by hook or by crook

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• Received-Pronunciation: /baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/
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• General-American: /baɪ ˈhʊk‿əɹ baɪ ˈkɹʊk/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ʊk
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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.

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Catalan: de grat o per força — by any means possible
• Catalan: de tota manera — by any means possible
• Danish: koste hvad det vil — by any means possible
• Danish: med hiv og sving — by any means possible
• Finnish: keinolla millä hyvänsä — by any means possible
• Finnish: puukoin ja puntarein — by any means possible
• French: coûte que coûte — by any means possible
• French: de gré ou de force — by any means possible
• French: quoi qu'il en coûte — by any means possible
• Galician: como for — by any means possible
• Galician: por calquer xeito — by any means possible
• German: auf Biegen und Brechen — by any means possible
• German: auf Teufel komm raus — by any means possible
• German: mit Haken und Ösen — by any means possible
• German: um jeden Preis — by any means possible
• Hungarian: bármi áron — by any means possible
• Hungarian: bármilyen eszközzel — by any means possible
• Hungarian: ha törik, ha szakad — by any means possible
• Hungarian: mindenáron — by any means possible
• Italian: per amore o per forza — by any means possible
• Latin: unde unde — by any means possible
• Khiamniungan Naga: thīehkǖmêikǜhò — by any means possible
• Polish: nie przebierając w środkach — by any means possible
• Portuguese: como for — by any means possible
• Portuguese: por bem ou por mal — by any means possible
• Russian: не мытьём, так ка́таньем (ne mytʹjóm, tak kátanʹjem) — by any means possible
• Russian: все́ми пра́вдами и непра́вдами (vsémi právdami i neprávdami) — by any means possible
• Scottish Gaelic: a dh'olc no a dh'èiginn — by any means possible
• Scottish Gaelic: olc no èiginn — by any means possible
• Spanish: de grado o por fuerza — by any means possible
• Spanish: de una forma u otra — by any means possible
• Spanish: por todos los medios — by any means possible
• Swedish: på ett eller annat sätt — by any means possible
• Swedish: på ett eller ett annat sätt — by any means possible
• Swedish: på ett sätt eller annat — by any means possible
• Telugu: ఏదో విధంగా (ēdō vidhaṅgā) — by any means possible