sea lawyer
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of sea lawyer
First recorded in 1805–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I too spent a number of timeouts with our oldest child engaged in conversation with a delightfully tenacious little sea lawyer.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2018
Isbrandtsen is a sea lawyer who goes on the assumption that it is possible to do anything which is not expressly prohibited by law.
From Time Magazine Archive
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"My kid," Hambro said, "filibustering against going to bed. A real sea lawyer, that kid."
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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Ho!" grunted the Mate, "Robinson's a sea lawyer, is he?
From A Master of Fortune Being Further Adventures of Captain Kettle by Wood, Stanley L.
You ain't turnin' no sea lawyer, be you, Mr. Slocum?
From Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.