clear and present danger
7
7.6
- noun
- Formal
:
peligro claro y presente
- The rapid spread of misinformation online presents a clear and present danger to public health.
- clear and present danger test
- clear and present danger formula
- pose a clear and present danger
Most of these people are hard, far right wing and they have said he is a clear and present danger to democracy.
- Most of these people are hard, far right wing and they have said he is a clear and present danger to democracy.
- He says that the former president delights and others misfortunes and presents a clear and present danger to democracy.
- I'm, I'm certainly very open to that, but that the, the sort of herd mentality feels like the more clear and present danger to me.
Examples
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In a nutshell, government may suppress speech if -- but only if -- necessary to prevent a clear and present danger of actual or imminent harm.
Academic text (1997) -
However, in the post-Cold War era, Japan has come to see North Korea as a clear and present danger.
Academic text (2001) -
"What we are looking at is a clear and present danger to public health.
Blog text (32) -
Trump is a clear and present danger to our democracy.
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A clear and present danger has been posed to the security of this administration.
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The breed represents a clear and present danger to the people and property of Hill Valley.
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But Meredith truly believes this is a clear and present danger.
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More importantly, there's a clear and present danger from the Russians and we need to act.
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Their malevolent (and criminal) actions pose a clear and present danger to all of humanity.
Blog text (12) -
While discussions of Iran's growing strategic threat focus almost exclusively on its nuclear capabilities and objectives, Tehran's massive ballistic missile arsenal poses a clear and present danger to both the oil installations of the Persian Gulf monarchies and the Western military presence in the region.
Academic text (2015)
Surface Forms
Morphology
clear + and + present + danger
The meaning 'an obvious and immediate threat' is directly compositional from 'clear' (obvious) + 'present' (existing now) + 'danger' (threat), so a B1 learner who knows the parts can infer the sense. Although the phrase is used as a specific legal term, its core meaning is literal and transparent rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
The legal phrase clear and present danger comes from a simple image: imagine someone holding a lit match next to a tank of gas, the danger is clear, easy to see, and present, happening now. That's why in law it means a threat so obvious and happening now that the government may 'restrict' free speech to keep people safe.