identity parade
1
7.2
- noun
- /aɪˈdɛntɪti pəˈreɪd/
- UK
:
identificación
- After the crime, the detective arranged an identity parade to help the victim recognize the attacker.
Examples
-
The police organized an identity parade so the witness could identify the suspect.
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Out of the blue... ...must have been about a month, four weeks, the police came to the door and said they had an identity parade lined up, would I come?
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During the investigation, the officers held an identity parade for potential witnesses to view.
Synonyms
79
3.4
A group of people arranged so a witness can pick the suspect
4
3.4
A group of people shown to a witness so they can pick who did the crime
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase transparently combines 'identity' (who someone is) with 'parade' (a sequential display), so a learner can plausibly infer it refers to a display used to identify someone — i.e., a lineup. However, the meaning is somewhat specialised and regionally labelled (British police usage), and the exact procedural/legal sense (witness viewing suspects in a line) may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Identity parade comes from a police practice of showing several people to a witness, like a small parade, so the witness can point to the person they recognise. That's why the phrase now means 'a line of people for a witness to identify a suspect'.