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case in point

case in point

33 3.7
An example that clearly shows the point you are making
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ejemplo claro
  • Her presentation on climate change was a case in point that highlighted the urgency of environmental action.
  • obvious case in point
  • provide a case in point
  • a good case in point

The case of Ronnell Broome is a good case in point.

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Examples

  • The well-known laws of learning set forth by E. L. Thorndike are a case in point.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The recent response to the Ebola epidemic is a case in point.

    Academic text (2015)
  • And here is a case in point when I showed you the cycle that everybody goes through with Trump.

  • This last commercial is a case in point.

  • The 2016 presidential contest is a case in point.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Now, your lizard in the rock is a case in point.

  • Namibia's 1992 regional and local authority council elections are a good case in point.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Iraq's ethnic and civil war in the aftermath of Desert Storm is a case in point.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The almost violent antipathy of many Tea Partiers toward the Fed is a good case in point.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Ecotrust's work in the Willapa Bay area provides a case in point (see inset).

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

example
vscase in point
1.0

A specific case used to explain a point

focuses on illustrating an argument more clearly than a typical instance
illustration
vscase in point
61 3.2

An example or story that helps make a point clear

focuses on directly showing the argument rather than naming a single instance
classic case
vscase in point
20 3.5

A typical example of a situation or problem

highlights a particular instance chosen to clearly illustrate the current argument

How Illustrative

case in point
  • Informal
33 3.7
example
1.0

Surface Forms

case in point singular

Morphology

case + in + point

The meaning 'an instance that illustrates a point' is directly and compositionally derived from 'case' (an instance) + 'in' (pertaining to/within) + 'point' (the issue or argument). This is a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern (an instance relevant to a point), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will very likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Case in point comes from lawyers who used a case (a real example) to prove a specific point in court. So today a case in point means 'an example that clearly shows the idea or argument you are making'.