by hook or by crook
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by hook or by crook
- /baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/ UK
- /baɪ ˈhʊk‿əɹ baɪ ˈkɹʊk/ US
Rhymes with -ʊk
Where it comes from
From earlier by howke or crooke, by hoke ne by croke, etc., from Middle English wiþ hok or crok, wiþ hook or wiþ crok; further origin unknown. One suggestion is that the term is derived from the common of estovers, an ancient right in English law for tenants of land to gather dead wood on common land using blunt tools such as hooks and shepherd’s crooks.
phrase by hook and by crook
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By any means possible; one way or another.
She was determined to win the contract by hook or by crook.
Similar: at all costs, by any means, by fair means or foul, no matter what, whatever it takes, with hook or crook
Translations
Every language
prep_phrase by any means possible
| Español | de grado o por fuerza, de una forma u otra, por todos los medios |
|---|---|
| Português | como for, por bem ou por mal |
| Français | coûte que coûte, de gré ou de force, quoi qu'il en coûte |
| Deutsch | auf Biegen und Brechen, auf Teufel komm raus, mit Haken und Ösen, um jeden Preis |
| Italiano | per amore o per forza |
| Русский | не мытьём, так ка́таньем ne mytʹjóm, tak kátanʹjem, все́ми пра́вдами и непра́вдами vsémi právdami i neprávdami |
Talk about this word "by hook or by crook." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. by hook or by crook. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook "by hook or by crook." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook.Cite this
@misc{by_hook_or_by_crook_2026,
title = {by hook or by crook},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
