behind bars

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B2

Post

Example

“The fraud scheme ended with its organizer behind bars.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

catch someone red-handed Neutral · CEFR B2

to catch someone in the very act of doing something wrong

face the music Neutral · CEFR B2

To accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions.

you reap what you sow Neutral · CEFR B2

your actions determine your results

monkey's paw Neutral · CEFR C1

something that grants what you asked for while exacting a terrible, unforeseen price; a wish fulfilled in the worst possible way

Pandora's box Neutral · CEFR C1

an action or situation that unleashes many unexpected and hard-to-control problems

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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