long arm

American  

noun

1. a long pole fitted with any of various devices, as a hook or clamp, for performing tasks otherwise out of reach.

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long arm British  

noun

1. power, esp far-reaching power

   the long arm of the law

2. to reach out for something, as from a sitting position

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Example Sentences

“Our air force is our insurance policy. It is our long arm but also our quickest and most effective response to most situations,” said Eyal Hulata, former head of Israel’s National Security Council and now a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Unless those buyers can entirely evade the U.S. financial system and the long arm of the Treasury, transactions with the firms would place them in jeopardy.

From Barron's

The nation’s multilayered historical background has been variously stamped by a basic Arabic heritage, ineradicable remnants of protracted Ottoman Turkish rule and the long arm of the British colonial empire.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The long arm of the law is catching up with Yahya Jammeh’s accomplices all around the world, and hopefully will soon catch up with Jammeh himself,” he said.

From Seattle Times

“The trial demonstrates that no matter what, the long arm of justice can always catch the perpetrator,” Ceesay told The Associated Press.

From Seattle Times