take\ the\ fifth

take\ the\ fifth
v. phr. informal
1. taking refuge behind the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial.

Alger Hiss took the Fifth when asked whether he was a member of the Communist Party.

2. Not to answer any question in an informal setting.

Have you been married before? - I take the Fifth.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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  • Take the fifth — may refer to: *Taking the Fifth, the act of refusing to testify under oath in a court of law on the grounds that the answers that would be given would incriminate the person under oath * Take the Fifth , a song by Spoon from their 2001 album… …   Wikipedia

  • take the fifth — (USA) If you do not want to answer a question you can take the fifth, meaning you are choosing not to answer.  ( Plead the fifth is also used.) …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • take the fifth — ► take the fifth (in the US) exercise the right guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution to refuse to answer questions in order to avoid incriminating oneself. Main Entry: ↑fifth …   English terms dictionary

  • take the fifth — v. To invoke the Fifth Amendment as justification for refusing to answer a question in a criminal prosecution. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008 …   Law dictionary

  • take the fifth — (amendment) to avoid answering a question, esp. that could cause embarrassment. I plead the fifth I don t know where your girlfriend went! …   New idioms dictionary

  • take the Fifth — verb refuse to testify by invoking the Fifth Amendment, which states that nobody may be forced to testify as a witness against himself or herself • Syn: ↑take the Fifth Amendment • Hypernyms: ↑declare • Verb Frames: Somebody s * * * take the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • take the fifth — 1. AND five it tv. to refuse to testify to a U.S. legislative committee under the protection of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. □ His lawyer told him to take the fifth. □ The lawyer just sat there and said, “Five it.” after every… …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • take the fifth — {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. Taking refuge behind the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial. * /Alger Hiss took the Fifth when asked… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • take the fifth — {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. Taking refuge behind the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial. * /Alger Hiss took the Fifth when asked… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • take the Fifth — hide behind the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial He decided to take the Fifth rather than tell the truth at the trial …   Idioms and examples

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