Guards were in cahoots with the robbers..

The bank guards were in cahoots with the robbers otherwise such a daring robbery in broad daylight could not have been possible

The sure shot way to possess excellent English communication skills is to keep improving daily. Learn something new everyday and very soon you would be able to surprise yourself with your own progress. In this post, we discuss a cool, rather musical phrase – be in cahoots.

Being in cahoots means playing a part into conspiring for something. The Hindi equivalent would be साठगाँठ होना. It usually denotes collaborating and planning together for something evil or sinister. Thus, planning a business together would not usually come under being in cahoots but planning a bank robbery would.

Let’s take some examples:

1. The top politician, heavily protected by SPG and black cat commandos was assassinated in broad day light. Everyone believes that someone from his inner circle was in cahoots with the killers otherwise they could never have had such precise information about his timings and location.
2. Investigations revealed that Pakistan in cahoots with Dawood Ibrahim and other anti India forces planned on the 1993 Bombay blasts.
3. Corrupt politicians operate in cahoots with corrupt bureaucrats. When the objectives are the same and intention to amass as much ill gotten wealth, neta-babu nexus can be a deadly combination.
4. Some of his own bodyguards were in cahoots with the rival ganglord but whatever be the reason. The fact remains that the once powerful don was killed like a hapless dog near the biggest garbage dump outside the city.

A fairly common phrase in newspapers reports and news analyses, it is a stylish way to say, “were partners in planning and collaborating for this evil act”.

Let’s close with some more examples:

1. The company boss was in cahoots with the auditors and together they fudged the accounts and embezzled crores of rupees.
2. Some cops were in cahoots with the robbers otherwise such a daring assault on a busy bank in day light would not have been possible.