English · Idiom Candidate

file off the serial numbers

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To modify something to conceal its origin or source

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

sửa đổi thứ gì đó để che giấu nguồn gốc hoặc xuất xứ của nó

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: remove identifying marks

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

They filed off the serial numbers and resold the stolen goods

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent mượn gió bẻ măng to fish in troubled waters Tiếng Việt Near equivalent nước đục thả câu to fish in troubled waters Tiếng Việt Near equivalent thừa nước đục thả câu to fish in troubled waters Tiếng Việt Near equivalent fish in troubled waters To take advantage of a confusing or uncertain situation English · via mượn gió bẻ măng

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Common questions

What does “file off the serial numbers” mean?

To modify something to conceal its origin or source Literally: remove identifying marks

Is “file off the serial numbers” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“mượn gió bẻ măng” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.