blue wall of silence
2
9.5
- noun
- Jargon
:
código de silencio
- The blue wall of silence has been blamed for enabling corruption within some police departments.
- break the blue wall of silence
Examples
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The blue wall of silence creates an environment where police officers fear repercussions for reporting wrongdoing.
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Documentaries have explored how the blue wall of silence hampers efforts to hold police accountable.
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Several officers broke the blue wall of silence by testifying against their colleagues in court.
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The police department maintained a strong blue wall of silence after the incident.
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Why does the blue wall of silence exist among officers?
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Many officers are hesitant to speak out against misconduct due to the blue wall of silence that protects their colleagues.
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Despite public pressure, the blue wall of silence remains a significant barrier to transparency in law enforcement.
Synonyms
3
8.1
An agreement to stay silent to hide something wrong
3
7.2
A group's choice to stay silent to protect members from blame
1
9.0
A secret rule among police not to report a colleague's wrongdoing
1
9.9
A rule not to tell people outside about crimes in a gang
An agreement between people not to speak about something
Surface Forms
Morphology
The elements 'wall' (barrier) and 'silence' (withholding speech) transparently combine to suggest a barrier of silence, but the modifier 'blue' requires sociocultural knowledge that 'blue' indexes the police; that link is not guaranteed for an average B1 learner. Because part of the meaning is compositionally clear while the police-specific sense of 'blue' and the institutional code aspect are culturally specific, the phrase is only partially predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Blue wall of silence uses blue for police uniforms and the image of a wall of silence that stops people from talking. It shows how officers 'protect' each other by 'not reporting' wrongdoing.