night court
2
5.4
- noun
- /naɪt kɔrt/
- US
:
tribunal nocturno
- She attended night court to finalize the legal proceedings for her case.
Examples
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After a long day, the lawyer continued to prepare for night court sessions in the city.
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The way that you get your cases as a new lawyer is you work night Court in New York City.
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I met you guys at... at night court.
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I'm taking you girls to night court.
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Which puts you back on the bench, working night court.
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- Well, we're gonna have to discuss this later because night court is adjourned.
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I mean, I don't recall making your acquaintance in night court or nothin'.
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The defendant was presented in night court for arraignment on several charges.
Synonyms
∞
1.4
A place where a judge hears and decides legal cases
18
3.3
A court that deals with illegal acts and decides punishments
A place where a judge hears and decides legal cases
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a court that operates at night' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'night' (the nightly interval) with 'court' (a forum for legal cases). This attributive noun-noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Night court is named for a simple idea: the words night and court mean a court that meets 'after normal hours'. Cities began to hear small criminal cases in the evening so people would not have to miss work, so today night court means a criminal court that sits at night.