took the fifth
Declined to answer
Took the fifth means invoked the Fifth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, which protects against self-incrimination—the right to remain silent rather than provide testimony that might be used against you.
Outside legal contexts, it's used humorously to decline answering any awkward question: When she asked where he'd been all night, he took the fifth.
- takeCapture or filmed segment
- judgeOne who decides
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- idiomFixed phrase, opaque meaning
- witnessOne who attests
hostile witness · due process · privacy rights · civil liberties · figurative language · Miranda rights · sworn testimony · colloquialism · deposition · rhetorical device · euphemism · constitutional law · public scrutiny · self-incrimination · right to silence · remain silent · legal immunity · cross-examination