Contempt of Court
Preserved but no longer current.
Refusing to conform to the rules of the law courts. Consequential contempt is that which tends to obstruct the business or lower the dignity of the court by indirection. Direct contempt is an open insult or resistance to the judge or others officially employed in the court.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Contempt of Court” mean?
Refusing to conform to the rules of the law courts. Consequential contempt is that which tends to obstruct the business or lower the dignity of the court by indirection. Direct contempt is an open insult or resistance to the judge or others officially employed in the court.
Is “Contempt of Court” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.