in·ves·ti·ga·tion ( n-v s t-g  sh n)n. 1. The act or process of investigating. 2. A detailed inquiry or systematic examination. See Synonyms at inquiry. in·ves ti·gation·al adj. |
investigation [ɪnˌvɛstɪˈgeɪʃən]
Investigation
fishing expedition An investigation conducted without definite purpose, plan, or regard to standards of propriety, in hopes of acquiring useful (and usually incriminating) evidence or information; apparently aimless interrogation designed to lead someone into incriminating himself. This expression refers to the literal fishing expedition in which, armed with basic equipment, one goes after his prey without knowing exactly what, if anything, he will catch. The more skillful and experienced the fisherman, though, the better are his chances of successfully catching his quarry.
I am not going to permit counsel to go on a fishing expedition. (Erie Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Bigamous Spouse, 1961)
go over with a fine-tooth comb see THOROUGHNESS.
leave no stone unturned See THOROUGHNESS.
shakedown A thorough search, as of a prison cell in hopes of finding hidden weapons or other contraband. This expression alludes to shaking a tree to expose and acquire fruits or nuts which might be hidden within the foliage, and implies that something is turned upside-down and shaken to reveal the desired items. The expression is often used as a verb, to shake down.
A couple of patrolmen to shake down the neighborhood … (Richard Starnes, And When She Was Bad She Was Murdered, 1951)
As an adjective, shake-down is often applied to a cruise or flight undertaken to expose any mechanical flaws and to orient the crew while breaking in and adjusting the new equipment. See also shakedown, EXTORTION.
take soundings To investigate, to try to find out what is going on or how things stand; to psych out a situation. To take soundings is literally to measure the depth of water by letting down a line with a lead attached to the bottom. Figurative use of sounding appeared in print during the time of Shakespeare.
Old Dan bears you no malice, I’d lay fifty pounds on it! But, if you like, I’ll just step in and take soundings. (Charles J. Lever, The Martins of Cro’ Martin, 1856)
the third degree Intensive, prolonged interrogation, often in conjunction with physical abuse, to obtain information or force a confession. Usually used in the context of a prisoner’s being questioned by the police, third degree refers to the severity of the techniques employed. Just as a third-degree burn is the most damaging and extreme type of burn, so is a “third degree” the most drastic form of interrogation.
He was at first arrested merely as a suspicious person, but when put through the “third degree” at the station, admitted that he entered the house last night. (New York Times, July 6, 1904)
| Noun | 1. |  investigation - an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities; "there was a congressional probe into the scandal"inquiry, research, enquiry - a search for knowledge; "their pottery deserves more research than it has received" fishing expedition - an investigation undertaken in the hope (but not the stated purpose) of discovering information |
| 2. |  investigation - the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematicallywork - activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work" analysis - an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole counting, enumeration, numeration, count, reckoning, tally - the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order; "the counting continued for several hours" police investigation, police work - the investigation of criminal activities empiricism - the application of empirical methods in any art or science examination, scrutiny - the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes) testing, examination - the act of giving students or candidates a test (as by questions) to determine what they know or have learned research - systematic investigation to establish facts search - an investigation seeking answers; "a thorough search of the ledgers revealed nothing"; "the outcome justified the search" tabulation - the act of putting into tabular form; "the tabulation of the results" |
investigation
the investigation into the causes of the accident → la investigación sobre las causas del accidente
these allegations need further investigation → estas acusaciones se tienen que investigar más a fondo
doctors carried out a simple investigation under local anaesthetic → los médicos realizaron una simple exploración utilizando anestesia local
police investigations → le indagini della polizia
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