Crime Scene Investigation Terms

adjective partially open

• The door was left slightly ajar, allowing a sliver of light to filter through.
• I noticed the window was left ajar, probably to let some fresh air in.
• The gate was left ajar, so we just snuck in through the gap.
• Her mind was ajar to new ideas after attending the seminar.

• The suspect provided a solid alibi for his whereabouts during the time of the crime.
• She said she was at the movies with friends as her alibi.
• He came up with a lame alibi about getting stuck in traffic.
• His reputation as a reliable witness served as his alibi in the court of public opinion.

noun an act of defiling or the state of being defiled

verb to make something unclean or impure

• The company was fined for defiling the environment by illegally dumping toxic waste.
• Please don't defile the park by littering everywhere.
• I can't believe they defiled that historic building with graffiti.
• His actions defiled the trust we had in him.

adjective Dirty or unclean in an unpleasant or disgusting way

• The grimy walls of the old building were in desperate need of a thorough cleaning.
• I don't want to eat at that grimy diner again, the food was terrible last time.
• I can't believe you're still wearing those grimy sneakers, you need to get some new ones.
• The grimy politics of the town were starting to wear on everyone's patience.

verb to look at closely or carefully in order to gather information or detect problems

• The quality control team will inspect the finished products before they are shipped out.
• I need to inspect my car before going on a road trip.
• Let's inspect the new restaurant in town and see if it's any good.
• She carefully inspected the evidence before making her final decision.

noun the items that have been gathered or collected

• The pickings from the latest harvest were abundant.
• The pickings at the farmer's market were really good today.
• I heard the pickings at that thrift store are always amazing.
• In the competitive job market, the pickings can be slim for recent graduates.

noun a length of strong cord made by twisting together strands of hemp, sisal, nylon, or similar material

verb to cordon off or mark an area by using a rope

preposition used to indicate that an area is separated or marked off by a rope

• The construction workers will rope off the area for safety purposes.
• They roped off the best seats for the concert.
• Let's rope off a spot at the beach for our group.
• She had to mentally rope off her emotions to focus on the task at hand.