informant

Definition

Someone who provides information to authorities, usually about illegal activities, often at great personal risk or for personal gain. The person in crime movies who 'knows a guy' or wears a wire to the meeting. In linguistics, a much less dramatic native speaker who helps researchers understand their language without anyone getting whacked.

Example Usage

The FBI's informant provided details about the operation in exchange for witness protection and a new identity.

Source: Law enforcement and legal terminology

Related Terms

Advanced

solicitation

In legal terms, the act of asking, urging, or downright begging someone to commit a crime, which is itself a crime even if they never do it. It's like being arrested for asking your friend to rob a bank, whether they actually rob it or tell you to get lost. Prosecutors love it because they can nail you before anyone actually does anything stupid.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

torts

Civil wrongs that aren't quite crimes but are definitely lawsuit-worthy, like negligence, defamation, or that time your neighbor's tree fell on your car. This entire area of law exists so people can sue each other for damages without anyone going to jail. Law students memorize endless tort cases with names like "Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad," learning that the legal system has opinions about literally everything that can go wrong between humans.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

severability

A contract clause stating that if one provision is invalid, the rest remains enforceable—the legal version of 'if one part breaks, don't throw out the whole thing.' Saves contracts from the all-or-nothing problem.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

checkbox compliance

The art of technically following regulations while completely missing their spirit or intent, focusing on checking boxes rather than actual safety or ethics. It's how companies can claim they're compliant while everything is obviously on fire.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

recompense

Fancy lawyer-speak for payback or compensation, because 'payment' apparently wasn't sophisticated enough. The act of making someone whole again after they've suffered loss or injury, ideally with interest and an apology letter. Shows up in legal documents when one party needs to make things right with another, financially or otherwise.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

exculpatory evidence

Evidence favorable to the defendant in a criminal trial that tends to clear them of guilt. Prosecutors are constitutionally required to disclose this to the defense, though 'required' and 'reliably done' remain distinct concepts.

⚖️ Legal

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See “informant” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

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