philadelphia lawyer
Preserved but no longer current.
A lawyer of outstanding ability, with a keen scent for the weaknesses in an adversary's case and a thorough know- ledge of the intricacies of the law. "You will have to get a Philadelphia lawyer to solve that" is a familiar American phrase.
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 “philadelphia lawyer” mean?
A lawyer of outstanding ability, with a keen scent for the weaknesses in an adversary's case and a thorough know- ledge of the intricacies of the law. "You will have to get a Philadelphia lawyer to solve that" is a familiar American phrase.
Is “philadelphia lawyer” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.