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Crescendo of crimes

/krəˈʃɛn.doʊ əv kraɪmz/

noun phraseB2

Definition

"Crescendo" is a word from music that describes a sound getting louder and stronger step by step. When we say "crescendo of crimes," it means crimes are happening more often or becoming more serious over time, growing until they reach a peak or a very serious level.

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⚡ See It in Action

A gradual increase in the number or seriousness of crimes

  • •The city experienced a crescendo of crimes over the summer months.
  • •Police warned about a crescendo of crimes before the holidays.
  • •Residents felt unsafe because of the crescendo of crimes in their neighborhood.

🧲 Make It Stick

  • ✓Think of "crescendo" like "grow" or "increase," but for sounds or actions that get stronger and stronger.
  • ✓Picture a music band playing softly at first, then the music gets louder and louder until it is very loud and powerful.
  • ✓It's like feeling worry growing inside you when you hear about more and more bad things happening.
  • ✓Sounds like "crash-END-oh" → Imagine a crash that gets louder and louder until it is very loud and strong.
  • ✓Think of a story where small problems slowly become bigger problems until they cause a big crisis.
  • ✓NOT like a single crime happening once — "crescendo of crimes" means many crimes are increasing over time.
  • ✓NOT like "crime wave" which means many crimes happening suddenly; crescendo is more about a gradual rise.
  • ✓NOT like "peak crime" which is the highest point only; crescendo is the process of rising to that peak.

🔄 Try Other Words

  • •Rise: a general increase (Use when the increase is steady but not necessarily dramatic)
  • •Surge: a sudden strong increase (Use when the crimes increase very quickly and powerfully)
  • •Escalation: a process of becoming more serious (Use when the crimes become more dangerous or intense over time)

🔍 Unboxing

  • •"crescendo" comes from Italian, meaning "growing" or "increasing" in music
  • •"of" is a preposition linking the two words
  • •"crimes" is the plural of "crime," meaning illegal acts
  • •The phrase combines a musical term with a social problem to describe a growing problem
  • •First used in English to describe sounds, later used metaphorically to describe any gradual increase

💭 Reflect & Connect

•How can the idea of a "crescendo" help us understand other problems that grow slowly over time?
•Can a "crescendo of crimes" happen in a small community, or does it only happen in big cities? Why?

Fill in the blanks with the correct word:

1.The police noticed a crescendo of crimes ___ the summer, with more reports each week.
2.A crescendo of crimes often causes residents to feel ___ and worried about safety.
3.Unlike a sudden spike, a crescendo of crimes means the problem ___ slowly over time.
4.The phrase "crescendo of crimes" uses a musical word to show how crime levels ___.
5.When there is a crescendo of crimes, authorities usually try to ___ the situation before it gets worse.
6.A crescendo of crimes is different from a crime wave because it is more ___ and gradual.
7.If a neighborhood experiences a crescendo of crimes, we can infer that the problem is ___ and growing.