smoking gun
Undeniable incriminating evidence
A smoking gun is evidence that proves guilt or wrongdoing beyond reasonable doubt—named for the image of catching someone holding a gun still smoking from being fired.
The phrase appears most often in legal, political, and investigative contexts: Investigators found a smoking gun in the deleted emails.
A smoking gun is decisive where other evidence is merely suggestive.
Proving guilt or wrongdoing
- damningProving guilt conclusively
- irrefutableImpossible to disprove
- conclusiveEnding all debate
- incontrovertibleImpossible to deny
undeniable · definitive · proof · corroboration · documentation · exhibit · verification · authentication
Person found guilty
- perpetratorOne who commits wrongdoing
- culpableDeserving of blame
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- accusedCharged with wrongdoing
indictment · defendant · suspect · wrongdoer · offender · conspirator · implicated · complicit
Surprising disclosed truth
- uncoveringRevealing something hidden
- exposureState of being unprotected
- disclosureAct of revealing information
- breakthroughSudden important advance
unveiling · unmasking · aha moment · bombshell · gotcha · caught red-handed · epiphany · illumination
1970s political crisis
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- investigationFormal examination of facts
expose · leaked · memo · email · documents · recordings · tapes · Nixon
incriminating
Proving guilt or wrongdoing
- damningProving guilt conclusively
- irrefutableImpossible to disprove
- conclusiveEnding all debate
incontrovertible · undeniable · definitive · proof · corroboration · documentation · exhibit · verification · authentication · confirmation
culprit
Person found guilty
- perpetratorOne who commits wrongdoing
- culpableDeserving of blame
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
accused · indictment · defendant · suspect · wrongdoer · offender · conspirator · implicated · complicit · liable
revelation
Surprising disclosed truth
- uncoveringRevealing something hidden
- exposureState of being unprotected
- disclosureAct of revealing information
breakthrough · unveiling · unmasking · aha moment · bombshell · gotcha · caught red-handed · epiphany · illumination · divulgence
Watergate
1970s political crisis
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
investigation · expose · leaked · memo · email · documents · recordings · tapes · Nixon · impeachment
- Open-and-shut casesslam dunk
- crime investigationdetective, whodunit, investigation, detectives, investigator
- combat idiomsstab in the back, dodge a bullet, in the crosshairs, fire away, take a shot
- thriller tropesplot twist, red herring, cliffhanger, whodunit, femme fatale
- barwarecocktail shaker, shaker, muddler, bar spoon, jigger
- smokesmokestack
smoking guncircumstantial evidence
Facts requiring inference
indirect evidence · hearsay · conjecture · speculation · inadmissible evidence
smoking gunreasonable doubt
Legal uncertainty requiring acquittal
uncertainty · guesswork · hunch · suspicion · plausible deniability
smoking gunreasonable doubt
Legal uncertainty requiring acquittal
plausible deniability · cold case · dead end · red herring · wild goose chase
smoke, gun, smoking, smoky, smoked, gunfire, smoker, smokes, smokers