June 1994, Part 1 of 2, Fraud Terminology Topics
Squib, Hornbook Law, Abstract, Black Letter Law,
Slip Law, Private Laws, Holding, Telereprographics,
Project ELF, Walk on Eggs, Truth Will Out,
Gweep, and Turn a Blind Eye.
 

Some people pretend not to see an illegal activity.
 

Fraud In Other Words™
Professional Jargon and Uncensored Street Slang
by Larry C. Adams, CFE, CPA, CIA, CISA

 

Squib
A digest entry of a court case in a West reporter, or other legal research publication. A squib in a West reporter gives a brief overview of the case. The information in a squib may allow a law researcher to dismiss a case as not warranting a full reading. Many courts publish their opinions in both an official and an unofficial version. The West Publishing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, publishes virtually all opinions, without editorial comment. Most judicial opinions below the United States Supreme Court and state supreme courts are never published by anyone; only about one-tenth of court opinions are printed by publishers.

 

Hornbook Law
Points of law that are well-settled and no longer controversial, because the judicial decisions are so holding. A hornbook is a research publication or teaching guide that explains general principles of law in simple narrative form, rather than in complex casebook form.
Photo: West Group

 

Abstract
A statement summarizing the important points of a given text. Reference books and electronic databases may include summaries of court cases, court testimony, senate hearings, committee meeting proceedings, laws, or other public documents.

 

Black Letter Law
The basic principles of law generally accepted by the courts. In reference books, these accurate statements of the law are often printed in bold, heavy typefaces. Black letter law sections often are followed by commentary and examples printed in regular typefaces.

 

Walk On Eggs
To proceed very carefully. Suggesting that a person should use extreme caution, like trying to tread lightly on eggs without breaking them.



 

Slip Law
A public law or private law which is separately and promptly printed on a single sheet of paper or in a pamphlet form. The annotated pamphlets (slip law print) are issued shortly after they are signed and cumulated into statutes at large.

 

Private Laws
Laws that are passed for a special benefit, but do not affect the nation as a whole, or large classes of people. These laws pertain to the definition, regulation, and enforcement of rights between private individuals. These laws of private relief often concern minor claims against the government or immigration matters.

 

Holding
A legal principle drawn from the opinion of a court.

 

Turn a Blind Eye
Pretend not to see something, especially an illegal activity.
Photo: iStockphoto




 

Telereprographics
A combination of telecommunications and reprographics technologies. A facsimile machine (fax) combines a scanner, a printer, and a synchronous modem to send and receive special format bit-mapped images of graphics or text by standard telephone lines or satellites.

 

Project ELF
A program sponsored by the Association of Records Managers and Administrators to “Eliminate Legal-size Files” in government and industry and to establish letter-size paper (8-1/2”x11”) as the standards for records. This standard has been adopted for all federal courts and half of the state court systems.

 

Truth Will Out
The facts will emerge sooner or later.

 

Gweep
A person who barely knows enough about computers to get by at their job. The opposite of a hacker, who delights in the technical and creative aspects of using a computer.

 

Larry C. Adams, CFE, CPA, CIA, CISA, teaches fraud examination at the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Arizona. He publishes the book and online editions of “Fraud In Other Words.” His Web site is www.larry-adams.com. His e-mail address is fraudwritr@aol.com.

 

ã Copyright 1994 Larry C. Adams. All rights reserved.
“Fraud In Other Words” is a trademark of Larry C. Adams.
 

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