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above suspicion
Idioms and Phrases
So trustworthy as never to be suspected of wrongdoing, as in âThe wife of Caesar must be above suspicionâ (Charles Merivale, A History of the Romans under the Empire , 1850). The phrase was given further currency when it was used for the title of a very popular World War II spy film starring Joan Crawford ( Above Suspicion , 1943). A similar idiom using above in the sense of âbeyondâ is above the law , usually describing an individual or business behaving as though exempt from rules or laws that apply to others.Example Sentences
In other words they, as in the time-honoured adage about Caesarâs wife, must be above suspicion.
Mudd solved his problem by sending his cousin George, a loyal Unionist and therefore above suspicion by the federal authorities, to town to report Boothâs visit to Muddâs farm.
The fiction that the nine Justices are above being policed is paramountâthe Justices were questioned in the investigation of the leak, but it was deemed unnecessary to ask them to sign sworn affidavitsâand the public is asked to trust they are above suspicion.
Further, itâs not as if the justices are above suspicion.
âThe lesson from a special counselâs perspective is, youâve got to be tough from the beginning and youâve got to be above suspicion yourself, because youâre going to be attacked,â said Mr. Wisenberg.
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More About Above Suspicion
What doesÌęabove suspicion mean?
Above suspicion is used to describe someone who is considered to be completely trustworthyâsomeone who would never be suspected of doing anything wrong.
The phrase can also be used to describe such a personâs actions.
In above suspicion, suspicion refers to the state of being suspected of something, especially of a crime or other wrongdoing. To be under suspicion is to be suspected if something, as in He is under suspicion for money laundering.
If someone is thought to be above suspicion, it means that no one would ever suspect that they have done anything wrongâor are even capable of it. The phrase is typically applied to people who are thought to have a spotless reputation.
Example: Our parents looked around the trashed living room and then at us, and we knew that only the goldfish was above suspicion of making the mess.
Where doesÌęabove suspicion come from?
The phrase above suspicion is thought to have been popularized by expression
âThe wife of Caesar must be above suspicion,â which first appeared in Charles Merivaleâs 1850 book A History of the Romans under the Empire. The expression is attributed to Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, who supposedly said it after divorcing his wife Pompeia because she had been implicated in some scandal.
The expression came to be used as a proverb meaning that those who are associated with powerful public figures need to have a reputation for being completely honest and honorable.
Did you know ... ?
What are some synonyms for above suspicion?
- beyond suspicion
What are some words that share a root or word element with above suspicion?Ìę
What are some words that often get used in discussing above suspicion?
How isÌęabove suspicion used in real life?
Above suspicion is often used in the discussion of public figures.
No matter how much I trust a person, NO ONE is above suspicion. Everyone is questionable.
â {LorĂche đŠ©} (@_LilliG)
No one is above suspicion, contempt, criticism, or ridicule. No one. Nothing and no one is infallibleâŠincluding those you admire!
â Jerry McGowan (@7StringJerry)
No one is above suspicion. Get caught up on before new episodes return on March 6!
â Quantico ABC (@QuanticoTV)
Ìę
Try usingÌęabove suspicion!
Is above suspicion used correctly in the following sentence?Ìę
No person should be above suspicionâeveryone is capable of wrongdoing, no matter how stellar their reputation is.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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