American English – Why ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ Not ‘Grand Auto Theft’?

american-englishlegaleseterminology

There is a video game series called "Grand Theft Auto".

According to its Wikipedia page:

The name of the series references the term used in the US for motor
vehicle theft.

[…]

Motor vehicle theft or, grand theft auto, is the criminal act of
stealing or attempting to steal a car (or any other motor vehicle).

I always wondered why this term sounds so strange.

  • Shouldn't it be "grand auto theft" or maybe "grand theft of auto" instead?
  • Are there any other terms with strange words order and/or missing prepositions like this?

Best Answer

The term is "grand theft" and the category it goes into (based on what is being stolen) is "auto".

Grand theft, also called grand larceny, designates theft that is large in magnitude or serious in penological consequences. Grand theft is contrasted with petty theft, theft that is of smaller magnitude or lesser seriousness.

What constitutes "grand theft" depends on the states. In California, which is where the games tend to be set, "grand theft" is defined as stealing something valued at over $950.

Grand theft is committed when the value of stolen property exceeds $950. Theft is also considered grand theft when more than $250 in crops or marine life-forms are stolen, “when the property is taken from the person of another,” or when the property stolen is an automobile, farm animal, or firearm. There are a number of criminal statutes in the California Penal Code defining grand theft in different amounts. Most common amount is $950.

This is in contrast to "petty theft".

If it helps, imagine that there's a comma or a dash between "theft" and "auto" and that it's an item on a list, not a full phrase.

  • Grand theft, auto
  • Grand theft - auto
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