Shy
Search results
Learn the meaning and usage of the idiom by hook or by crook, which means by any method possible. See examples from the Hansard archive and other sources.
By hook or by crook" is an English phrase meaning "by any means necessary", suggesting that any means possible should be taken to accomplish a goal. The phrase was first recorded in the Middle English Controversial Tracts of John Wyclif in 1380.
Learn the meaning and origin of the phrase 'by hook or by crook', which means to do something by whatever means are necessary. Find out the possible sources of the expression and how to use it in sentences.
Learn the meaning and usage of the phrase 'by hook or by crook', which means by any means, honest or dishonest. See synonyms, examples, and related terms from Collins dictionaries.
Jun 30, 2024 · Here’s a breakdown: “by” sounds like /baɪ/, similar to “buy”; “hook” is /hʊk/, rhyming with “book”; “or” is /ɔːr/, like “for” with a slightly rounded “o” sound; “by” is /baɪ/ again; and “crook” is /krʊk/, which also rhymes with “book.”.
by hook or by crook. If you say you will do something by hook or by crook, you mean that you will find a way to do it, even if it is difficult or involves dishonest methods. He would have to see her again by hook or by crook. He is determined to hang on to power by hook or by crook.
By hook or by crook. A very old expression dates from the 14th century. Misguidedly, it has come to mean by fair means or foul because the word crook is mistakenly associated with crooked as in criminal or underhand. The expression is first mentioned in the works of John Wycliffe c. 1380 and Spenser uses it in The Faerie Queene (1590-96).
