Community Chat

[MarieIG]

Doesn't sound southern.  It sounds like jail slang.

As far as his "taking responsibility" he probably gave the interview to promote his music, and the background was secondary to that. 

[qbetzforreal]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@PickyPicky3 wrote:

I love language, and so do many people here. Today I heard an interview with a musician from TN who had made some bad choices when he was young concerning drugs and crime. When he got out of prison, he was able to find success in a new career.

He described what happened as "I caught a criminal charge.  And then another. And then I caught a few more..."

I've never heard "I got arrested" expressed in this way. To me it downplays the seriousness of what he did (he didn't give details). Is this regional or a different generation? Prison language?  

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@PickyPicky3 

ITA, and it sounds like he really didn't take responsibility for the part he played in that crime. 

More like, gee, how'd that happen.  Like I caught a cold, or a mosquito bite, or just a bad break ....  the mentality could explain a lot about repeat offenders.

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It's slang.  Not indiginous to Tenneesee. Also used is "catch a case" when you're about to do something which will cause you to charged with a crime.  "Caught a case" means you were charged with a crime.

[BExplorer]

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@PickyPicky3 wrote:

@BExplorer   When you hear this phrase used, is it a simple equivalent of "I got arrested"? Or, as has been discussed here, does it have undertones of "a bad break" or "bad luck that I got caught"?

Do you associate it more with people who are from the South?

It's interesting that so few of us have actually ever heard it. And with all the police dramas on TV, shame on those scriptwriters who have ignored this authentic convict usage.

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Hi @PickyPicky3  I have heard it associated with simply getting arrested, not necessarily as bad luck at having been caught.  I am unsure if that term is used widely around the country since I am in central IL. 

[Buffalogal47]

@Tinkrbl44  Does it surprise you that criminals don't take responsibilty for their crimes? Avoiding responsibility for their actions is one of the 2 things they do best! (The other is committing the crime itself. When convicts are asked what they did to be sentenced to prison, the most frequent response is "they said I did...(insert crime here). They never admit guilt and they'll tell you the only crime they committed was getting caught.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Buffalogal47 wrote:

@Tinkrbl44  Does it surprise you that criminals don't take responsibilty for their crimes? Avoiding responsibility for their actions is one of the 2 things they do best! (The other is committing the crime itself. When convicts are asked what they did to be sentenced to prison, the most frequent response is "they said I did...(insert crime here). They never admit guilt and they'll tell you the only crime they committed was getting caught.

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@Buffalogal47 

No, it doesn't surprise me in the least.    

I recall years ago a news story where several repeat offenders were interviewed about their lives.  One of them insisted that if you just ignore the "legal thing" for a minute, you have to admit he was quite a successful entrepreneur.   I think he actually expected people to show admiration for how good he was ... well, until he got caught.   

[50Mickey]

@deepwaterdotter   I've lived in Georgia all of my 72 years and I've never heard that phrase. I don't think it is regional. It's probably a phrase that those who have been found guilty of committing a crime use so as to make it sound not so serious.  

[faeriemoon]

Sounds like an expression used by someone who has been in the situation more than once...

[webbgarner1]

@PickyPicky3  I worked in the prison system for many years and my husband worked in law enforcement. This prase I caught a charge is very common with those who have been incarcerated or are on probation.

[SouthernBee]

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@deepwaterdotter wrote:

I used to work with a woman who referred to getting arrested as "catching a charge".  She grew up in Georgia, so it may be a southern 'turn of phrase'?

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@deepwaterdotter : I live in Georgia all my life and almost 68 and never heard this phrase😳🤷‍♀️.