inside job
nounEtymology First attested in 1908. See cite below.
1
Criminology, Human sciences, Law, Sciences Idiomatic A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.
- ... while the police are calling it an inside job just because the old lady's nephew teaches a Bible class.1908, O. Henry, The Complete Works of O. Henry [pseud.].: The gentle grafter, page 142:
- It seems to me it must have been what the police at home call "an inside job"; because whoever it was apparently knew the combination of the safe.1921, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter 10, in Alias The Lone Wolf:
1 more example
- In Britain, where the British BeeKeepers Association (BBKA) has been urging members to microchip their hives for some time, the continuing mystery and the belief that the crimes are inside jobs are taking their toll.2017 September 23, “From north Wales to Norfolk, distraught beekeepers ask: who’s stealing our hives?”, in The Observer:
- Related terms
- inside man, insider, insider trading