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Idiom
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Smoking gun 证据确凿
The expression "smoking gun" is another name for strong evidence that someone is guilty of a crime.
Police officials in free countries around the world share a common problem. They may catch a person whom they suspect is guilty of a crime. But they cannot put the person in prison unless they can prove to a judge or jury that the person is guilty.
That is why police officials will often say they are searching for a smoking gun. The "smoking gun" is a piece of evidence that proves someone is guilty of a crime.
The expression gets its name from the fact that a cloud of smoke rises from the end of a gun after it is fired. The person who owns the gun may try to deny that he has used it. But anyone seeing the smoke knows the gun has just been fired. And if someone is lying dead across the room with a bullet wound, the smoking gun proves who did the shooting.
The gun is not the only weapon that is used in popular expressions. The bow and arrow is another. When one shoots an arrow that is curved or bent, it will not fly in a straight line. But a straight arrow will fly true to its target. A person who is truly honest is called a "straight arrow" (直性子的人). He or she is someone who always does the right thing and never causes any trouble.
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