supergrass
English
Etymology
super- + grass, from grass, British/Irish slang word for an informer.
Noun
supergrass (plural supergrasses)
- An informer providing substantial quantities of information on criminal or terrorist activities to the police.
- 2000, D. Walsh, Bloody Sunday and the Rule of Law in Northern Ireland (page 241)
- In several cases the supergrass spent days in the witness box giving evidence of scores of offences allegedly committed by many individuals over a period of years.
- 2000, D. Walsh, Bloody Sunday and the Rule of Law in Northern Ireland (page 241)