Can I use the term 'crime' in a figurative way?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi! How is it going?

Can I use the term ‘crime’ in a figurative way?
We can use it in Spanish but I don?t know
if I can in English.

For instance,

Someone hinders his/her ?partners?in order to get the
job.
And I say: That?s a crime!
or maybe: What a crime!

Can I?

Thanks indeed!

Jes?s

2

Hi Jesus

Yes, I’d say you could do that, but I think it might be more typical to use the adjective: “That’s criminal.”

Amy

3

Hi,

I can also think of the use of crime in a figurative/comical way.

Imagine you see a really delicious piece of cake and in fact it’s the last piece left. If you wanted to eat it, you could say: It seems a crime not to finish that cake!

Alan

4

My dear Amy

Not wanting to bore you to death with constant gripes about the use or rather misuse of the word “would”, I would end my conversation with two questions.

Q1- Am I correct in my use of “would” that is underlined in
the above sentence? If yes, how and why?

You wrote:

Yes, I’d say you could do that, but I think it might be more typical to use the adjective: “That’s criminal.”

Why “I’d?”

Thanks a million

Tom

5

Hi Tom

I’d say indicates that’s my opinion, but since I can’t possibly know all the ways Jesus might decide to use “crime” in a figurative sense, I also can’t say whether I will agree with all of his figurative attempts. :lol: So, in that sense, it’s a conditional opinion.

On the other hand, I hardily agree with Alan that if there were a yummy piece of cake left, just sitting there lonely and unclaimed on a table, it would seem a crime to let it go to waste, espeicially if there were also some coffee left to go with it. :lol:

Amy

6

Hello, Amy! Can?t you? :lol:
I will try you can.

Well, maybe I?m using ‘crime’ in a different
way than Alan. I am using it like something
that is terrible.

1.- Isn?t it a ?crime? that someone hinders
his/her partners to get an important job?

Or maybe this one:

2.- Isn?t it a ?crime?that someone tells lots of
lies to get the fame?

Thanks a lot!

Jes?s

7

Hi Jesus

Your figurative use of “crime” still sounds OK to me.:lol: But I’d (personally) prefer the adjective. For example:

Isn’t it criminal the way he lies all the time just to get ahead?

Isn’t it criminal how he deceives his partners?

Amy

8

what about “isn’t it a “crime” not to listen to your heart?”
i think i get the point of the fugurative use of the noun, because we have the same use in bulgarian, but i think i can’t really get the figurative use of the adjective in this case…after all, gramatically, which of them is correct or to be more clear- which of them an english speaking person is more bound to use?

9

Hi Vague

Your option also sounds good. :smiley:

Aym