to prepare the case
1
6.0
- phrasal verb
:
preparar el caso
- In order to win the trial, you must prepare the case with solid evidence and strong arguments.
Examples
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The Alberta government had extensive legal expertise, a full-time legal staff, and the services of a private law firm employed to assist the Attorney General's department in preparing the case.
Academic text (2004) -
Unless you prepare the case yourself, you don't know whether it has been done right.
Academic text (1994) -
The first thing we did prepare the case and put in the the PSU right?
-
I prepare the case, I don't present it.
-
One prepares the case; the other argues it.
Fiction book (1991) -
"It is the responsibility of Citibank to prepare the case file and conduct the initial review of the complaint," it states.
Blog text (30) -
He told me he had to present the evidence before a federal judge to validate it, prepare the case file, and begin an investigation.
Blog text (19) -
It is true that a person does not have to be convicted of the associated charges to have a mugshot since it is part of the arrest record as police investigate and prosecutors prepare the case for trial.
Blog text (11) -
The skills that make you good litigators—asking questions, preparing the case, figuring out an advocacy strategy—will also make you good negotiators and advocates for your clients in mediations, let alone be necessary in arbitration.
Blog text (1) -
The lawyers worked late into the night to prepare the case for the upcoming trial.
Synonyms
24
4.2
Gather and organize facts and evidence to support a claim or accusation
Antonyms
How Ready
1
7.1
- US
1
5.1
1
6.0
- Formal
384
2.6
24
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to organize and arrange legal arguments, evidence, and documentation' is directly derivable from combining 'prepare' (to plan or make ready) with 'case' (a legal matter); the article 'the' does not alter compositional meaning. This is a straightforward compositional pattern common in English (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner knowing the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Prepare the case paints the picture of a lawyer gathering and packing a box of papers, photos, and proof before going to court. Because prepare means get ready and case is the collection of evidence, the phrase means 'to organize legal arguments, evidence, and documents' for a trial.