wire-tap, n.
(ˈwaɪətæp)
[Back-formation from next.]
An act of tapping a telephone line, esp. as a form of surveillance; also, the device by which this is done.
| 1955 H. Roth Sleeper xiv. 113 He had..refrained from any discussion of wire taps or followers. 1963 L. Deighton Horse under Water xvii. 72 He has R.N. Signals Gibraltar doing a wire-tap job on me. 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 11 July 7-a/1 Agents risked doing such things as roughing up antiwar radicals or placing illegal wiretaps. 1978 S. Brill Teamsters iii. 103 The wiretaps were to end on March 6. 1982 H. Kissinger Years of Upheaval iv. 103 The next morning it became apparent that Nixon had been talking about the wiretap records. |