inside job
A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The police think the robbery was an inside job.”
“The coach believes the leaked game plan is an inside job.”
“The security guard realized the theft was an inside job because the alarm system was disabled from the inside.”
“Management suspects the missing inventory is an inside job because the warehouse keys were never forced and only a few staff members have the code.”
“Investigators concluded that the sophisticated data breach was an inside job, orchestrated by a disgruntled employee with full access to the company's private servers.”
first recorded 20th c.
The phrase is first attested in 1908, appearing in print as a descriptor for a crime committed by a person already legitimately present on the premises. It emerged as a compound of the preposition inside and the noun job, entering the lexicon to denote a breach of security by one of its supposed guardians.
- 01
don't give up your day job
Somewhat sarcastic but usually good-natured advice used to criticise a person's degree of talent (especially in music or other performing arts), implying that they are unlikely to be successful.
- 02
full-time job
An activity that consumes a great deal of time.
- 03
good job
Well done; congratulations!
- 04
great job
well done; congratulations! (a praise for someone's efforts, possibly to a higher degree than good job!)
- 05
joe job
An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.
- 06
outside job
A crime or other illicit action committed by an individual not connected or associated with the premises or organization in which it took place.
- 07
patience of Job
A great amount of patience.
- 08
put-up job
An attempt to trick, deceive, or con someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026