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

He was impressed that Draper, working his way back to full sharpness after a long arm injury lay-off, managed to reach the last eight in Indian Wells.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

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 • Oct. 28, 2025

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 • Oct. 24, 2025

During the 1950s and ’60s, the long arm of AM radio brought both into her home.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2023

But by pouring more mercury into the long arm of the tube, the pressure could be increased, forcing the air in the short arm to contract.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin