gang / boards
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gang
A group of people who carry out criminal or illegal activities together.
Die Polizei konnte die gesamte Bande nach monatelangen Ermittlungen festnehmen.
The police were able to arrest the entire gang after months of investigation.
boards
The side boundary of a playing area, for example in ice hockey, billiards, or a gymnasium.
Der Eishockeyspieler wurde hart gegen die Bande gecheckt.
The ice hockey player was checked hard into the boards.
bunch
Colloquial and often slightly derogatory or joking for a group of children or young people.
Die ganze Bande aus der Nachbarschaft spielte im Park Fußball.
The whole bunch from the neighborhood played soccer in the park.
When 'Bande' (gang) is used in the context of crime, words like 'Polizei' (police), 'festnehmen' (to arrest), 'kriminell' (criminal), 'Diebstahl' (theft), or 'Raub' (robbery) often appear in the same sentence or text.
Die Polizei hat drei Mitglieder der Diebesbande verhaftet.
The police arrested three members of the gang of thieves.
In a sports context, you can recognize this meaning from sports such as 'Eishockey' (ice hockey) or 'Billard' (billiards). A typical preposition is 'gegen' (against), as in 'gegen die Bande fahren' (to skate/crash into the boards) or 'gegen die Bande stoßen' (to bump into the boards).
Der Puck prallte von der Bande zurück ins Spielfeld.
The puck bounced off the boards back into the playing area.
The use of 'Bande' (bunch/gang) for a group of children or friends is colloquial. The tone can be slightly negative, but also affectionate and joking.
Was hat diese laute Bande schon wieder angestellt?
What has this noisy bunch been up to again?
hallway / course / gear
Gang refers here to a room in a building, not to a group of people. Bande, by contrast, refers to a criminal group or, colloquially, to a group of children or young people. The article and the sentence context therefore show whether a place or a group is meant.
Die Jugendlichen nennen sich scherzhaft eine wilde Bande.
The teenagers jokingly call themselves a wild bunch.
Die Jugendlichen warten im Gang vor dem Proberaum.
The teenagers are waiting in the hallway outside the rehearsal room.
