retail eavesdropping n.— «Some might picture an agent climbing a telephone pole and attaching a wire to a telephone line, but such a technique, called retail eavesdropping, is only useful for going after one phone line at a time.» —“NSA Rolls with...
sky watchtower n.— «“It allows you to see over a large area,” said Chief Carlos Gomez, a Police Department executive officer for northern Queens, who estimated that the camera was capturing images 300 yards away. He had joined Officer Solano in one...
slipping n.— «In the old days, lookouts had to run several blocks to relay their surveillance information; now it’s relayed in a matter of seconds. And it’s not just the whereabouts of a potential murder victim, it’s whether the potential victim is...
dick v.— «Last summer, officers said that they were convinced that British troops were being expertly “dicked”—kept under surveillance—by unknown hostile elements intent on working out their patterns of movement and response to incidents.» —“Basra...
dick v. to watch or to keep under surveillance. Editorial Note: There are also, of course, a wide variety of sex-related slang homonyms that are well-covered elsewhere. Etymological Note: The Historical Dictionary of American Slang attributes this...
dicking v.— «The group complains that the practice of “dicking”—terrorist surveillance of the homes and movements of serving or retired members of the security forces, to keep them as potential targets—remains widespread.» —“Ulster victims’ story...
