather the
evidence needed to make legal case
against someone)
The legal team was working hard to build a case (thu thp chng c kin)
against the suspected car thief.
The young man was arrested in a case of mistaken identity (do trng hp
nhn lm ngi).
He was shot in what seems to have been a case of mistaken identity (nhn lm
ngi).
Caught in the act (of doing something): B bt khi (bn) ang lm g (if a
person is caught in the act (of doing
something), they are caught while
they are doing something wrong)
The police arrived as the burglar was leaving the house. He was caught red-
handed (b bt qu tang).
Causing a disturbance: Ti ph ri trt t cng cng (an offence committed
by fighting/screaming/shouting/swearing or being
drunk in public)
Several fans were arrested for causing a disturbance (ti ph ri trt t cng
cng) after the football game.
The womans husband was given a cease and desist order (lnh chm dt) to
stop bothering her.
The criminal was given 3 consecutive sentences for the murder of the young
girls.
Crack down on: Trng tr thng tay (enforce a rule/law more strictly)
To reduce road accidents, it was decided to crack down on (trng tr thng tay)
speeding.
Our parents are strict; I wish theyd cut us some slack (bt nghim khc hn).
Due process (of law): Quyn cng dn c php lut bo v (the rights
that each person has to be protected by the law)
The man was accused of theft by his employer but he knew that he was
entitled to due process of law (quyn cng dn c c php lut bo v) and
would be found to be innocent.
The man was able to avoid going to jail for the money because of extenuating
circumstances (do c cc tnh tit gim nh ti).
The woman was acting under false pretenses (la o) when she went to the
bank and asked for a loan.
The journalists obtained the interview under false pretenses (la gt).
During the student demonstration, things got out of hand (kh kim sot) and
several shop windows were broken.
I
In trouble with the law: Gy rc ri vi lut php (if someone is in trouble
with the law, they are being questioned by the police
in connection with something illegal or criminal)
The suspect has often been in trouble with the law (gy rc ri vi php lut).
a Law unto themselves: Coi thng lut l (someone who makes his/her own
laws/rules)
The manager was a law unto herself (coi thng lut l) and she thought that
she could do whatever she wanted.
Lay down the law: Ra lnh, ra oai (to state firmly what the roles/laws are for
something)
We decided to lay down the law (ra lnh) regarding the vacation schedule for
our employees.
Law of the jungle: Lut rng (a situation in which people are prepared to use
Unscrupulous methods in order to succeed/survive is calle
the law of jungle)
Some businesses today seem to be governed by the law of the jungle (lut
rng).
Letter of the law: Li vn ca lut php (the literal interpretation of the words of
a law but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the
law)
The lawyer always likes to follow the letter of the law (li vn ca lut php).
The contract to supply computers to schools was a licence to print money (vic
hi ra tin d dng).
Its a moot point/question (iu cn phi tranh lun) whether men or women
are better drivers.
Murphys law: nh lut bnh b, nh lut Murphy, nu c th, sai tri lun
xy ra (reffering to Murphys law express a sentiment of bad
luck and the idea that if anything can be wrong, it will)
With any business, there are times when Murphys law takes over (nu c th,
sai tri lun xy ra)
Weve tried to prepare for every possible incident, but remember Murphys law
(nh lut Murphy).
Open and shut case: R rnh rnh (an open and shut case is one where the
facts are so clear that the matter can be dealt with or
solved easily)
Hes obviously guilty its an open and shut case (qu r rng).
The woman was given power of attorney (quyn c y nhim) over her
mothers daily affairs.
Run afoul of the law: Phm php (to getinto trouble with the law)
The young man ran afoul of the law (phm php) and was taken into police
custody.
The police set the man free (tr t do) when they decided there was not
enough evidence to charge him with a crime.
Spirit of the law: Tinh thn ca lut php (something as it is meant to be and
not as it is stated exactly, what the people who made the law
wanted to achieve)
The judge tried to follow the spirit of law (tinh thn ca lut php) and not only
as it was written.
Obey the spirit (tinh thn), not the leter of the law.
The laws about the safety of children take precedence over (c quyn u tin
hn) many other laws.
Toe the line: Tun th, phc tng (if someone toes the line, they obey the
rules and accept the principles laid down by a person, a
group, an organization)
If you want to stay in this school, youll have to learn to toe the line (tun th).
Turn a blind eye to: Gi v khng bit, pht l (to pretend not to see
someone who is doing something wrong)
The police often turn a blind eye to (gi v khng bit) people who cross the
street on a red light.
The manager turned a bind eye (pht l) when his staff were late.
U
Under age: Cha n tui trng thnh (below the legal age to do something)
The boy was under age (v thnh nin) and was not able to buy cigarettes.
You shouldnt sell cigarettes to teenagers who are under age (cha n tui
trng thnh)
The man was placed under arrest (b bt) for stealing a car. .
The man was forced to agree to the terms of the agreement with no strings
attached (khng km theo iu kin c bit)
It was a relationship without strings (khng km theo trch nhim) which suited
them both.