King: snatch squads

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Marius Hancu - 31 Jul 2009 19:21 GMT

Hello:

"Look the business": appear to be the culprits?
"Snatch squads": arresting squads?
"Pick off": catch?

---
[The police are coming in to arrest troublemakers]

There's a few bottles bouncing off shields and snatch squads running
out to pick off young lads who look the business but are just caught
up in the spectacle.

John King, The Football Factory, p. 32
----

--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Peter Duncanson (BrE) - 31 Jul 2009 19:39 GMT

>Hello:
>
>"Look the business": appear to be the culprits?
>"Snatch squads": arresting squads?

Yes. The OED definition refers to the original use of the phrase in
Northern Ireland. It has since been used of groups of police officers
performing the same task:

snatch squad Mil., a group of soldiers detailed to seize
troublemakers in a crowd

>"Pick off": catch?

To separate out one member of a group in some way or other.
The OneLook quick definition is:
http://www.onelook.com/?w=pick+off&ls=a

verb: shoot one by one

In this case the picking off is less lethal.

>---
>[The police are coming in to arrest troublemakers]
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>John King, The Football Factory, p. 32
>----

Signature

Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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Marius Hancu - 31 Jul 2009 19:56 GMT

On Jul 31, 2:39 pm, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

> >"Look the business": appear to be the culprits?
> >"Snatch squads": arresting squads?
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> In this case the picking off is less lethal.

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Jerry Friedman - 31 Jul 2009 23:11 GMT

> Hello:
>
> "Look the business": appear to be the culprits?
> "Snatch squads": arresting squads?
> "Pick off": catch?

I'd guess that "look the business" is "look like the real thing", that
is, real hoodlums.

> ---
> [The police are coming in to arrest troublemakers]
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> John King, The Football Factory, p. 32

--
Jerry Friedman

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Marius Hancu - 31 Jul 2009 23:25 GMT

> I'd guess that "look the business" is "look like the real thing", that
> is, real hoodlums.

Yes, sounds better.

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009

King: snatch squads