What is foul play in death

There was also speculation by commenters that police had actually shot and killed the person and were covering it up. So I want to set that story aside because I don't know exactly what happened and I want to deal with the topic in generalities. The Cambridge Dictionary describes foul play as "a criminal act that results in serious damage or injury, especially murder. Another line that often appears in police news releases is, "There is no threat to public safety.

It often means that the perp has committed suicide, but police don't like to use that word so it's couched in softer terms. Another line that draws the ire of readers is "The identity of the deceased will not be released in order to protect the identity of the victim. Victims usually don't want their name made public and have to be traumatized all over again, so a number of years ago police stopped including anything that might identify the victim.

It's a double-edged sword. Not identifying the attacker also means the public can't take measures to protect themselves when they don't have the facts. The king's own legitimate brother Edwin made no attempt on the throne, but in he was drowned at sea under somewhat mysterious circumstances; the later chroniclers ascribe his death to foul play on the part of the king, but this seems more than doubtful.

A still more striking contrast is the passionate outburst of sympathy and indignation with which, in the same diary, he comments on the supposed kidnapping of Luther by foul play on his return from the diet of Worms. Without being one of those who in his city took an avowed part against the old ecclesiastical system, and probably without seeing clearly whither the religious ferment of the time was tending - without, that is, being properly speaking a Reformer - Diirer in his art and his thoughts was the incarnation of those qualities of the German character and conscience which resulted in the Reformation; and, personally, with the fathers of the Reformation he lived in the warmest sympathy.

All rights reserved. Home Dictionary Meanings Foul-play Foul-play meaning. Filters 0. Inappropriate, unethical, or unlawful conduct, especially to disadvantage an opponent. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foul play. Send us feedback. See more words from the same century.

Accessed 11 Nov. More Definitions for foul play. See the full definition for foul play in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Nglish: Translation of foul play for Spanish Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of foul play. Synonyms for foul play Synonyms blood , homicide , murder , rubout , slaying Visit the Thesaurus for More.