Hope me, Humbert Humbert!

July 5, 2006 11:06 PM

Slang term for statutory rape laws?

... "Blue laws" are the ones pertaining to store hours on Sundays. I could have sworn "regulations forbidding relations with jailbait" had a similarly informal phrase.
Note: I am not a pederast, just a writer.

posted by Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson to Law & Government (21 answers total)

not exactly what you're asking, but "Romeo and Juliet laws" are laws that allow technically statutory rape if the kids are within a certian age range of each other (like the guy is 18 and the girl is 16).
posted by falconred at 11:09 PM on July 5, 2006

This probably isn't what you're asking for either, but I've heard a humorous phrase regarding statuatory rape laws a few times now: "Fifteen will get you twenty."
posted by the_bone at 11:16 PM on July 5, 2006

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge?
posted by sourwookie at 11:19 PM on July 5, 2006

I've heard "stat" used a couple times in the wild, but that's it.
posted by cortex at 11:21 PM on July 5, 2006

cradle robbing laws? haha. no .. really.
posted by sunshinesky at 12:01 AM on July 6, 2006

protecting the pitch?

from the schoolboyish cricketing metaphor, "if there's grass on the wicket, it's ok to play"
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:03 AM on July 6, 2006

Courtesy of the Urban Dictionary, there's grooming, referring to Web trolling for minors. Also, some terms referring to the perps/victims:
- hard candy (See also)
- do an R. Kelly
- short eyes
posted by rob511 at 12:10 AM on July 6, 2006

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge?

No.
posted by grouse at 12:22 AM on July 6, 2006

Hammer slammer
posted by zackdog at 12:42 AM on July 6, 2006

Think James Ellroy uses "statch" quite a lot.

Er... and Irvine Welsh uses "stoat the baw", god only knows what that translates as.
posted by bifter at 1:20 AM on July 6, 2006

UbuRoivas, that's been adapted in the US as "If there's grass on the field, play ball."

I feel dirty.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:16 AM on July 6, 2006

"if there's grass on the wicket, it's ok to play"

Which is soooo much classier than the one I used to hear at school. "Old enough to bleed, bleeding old enough"
posted by twine42 at 5:03 AM on July 6, 2006

"Old enough to bleed, old enough to breed" in the US.
posted by daveleck at 5:40 AM on July 6, 2006

"Get there before the hair."

(Don't.)
posted by Zozo at 5:58 AM on July 6, 2006

age of consent laws
posted by xueexueg at 6:31 AM on July 6, 2006

Fifteen will get you twenty. (As in a twenty year sentence.)
posted by hydrophonic at 7:20 AM on July 6, 2006

If there's grass play ball, if there's not play in the mud.
posted by geoff. at 8:14 AM on July 6, 2006

"old enough to bleed, old enough to butcher" cringe indeed
posted by AllesKlar at 8:52 AM on July 6, 2006

"Old enough to bleed, old enough to breed" - daveleck

Well that's plain old true, if undesireable.
posted by raedyn at 9:06 AM on July 6, 2006

When referring to the act itself, we always used to say, "Oh, he got busted for statutory." I once heard someone refer to the actual law as "the angry mother law" because many statutory charges were brought up by parents who were angry at their child's boyfriend. I have no idea if it was widespread slang, or just his attempt at being clever.
posted by christinetheslp at 1:19 PM on July 6, 2006

It's probably too dated to be helpful, but "San Quentin Quail" used to refer to an underage female. (Hence the origin of Groucho Marx's character "S. Quentin Quale" in 1940's Go West.)
posted by pmurray63 at 8:43 PM on July 6, 2006