usual suspects

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English

Noun

Template:en-plural noun

  1. The people, often scapegoats, routinely arrested in response to a crime.
  2. (by extension, informal) The people or things that would be routinely expected to appear in a particular context.
    • 2014 September 29, Matt A.V. Chaban, “A Bid to Make the Park Lane Hotel a Landmark, but Not by the Usual Suspects”, in New York Times[1]:
      And yet a quiet campaign is in the works to secure landmark protection for the 46-story limestone and glass tower. It is not being led by the usual suspects, like preservationists, community groups or politicians.
    • 2016 March 9, Hugh Schofield, “France unions and youths protest against labour reforms”, in BBC News[2]:
      It was - to be only a little bit unfair - all the usual suspects at the Paris demo. Trotskyite students chanting against the patriarchy; anarchists; grizzled veterans of '68; plenty of pensioners; theatre-workers. In other words the regular left-wing alphabetti-spaghetti.

Synonyms