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Glite Dictionary
Nuremberg defense

Nuremberg defense

1 9.9
A legal argument that someone was only following orders and not responsible for war crimes
  • noun
  • /ˈnʊrəmˌbɜrɡ dɪˈfɛns/
  • Formal
translation icon : defensa de Nuremberg
  • During the Nuremberg defense Trials, many defendants argued using the defense to justify their actions during the war.

Examples

  • The yuppie Nuremberg defense.

    Thank You for Smoking (2005)

  • Torture is a national disgrace; it is also illegal: the Nuremberg defense will not do - "I was only following orders."

    Blog text (2)

  • The Nuremberg defense was a controversial legal strategy used by war criminals who claimed they were only following orders.

  • The concept of the Nuremberg defense raises important questions about personal responsibility in times of conflict.

Synonyms

defense
vsNuremberg defense
  • US
184 3.0

A reason or statement used to support something

is a specific legal claim that blames obedience for wartime acts and avoids responsibility

Surface Forms

Nuremberg defense singular
Nuremberg defenses plural

Morphology

Nuremberg + defense

This is an eponymous, historically specific legal label: knowing 'Nuremberg' as a city and 'defense' as a legal plea does not allow a B1 learner to infer the specialized meaning 'only following orders' without knowledge of the Nuremberg Trials. The meaning relies on historical and legal background rather than regular compositional semantics, so it is not derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Nuremberg defense comes from the Nuremberg trials after World War II, where people in court said they were only 'following orders' from their leaders. Because of that image, the phrase now means using obedience as a way to 'avoid responsibility'.