Is there a good word for a person who frames another person (for a crime, etc.)?
Looking for something in the vein of "snitch"
Thanks!
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By "frames" do you mean "turns in" or "falsely accuses"?– TimCommented Sep 29, 2014 at 15:35
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1When one is accused of framing another, I believe the actual criminal charge is "felony perjury" (in US criminal justice), but unfortunately that's a bit generic.– Dan BronCommented Sep 29, 2014 at 15:39
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if there's a framer, then there has to be a framee!– rbpCommented Sep 29, 2014 at 19:12
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@DanBron it's only perjury if the framer testifies falsely under oath, isn't it? I don't think perjury would cover, say, planting physical evidence.– phoogCommented Sep 30, 2014 at 6:51
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Sorry for the delay, all -- by "frames", I'm going for the person who plants evidence, leads authorities to believe something incorrect, etc. There's some discussion about the trial (above and below), but I'm more looking for the initial act -- calling in a ransom note from someone else's phone, leaving his hair at a crime scene, etc. When I said "vein of 'snitch'", I was going for a casual rather than technical/legal term -- think NY Post headline or heist movie. Like (roughly): informant is to snitch as "framer" is to x.– idunnoCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 0:08
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3 Answers
I don't think there is a word that specifically indicates "one who frames" (outside the word framer, which would do the job in context but apparently would not meet your needs). However, there are a lot of good options for what to call someone that deceives someone else, which could be applied here. For example:
- to indicate certain legal implications you might call the person a
purjuror,libelist, orimpugner. - to pronounce moral judgement you might call them a
liar,fabricator, orprevaricator. - to indicate the art of the action (painting a picture that looks real but is not) you might even draw parallels with forgery and call them a
forger,faker, orcounterfeiter. - you might also invent a term, like
framester,frame-up artist, orframe-maker(to the best of my knowledge, these are not terms in use).
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Thanks (and thanks for the alternative approaches) -- I suspect you're right that there's no word, though I'm going to leave this open for a few to see if anyone thinks of something that fits dead on.– idunnoCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 0:17
"whistle-blower" is possibly best for an alternative to snitch, or "accuser".
For "one who frames another", go for either "framer" or "felonic perjurer", as Dan said above.
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1As Jim said in his comment to Josh61's answer, a really successful framer would never be in a position where committing perjury was a risk.– phoogCommented Sep 30, 2014 at 6:56
To frame someone means:
- to make up evidence or contrive events so as to incriminate (a person) falsely.
You are looking for a term 'along the vien of' snitch, who is more like an informer whose action may frame someone:
- someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
Terms you can use in alternative to snitch are stool pigeon or canary.
Source: www.thefreedictionary.com
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1One can be framed by someone who never appears in court or gives testimony of any kind. I could plant evidence at the crime scene when I was leaving that frames you, and if I did it right, nobody would ever come talk to me at all.– JimCommented Sep 29, 2014 at 18:37
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3I don't think he meant a synonym of snitch. He wants the X in the analogy X is to frame as snitch is to turn in.– BarmarCommented Sep 30, 2014 at 0:34
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@Barmar -- yes, exactly! And sorry to go radio silent right after asking. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful discussion.– idunnoCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 0:14