indicting a ham sandwich

Verb

indict a ham sandwich (third-person singular simple present indicts a ham sandwich, present participle indicting a ham sandwich, simple past and past participle indicted a ham sandwich)

1. (US, excessive, humorous, idiomatic, intransitive, criminal law) Of a grand jury: to charge a person with a crime, despite a perceived lack of evidence.
   • Advocates of the grand jury say it is the only shield in the criminal justice system between police and prosecutors and the accused. […] But critics say the grand jury doesn't shield anybody because the prosecutor runs the show. "The district attorney could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich...1979 September 2, Nancy Monaghan, “Grand jury system—justice behind closed doors”, in Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.: Gannett Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, columns 1–2