Descriptionary

third degree a method of police interrogation largely outmoded by the 1930s but practiced in some precincts as late as the 1950s; it was characterized by officers aggressively and exhaustively grilling a suspect under bright lights, and sometimes included beatings, in order to force a confession.

.38-caliber a service revolver, the sidearm of choice among plainclothes detectives, due to its smaller size and relative ease of concealment compared with the .357 Magnum.

.357 Magnum the sidearm of choice for many police officers on patrol; it is larger and more power­ful than the .38 preferred by plainclothes detectives.

time of death medical examiners and coroners determine time of death of murder victims through various means: by body core temperature (which in the brain or liver drops an average of 1% degrees per hour), by the extent of body stiffening (rigor mortis), by the pooling (lividity) of the body's blood, by the clouding of the corneas, by the drying of tissues, and by the presence or absence of purge fluid, which leaks out of the intestines after a certain amount of time.

tin slang for a police officer's badge.

TOD time of death.

trace analysis division in a police lab, an expert or team of experts who examines and identifies hairs, fibers, paints, papers, and other crime scene evidence.

trolling vice term for sending a plainclothes officer to an area frequented by prostitutes in order to make arrests for solicitations.

vice division a division that processes cases involv­ing gambling, prostitution, and pornography.

vigilante one who takes the law into his or her own hands.

voiceprint an electronically generated, graphic reproduction of a person's voice, used for identifica­tion purposes.

warrant a writ authorized by a judge to have an individual arrested.

watch a police shift.

watch commander a lieutenant or captain who supervises police officers during a shift.

whip an officer in charge.

wired carrying a concealed recording device.

X-ray diffraction machine in a police lab, a machine used to identify explosive materials.

zapped slang for shot.

politics and economics

act a bill after it passes the House of Representa­tives or the Senate or both.

activist one who works for a cause.

advance man a publicity person who schedules speeches, conferences, and so on, for a candidate or an incumbent.

adventurism risky or reckless government action, either domestically or in foreign affairs.

advise and consent the power of the Senate to advise the president and consent to proposed appoint­ments or treaties.

amendment a proposal to revise, or an actual revi­sion of, a bill, motion, or act.

apolitical lacking interest in politics, or the ten­dency to refuse to participate in politics out of apathy or disgust.

armchair strategist one who criticizes or remarks on political events from a comfortable position and particularly with the advantage of hindsight.

back channel the secret or informal circuit of com­munication used by the CIA and other government agencies.

backer one who supports a political candidate financially.

balance of power the theory that peace is main­tained only when nations share equal power.

ballyhoo sensational or exaggerated promotion of a candidate or issue.

bandwagon a popular issue jumped on by politi­cians in order to be seen as part of the majority.

bargaining chip a negotiating concession.

barnstorm to tour rural areas to make campaign speeches.

bellwether a trendsetter.

bigger bang for the buck in military terms, a weapon or military system that delivers the most for the money.

big stick the deterrent of a large and powerful defense.

bill a proposed law.

bipartisan pertaining to both political parties; relat­ing to the working together of two political parties, despite differences, to achieve a common goal.

black hats political opponents; the bad guys.

bleeding heart liberals extreme liberals—in the view of extreme conservatives. "Bleeding hearts" are suckers for sob stories and are quick to pledge tax money to cure a variety of social ills.

bloc a group of representatives with a common interest.

blue-ribbon panel a committee chosen for their expertise to look into a particular matter.

boll weevils nickname for southern conservative Democrats.

boom and bust an economy that follows cycles of prosperity and depression.

boondoggle any government project in which taxes are wasted through poor planning, incompetence, and inefficiency.

brain trust a group of well-informed advisers.