Meanings
alternative by hook and by crook
- idiomaticBy any means possible; one way or another.First known use 14th c.
She was determined to win the contract by hook or by crook.
5 more examples
Nor wyll suffre this boke / By hoke ne by croke / Prynted for to be, […]
1521–1522, John Skelton, “Here after Followeth a Litel Boke Called Colyn Cloute, […]”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: […], volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 359, lines 1239–1241Some out of that inſatiable deſire of filthy lucre, to enrich themſelues, care not hovv they come by it, per fas & nefas [by right and wrong], hooke or crooke, ſo they haue it.
1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Loue of Learning, or Overmuch Study. With a Digression of the Misery of Schollers, and Why the Muses are Melancholy.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 1, section 2, member 3, subsection 15, page 179Novv if you could put us in a vvay, by hook or by crook, to get her out of the convent—
1776 (first performance), Samuel Foote, “A Trip to Calais”, in [George] Colman, editor, A Trip to Calais; a Comedy […] To which is Annexed, The Capuchin; […] Altered from the Trip to Calais, […], London: […] T. Sherlock, for T[homas] Cadell, […], published 1778, →OCLC, Act II, scene [i], page 35P.S. I hope you will be enabled by hook or by crook, to send B—— and H——, together with a certain Mr. Guthrie, to Philadelphia, for their winter quarters.
1794 October 26 (date written), George Washington, “Washington to [Alexander] Hamilton”, in John C[hurch] Hamilton, editor, The Works of Alexander Hamilton; Comprising His Correspondence, and His Political and Official Writings, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: John F[owler] Trow, […], published 1851, →OCLC, page 45Thus, by diverse little make shifts, in that ingenious way which is commonly denominated "by hook and by crook," the worthy pedagogue got on tolerably enough, and was thought, by all those who undersood nothing of the labour of headwork, to have a wonderful easy life of it.
1820 March 5, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number VI, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, pages 62–63Synonyms: at all costs, by any means, by fair means or foul, no matter what, whatever it takes, with hook or crook
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseBy any means possible; one way or another.
Origin
- Middle Englishwiþ hok or crok, wiþ hook or wiþ crok
- Englishby hook or by crook
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.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan de grat o per força, de tota manera
- de grat o per forçaby any means possible
- de tota maneraby any means possible
Danish koste hvad det vil, med hiv og sving
- koste hvad det vilby any means possible
- med hiv og svingby any means possible
Finnish keinolla millä hyvänsä, puukoin ja puntarein
- keinolla millä hyvänsäby any means possible
- puukoin ja puntareinby any means possible
French coûte que coûte, de gré ou de force
- coûte que coûteby any means possible
- de gré ou de forceby any means possible
- quoi qu'il en coûteby any means possible
German auf Biegen und Brechen, auf Teufel komm raus
- auf Biegen und Brechenby any means possible
- auf Teufel komm rausby any means possible
- mit Haken und Ösenby any means possible
- um jeden Preisby any means possible
Hungarian bármi áron, bármilyen eszközzel
- bármi áronby any means possible
- bármilyen eszközzelby any means possible
- ha törik, ha szakadby any means possible
- mindenáronby any means possible
Italian per amore o per forza
- per amore o per forzaby any means possible
Latin unde unde
- unde undeby any means possible
Polish nie przebierając w środkach
- nie przebierając w środkachby any means possible
Portuguese como for, por bem ou por mal
- como forby any means possible
- por bem ou por malby any means possible
Russian не мытьём, так ка́таньем, все́ми пра́вдами и непра́вдами
- не мытьём, так ка́таньем (ne mytʹjóm, tak kátanʹjem)by any means possible
- все́ми пра́вдами и непра́вдами (vsémi právdami i neprávdami)by any means possible
Scottish Gaelic a dh'olc no a dh'èiginn, olc no èiginn
- a dh'olc no a dh'èiginnby any means possible
- olc no èiginnby any means possible
Spanish de grado o por fuerza, de una forma u otra
- de grado o por fuerzaby any means possible
- de una forma u otraby any means possible
- por todos los mediosby any means possible
Swedish på ett eller annat sätt, på ett eller ett annat sätt
- på ett eller annat sättby any means possible
- på ett eller ett annat sättby any means possible
- på ett sätt eller annatby any means possible
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with by hook or by crook
Cite this entry
by hook or by crook. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook
“by hook or by crook.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “by hook or by crook,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20hook%20or%20by%20crook.
Source: by hook or by crook on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.