Meanings
- idiomaticalmost always preceded by theThe influence or effectiveness of law enforcement institutions; law enforcement officers collectively.
The long arm of the law does not protect banks the way it used to.
1979 September 3, “Pass the Buck”, in TIME, archived from the original on 01 Sep 20102 more examples
It is my belief that I could have felt no greater dismay, if the long arm of the Law had laid its hold on me while he was speaking.
1889, Wilkie Collins, chapter 60, in The Legacy of Cain"Repeat violent offenders will hopscotch over state lines to avoid the long arm of the law," said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
2008 September 12, Lisa Rein, “Jurisdictions Share Data on Ex-Offenders”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 09 Oct 2015
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 法網 /法网, 網羅 /网罗
- 法網 /法网 (wǎngluó)influence or effectiveness of law enforcement
- 網羅 /网罗 (fǎwǎng)influence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Danish lovens lange arm
- lovens lange arminfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Dutch lange arm der wet
- lange arm der wetinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Finnish lain pitkä koura, lain koura
- lain pitkä kourainfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
- lain kourainfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
German Rechtspflege
- Rechtspflegeinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Greek τσιμπίδα του νόμου
- τσιμπίδα του νόμου (tsimpída tou nómou)influence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Italian braccio della legge
- braccio della leggeinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Norwegian Bokmål lovens lange arm
- lovens lange arminfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Polish wymiar sprawiedliwości
- wymiar sprawiedliwościinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Romanian brațul legii, brațul lung al legii
- brațul legiiinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
- brațul lung al legiiinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Spanish brazo de la ley
- brazo de la leyinfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Swedish lagens långa arm
- lagens långa arminfluence or effectiveness of law enforcement
Cite this entry
long arm of the law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20arm%20of%20the%20law
“long arm of the law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20arm%20of%20the%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “long arm of the law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20arm%20of%20the%20law.
Source: long arm of the law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.