Name: English Tutor Nick P Noun Phrase (131) Smoking Gun
Uploaded: 2019-11-04T02:36:25.000Z
Duration: 3 min 26 s
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Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Noun Phrase 131. The noun phrase today is

smoking gun. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone says that

Basic passive voice

something is a smoking gun,  it is believed to be undeniable or

irrefutable evidence. So no doubt about it. It's definitely true. It's you know

very good proof. It's great evidence. It is supposed to prove that a crime exists

or that somebody is guilty of a crime.  Okay. Let's continue. When a gun is shot

you know,  when you shoot the gun. When a is  shot the force of the bullet does

create a great amount of heat and if the weather is cold enough or cool enough

perhaps smoke would be visible. So that's the idea of where the smoking gun comes

from. The idea alludes to the fact that if a suspect was found holding such a

gun that would be strong evidence or very strong evidence that he or she is

the guilty party or the guilty person.  Okay.

Well. Let's continue. The term started to become popular during the Watergate

investigation of the 1970s. Yeah. This is when Richard Nixon was president. In this

case there was a famous tape nicknamed "The Smoking Gun tape." So that's how it

really took off. It revealed Nixon, you know Richard Nixon,  the president at the time,

telling Halderman to order the CIA and the FBI to stop investigating the

Watergate break-in. Okay. So he really shouldn't have been doing that. But

anyway that's with the tape revealed. The term was also used a lot in the media in

regard to the evidence that was supposed to justify the Iraq war. We often heard

the term smoking gun a lot around that time. You know,  many,  many years later.

Anytime there is a big investigation. We often hear the media

report some evidence you know is or could be a smoking gun or is not a

smoking gun. All right. Let's continue.  Let's just give three examples to cover

this here. Example number one. These recently discovered documents are a

smoking gun.  It proves it without a doubt. You know,

maybe that somebody's guilty or whatever it is. Okay or number two here. We might

call this circumstantial evidence,  but it is no smoking gun. Yeah. This is just some

evidence that may refer that something is a certain way but it doesn't really

prove it. Not a hundred percent. So we can only say that it's circumstantial

evidence. Circumstantial evidence would never be a smoking gun. A smoking gun has

to be very strong definite evidence.  All right number three here. The fact that

the murder weapon was found with his fingerprints on it is a smoking gun. Now

something like that. Anyway,  I hope you got it. I hope it was clear. I  hope you found it

informative. Thank you for your time.  Bye-bye.