Watching brief

The meaning of the phrase

Instructions given to someone to observe a situation.

About the author

Gary Martin

Founder and creator of Phrases.org.uk

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

More about Gary →

Editorial accuracy

Every entry on this site is researched, written, and reviewed by a named editor. Send a correction or an observation: missing citations, earlier printed uses, and first-hand anecdotes are all welcome. Accepted submissions are published on the page under Reader notes, attributed to you.

Submit a note

Categorised in

A list of phrases about crime and the law

Editorial accuracy

Every entry on this site is researched, written, and reviewed by a named editor. Send a correction or an observation: missing citations, earlier printed uses, and first-hand anecdotes are all welcome. Accepted submissions are published on the page under Reader notes, attributed to you.

Submit a note

Home
Meanings
Watching brief

PhraseFinder

The meanings and origins of phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions.

Add to preferred sources

Browse

Meanings
Idioms
Phrase thesaurus
Famous last words
Quotes
Forum

About

About Us
Timeline
Contact Us
Help & Support
Phrase Research
Editorial Policy

Legal

GDPR policy
Cookie policy
Privacy policy
Accessibility
Disclaimer
Terms
Sitemap