Idiom
perp walk
Meaning
The intentional public display before news cameras of a person in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the effectiveness of the authorities, or shaming the person.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The cameras waited outside to film the suspect's perp walk.”
“The famous singer hides her face during the perp walk.”
“The disgraced executive looked down at the ground during his perp walk as reporters shouted questions from behind the police line.”
“After the police arrested the mayor for fraud, they led him through the front lobby to ensure every news station captured the perp walk on live television.”
“The authorities orchestrated a highly public perp walk, ensuring that the disgraced official was paraded before the media to satisfy the public's demand for accountability.”
Examples
simple
“The cameras waited outside to film the suspect's perp walk.”
“The famous singer hides her face during the perp walk.”
contextual
“The disgraced executive looked down at the ground during his perp walk as reporters shouted questions from behind the police line.”
“After the police arrested the mayor for fraud, they led him through the front lobby to ensure every news station captured the perp walk on live television.”
complex
“The authorities orchestrated a highly public perp walk, ensuring that the disgraced official was paraded before the media to satisfy the public's demand for accountability.”
Origin
From *perp*, a truncation of *perpetrator*, and *walk*. The compound is first recorded circa 1980 to describe the deliberate escorting of a restrained suspect through a public space to allow for media photography.
Key words
Related idioms
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