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Definition:
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Prison, particularly
a maximum security federal prison ( or jail ) |
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Example:
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1)
After he got
caught robbing a bank, Ted was sent to the big house for 20 years. |
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Etymology:
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A 'house' is where
people live, and a prison is quite large 9 or 'big'), home to hundreds
of criminals. This phrase became popular in the early 1900's, when
organized crime and large scale prisons developed in the United States. |
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Synonyms: |
up the river, under
glass, behind bars |
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