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"Two separate offenses against the person that when used in one expression may be defined as any unlawful and unpermitted touching of another. Assault is an act that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent, harmful, or offensive contact. The act consists of a threat of harm accompanied by an apparent, present ability to carry out the threat. Battery is a harmful or offensive touching of another.
The main distinction between the two offenses is the existence or nonexistence of a touching or contact. While contact is an essential element of battery, there must be an absence of contact for assault. Sometimes assault is defined loosely to include battery."
Assault and Battery legal definition of Assault and Battery. Assault and Battery synonyms by the Free Online Law Dictionary.
NOW you've given a very good example of 2 criminal charges that are "SIMILAR but NOT the same thing" - Battery and Assault. Those distinctive thing makes a difference when it comes to sentencing.
But in previous post - I was responding to Steinhauer's post about "Threatening" and "Assault." Those 2 things are not similar at all in terms of law.