Concetti Chiave
- The term 'custody' signifies a legal right or responsibility to care for someone or something, often relating to children or valuable items.
- In a criminal context, 'custody' refers to police protection or imprisonment due to a criminal act, indicating law enforcement's responsibility over an individual.
- 'Keep safe' means protecting someone or something from harm or loss, often used with an intervening object to specify what is being protected.
- The phrase 'keep safe' can also apply to maintaining the confidentiality of secrets, ensuring information is not disclosed prematurely.
Definition of custody
The word custody means to protect or have responsibility for. In this case, custody is the legal right to take care of someone or something. It is usually used when talking about children, however, it can also be used to talk about things.
Ex: The court granted custody to the children's mother. Their father had not been part of their lives for a long time, so it made sense for them to live with her.
Ex: The bank's vault gave safe custody to my mother's antique ring. It was a family heirloom, and I wanted it protected.
Custody in criminal context
Custody can also refer to someone under police protection or a person being kept in prison. Law enforcement has responsibility for the person, usually due to a criminal act.
Ex: The teenager was taken into custody by a policeman when he was caught driving without a license. He was later released to his parents.
Ex: When the thief was caught he was immediately put into custody. He will spend several years in jail.
Meaning of keep safe
Keep safe means to protect something or someone from harm. It implies that there is reason to fear harm or loss. Often, the words in the phrase are separated by an object.
Ex: The babysitter promised that she would keep Jimmy safe. His parents were nervous because he'd never been swimming.
Ex: I was nervous about leaving my diamond earrings in the ship's safety deposit box, but the captain assured me that he would keep them safe.
Use of keep safe for secrets
Sometimes keep safe is used to talk about a secret. It means that you won't tell anyone the secret or give too much information about it.
Ex: I will make sure that your secret is kept safe. I will not tell anyone that you are pregnant until you are ready for people to know.
Ex: Can you keep my secret safe? I do not want anyone to find out that I am only sixteen and cannot drive.
Domande da interrogazione
- What does the term "custody" generally refer to, and how is it commonly used?
- How is the term "custody" used in a criminal context?
Custody refers to the legal right to take care of someone or something, often used in the context of children, but it can also apply to objects. For example, a court may grant custody of children to a parent, or a bank may provide safe custody for valuables.
In a criminal context, custody refers to someone being under police protection or kept in prison, typically due to a criminal act. For instance, a person caught committing a crime may be taken into custody by law enforcement.