Perry Mason moment

English

Etymology

From the fictional lawyer Perry Mason, based on novels by Erle Stanley Gardner.

Noun

Perry Mason moment (plural Perry Mason moments)

1. A moment during legal or judicial proceedings when evidence or other information, usually unknown to most present, is introduced into the record in a manner seen as determinative of the outcome of the proceedings regardless of whatever else occurs.

References

• New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory Reader, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun and Thomas Keenan, eds.; Pscyhology Press, 2006, p. 145. "For example, one dramatic encounter in the first Menendez brothers trial became known as the "Perry Mason moment" of that trial—a moment at which the prosecutors, just like the famed lawyer of that designated television show, manipulated Erik Menendez into revealing a lie he had made on the stand."
• Keyes, Ralph (2010). I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech. Macmillan. p. 203. "Perry Mason was a resourceful lawyer who generally pulled his client's chestnuts out of the fire at the last minute with some deftly posed question or just-discovered piece of evidence. The many times this happened inspired common references to a Perry Mason moment, a dramatic denouement during legal proceedings when everything becomes clear."