blow the whistle
blow the whistle — 慣用語
1. to report dishonest, illegal, or harmful activities that are happening within a
揭發；檢舉
向公眾或當局揭發內部不法行為
to report dishonest, illegal, or harmful activities that are happening within a company, organization, or government department to the public or to people in authority, especially when those involved have tried to keep the activities hidden
Theo blew the whistle on the factory after managers ignored safety violations for months.
Theo 揭發了這家工廠，因為管理階層無視安全違規長達數月之久。
blow the whistle on [organization/group] — target of the report
A nurse at the city hospital blew the whistle when she discovered that patients were being given expired medicine.
市立醫院一名護理師發現病患被施打過期藥品後，便吹哨揭發了此事。
blow the whistle when [clause of discovery]
Workers who blow the whistle on safety problems often risk losing their jobs or facing other forms of punishment.
針對安全問題吹哨的員工，往往面臨失業或其他形式的懲處風險。
The newspaper investigation helped Ana blow the whistle on corruption inside the local city council.
那家報社的調查報導幫助 Ana 揭發了地方市議會的貪腐問題。
help [person] blow the whistle on [target]
After gathering evidence, the financial officer blew the whistle to the national tax authority.
在蒐集證據後，該財務主管向國家稅務機關吹哨檢舉。
blow the whistle to [authority] — recipient of the report
- blow the whistle on [person/organization]
- blow the whistle to [authority]
- blow the whistle over [issue/incident]
- blow the whistle about [practice/activity]
- expose
more general — can refer to revealing any secret or problem, not necessarily through official channels
- inform on
more informal and sometimes negative — suggests betraying a trust or group loyalty
- report
the most general term — can describe telling anyone in authority about anything, not just hidden wrongdoing
- cover up
to hide or prevent the discovery of wrongdoing, the opposite of revealing it
文法句型
blow the whistle on [person/organization]
blow the whistle to [authority/police/media]
blow the whistle on [person/organization] to [authority]
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'on' to indicate the person, organization, or practice being reported. The person who blows the whistle is called a 'whistleblower'. This idiom is most common in news reports and discussions about corporate fraud, government misconduct, or workplace safety violations. The corresponding noun form 'whistleblowing' refers to the act itself.