modus operandi

plural modi operandi · plural modus operandis

1. colloquialA person or thing's normal mode of operation.

   Failing that, if contact was absolutely necessary, a series of thumb jabs to the nerve cluster at the base of the neck would be his chosen modus operandi—quiet as a whisper.

   2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, pages 92–93

   1 more example

   Where is it? What does SCP-3125 look like? Its motivation, its origins, its modus operandi— how much of that can be known? Does it have to be known, to solve the problem? Does it matter how intelligent the intelligence is, once it's inside the box, once it's checkmated?

   2019 December 9, qntm, “Wild Light”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 191

2. governmentA known criminal's established habits and mode of work when committing specific offences, especially fraud, matched with characteristics of an unsolved crime to narrow down (limit to a specific list) or profile suspects.