lilywhite

n. a person without a police record; someone who does not trigger suspicions; a clean-skin. Subjects: English, Crime & Prisons, Police, Jargon

Editorial Note: This is a more specific sense of the adjectival form of lily-white ‘lacking faults or imperfections; beyond reproach.’

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Citations: 1992 Richard Ford, Stewart Tendler Times (London, England) (Apr. 23) “RUC is strongest thread in web spun to destroy the IRA”: Ever-tighter IRA internal security and the organisation’ use of “lily whites,” activists with little or no known history of involvement in violence who keep their distance from the Irish community in Britain, have been given as reasons for the recent successes of the IRA’s mainland campaign. 1993 Stewart Tendler Times (London, England) (Feb. 11) “Hidden camera recorded invisible quartermaster”: He epitomised the new breed of undercover operator, dubbed “lilywhites” because they have no criminal record linking them to terrorism, and who rouse little suspicion. 2000 John Sweeney Observer (U.K.) (July 9) “Menace of ‘clean-skin’ drug dealers” p. 16: They use public transport, not Ferraris, pay their rent and council tax on time, hold down a boring job and never get in trouble with the law. These are the “clean skins” or “lilywhites”—the new drugs traffickers who dwarf the activities of the old English crime “families.” 2004 Robert S. Leiken @ Committee on House International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights (Congressional Testimony by Federal Document Clearing House) (June 16) “Visa Waiver Program And Terrorist Screening”: We should make no mistake: the recruitment of women, converts, lily-whites and other Western faces is aimed at the United States. 2005 Daniel McGrory The Australian (July 14) “The call that cracked the case”: What became quickly obvious was that neither MI5 nor MI6 knew anything about these four. They were, in the vernacular of counter-terror officers, “lilywhites.”

Posted 25 May 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

What is the significance of the word “lilywhite” in the title and lyrics of the song by Cat Stevens? As far as I know, he is neither Irish nor a terrorist. Would anyone investigate?

by lilywhite 14 Aug 06, 0743 GMT