hanged for a sheep as a lamb, might as well be
Might just as well be punished for a big misdeed as a small one. For example, I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb and have a third piece of cake—I've gone off my diet anyhow. Already a proverb in John Ray's 1678 collection, this expression alludes to the old punishment for stealing sheep, which was hanging no matter what the age or size of the animal.
Words Nearby hanged for a sheep as a lamb, might as well be
- hangbird
- hang by a thread
- Hangchow
- hangdog
- hanged, drawn, and quartered
- hanged for a sheep as a lamb, might as well be
- hanger
- hanger-on
- hangfire
- hang glider
- hang gliding
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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