ambulance chasing
1
9.3
- noun
- /ˈæmbjʊləns ˈʧeɪsɪŋ/
- US
:
caza de ambulancias
- In the mid-1990s, Wakefield tried to connect Crohn's to the measles virus and failed (though it did bring him to the attention of an ambulance-chasing lawyer).
- ambulance chasing lawyer
Examples
-
It was ambulance chasing with class, Cady thought, but it was, nevertheless, ambulance chasing.
Fiction book (2001) -
You ambulance-chasing shyster bastard!
-
Oh, just a little ambulance chasing.
-
That was blatant ambulance chasing.
-
It was ambulance chasing with class, Cady thought, but it was, nevertheless, ambulance chasing.
Fiction book (2001) -
Next door there's a bail bondsman; there are ambulance-chasing lawyers hanging out on the corner.
Fiction book (1993) -
There's a term known as ambulance chasing that is detailed in the Legal Rules of Professional Conduct, and it prevents the attorney or anybody he hires from speaking with you regarding your accident before you choose him or his legal advising firm.
Blog text (30) -
Edwards is in the pockets of the slimy, ambulance-chasing trial attorneys, who, along with their liberal PC thought-police moonbat allies, arguably do more damage to this country than any corporation or conservative group that I can think of.
Blog text (28) -
Many people criticize ambulance chasing as an unethical practice that takes advantage of vulnerable individuals.
-
The lawyer was often accused of ambulance chasing, especially when he showed up at accident scenes with business cards.
Synonyms
Contacting people hurt in accidents to get them as clients for a lawyer, often seen as dishonest
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition 'ambulance' (emergency vehicle) + 'chase' (pursue) suggests physically running after ambulances, which does not directly convey the professional practice of soliciting accident victims for legal work. This is a metaphorical/idiomatic use specific to legal practice and cultural context, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the expression's meaning.
Etymology
Ambulance chasing comes from the image of lawyers running after ambulances to reach people hurt in accidents. One popular story says these lawyers would show up at crash scenes or hospitals to try to get clients, so the phrase now means 'trying to get clients in an unethical way'.