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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 297. The idiom today is by hook or by

  • crook. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone says that he or she will

  • do something by hook or by crook, he or she means they will do it in any way

  • possible. Either in a fair way or an unfair way, or

  • by legal or illegal means. It especially suggests that one is willing to cross

  • the line and do something illegal or immoral just to make sure that they can

  • get this thing because they want it that badly or they need to get it that badly.

  • So they'll do it by hook or by crook. Either way they would probably prefer to,

  • prefer to do it legally or you know, in a fair way but if they couldn't they have

  • no problem with doing it in the unfair way or the illegal way. All right. Let's

  • continue. There are a few theories about the origin but several are questionable.

  • Some of the others are questionable, especially because the the dates are a

  • little late. You know I think the phrase was around before that time and there

  • was hardly anything to back them up. So this one I think is probably the best

  • one. So let's let's continue here. The one that seems to be the most likely refers

  • back to a custom during the 1300s or 1400s in which commoners ... you know like

  • when there's a king. The regular people referred to as commoners were allowed to

  • take deadwood from the Kings forest. Technically , it was believed to be the

  • king ... it was believed the King owed the forest. The whole forest including

  • the trees and anything in it. the king was gracious enough you know,

  • generous, enough nice enough, to allow the peasants to take that wood for firewood.

  • So they take this wood that's already dead and they can use it to heat their

  • homes. Most peasants would pull down the wood with

  • a Reapers billhook. You know, like the reaper you know the grim reaper. So like

  • one of those. Or a shepherd's crook. Yeah. If you ever seen the old shepherd you

  • know, yeah. He has kind of that staff That goes around and kind of curves. So they

  • might use either one of those two. Thus the term by hook or crook was born. So

  • either by the billhook or the shepherd's crook. Okay. And we just have a couple of

  • examples here. That political party is trying to find a way to take down the

  • president by hook or by crook. Yeah. If they could try to make it a legal way,

  • they'll do that. But if they can't they have no problems crossing the line

  • and maybe doing it in an unfair or illegal way. Or again number two. That

  • host country for the Olympics wants to make sure they will win a large amount

  • of medals. Yeah. Most countries that hold the Olympics, they

  • want to do well because you know they're in front of their own people. So they

  • usually try harder to make sure that they get more medals that time than they

  • normally would. Either by hook or by crook. They are seriously training their

  • athletes. Maybe they're putting more money into it to compete but they are

  • also willing to bribe judges if necessary. So they're willing to do it by

  • hook or by crook. Okay. Anyway, I hope you got it. I hope it was clear. Thank you for your

  • time. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 297. The idiom today is by hook or by

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