in the dock
to be on trial in a court of law
TRANSLATION
in the dock = vor Gericht stehen, auf die Anklagebank sitzen in the dock = in den Fokus geraten --- GOOGLE INDEX in the dock: approximately 20,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Top SBI executive IN THE DOCK
(Business Standard news headline)
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The European Commission put Germany IN THE DOCK Wednesday, saying its runaway export success may harm a fragile EU economic recovery.
(The Bangkok Post)
(Business Standard news headline)
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The European Commission put Germany IN THE DOCK Wednesday, saying its runaway export success may harm a fragile EU economic recovery.
(The Bangkok Post)
Did you
know?
in the dock
idiom
- on trial or under intense scrutiny
(American Heritage Dictionary)
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The phrase "in the dock" means someone or something is being subjected to an intense examination or trial. It is a chiefly British expression that stems from the traditional layout of a British courtroom.
Unlike in the US where defendants (person accused of a crime) sit facing the judge and the witnesses, in Britain they sit in an enclosure called the dock. At first glance, this would appear to stem from the definition of dock as a place where a ship is moored. However, it actually originated from the Flemish word "dok," a cage or chicken coop.
Since American courtrooms do not have docks, in US English the expression "to be in the dock" is considered an idiom. In British English, this figurative sense of "in the dock" acts like a metaphor. But as linguists will tell you, the difference between an idiom and a metaphor is sometimes a fine line.
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SYNONYMS
in court, on trial, under investigation, under scrutiny, under examination
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"He's in the dock for drinking and driving."
idiom
- on trial or under intense scrutiny
(American Heritage Dictionary)
---
The phrase "in the dock" means someone or something is being subjected to an intense examination or trial. It is a chiefly British expression that stems from the traditional layout of a British courtroom.
Unlike in the US where defendants (person accused of a crime) sit facing the judge and the witnesses, in Britain they sit in an enclosure called the dock. At first glance, this would appear to stem from the definition of dock as a place where a ship is moored. However, it actually originated from the Flemish word "dok," a cage or chicken coop.
Since American courtrooms do not have docks, in US English the expression "to be in the dock" is considered an idiom. In British English, this figurative sense of "in the dock" acts like a metaphor. But as linguists will tell you, the difference between an idiom and a metaphor is sometimes a fine line.
---
SYNONYMS
in court, on trial, under investigation, under scrutiny, under examination
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"He's in the dock for drinking and driving."
