Meaning of usual suspects | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The people, often scapegoats, routinely arrested in response to a crime.
   ironic, often, plural, plural-only
2. The people or things that would be routinely expected to appear in a particular context.
   broadly, informal, plural, plural-only

Equivalents

Examples

“Major Strasser has been shot... round up the usual suspects.”

“I think⟳ the eco-utopian picture … is an unlikely outcome. I generally avoid⟳ over-population arguments. But there’s no question⟳ we’re in population overshoot. The catch⟳ is we’re not going to do anything about it. There will be no policy. The usual suspects: starvation, war, disease, will drive⟳ the population down. There’s little more to say⟳ about that really, and it’s certainly an unappetizing discussion, but it’s probably the truth. In any case, we’re in overshoot and we face⟳ vast resource scarcities. That’s it. The “usual suspects” are already doing their thing as worldwide food prices go up and peoples on the margin begin⟳ to suffer⟳ and starve⟳.”

“And yet a quiet campaign is in the works to secure landmark protection for the 46-story limestone and glass tower. It is not being led by the usual suspects, like⟳ preservationists, community groups or politicians.”

“It was - to be only a little bit unfair - all the usual suspects at the Paris demo. Trotskyite students chanting against the patriarchy; anarchists; grizzled veterans of '68; plenty of pensioners; theatre-workers. In other words the regular left-wing alphabetti-spaghetti.”

CEFR level