by hook or by crook

Cultural  

1. By whatever means possible, fair or unfair: “Polly was determined to get an A on the exam by hook or by crook.”

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Example Sentences

Seemingly, all the children of the Valley are being shuttled by their parents toward Stanford, where they will matriculate by hook or by crook.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Still, by hook or by crook, I do hope we eventually tear down the decaying rental infrastructure in order to rebuild a rental car system that is several degrees saner than the one we’ve inherited.

From Slate • Jul. 28, 2023

"I'm going to have to hope we can get on some kind of train or get to Liverpool somehow by hook or by crook," he adds.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2022

Theater may still be a fraud but, by hook or by crook, it’s going to be her fraud.

From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2021

Another way of saying you don’t know what you’ve got. by hook or by crook.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner