Etymology

orders are orders

Today it means: Used wryly when someone attempts to justify questionable actions by referring to rules, laws or orders from higher up. Full definition →

German Befehl ist Befehl
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. German · calque ofBefehl ist Befehl“order is order”
  2. English todayorders are orders

Calque of German Befehl ist Befehl (“order is order”), used as a defence during the Nuremberg trials (see Nuremberg defense).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.