off the hook

Idioms  

1. Also,. Released (or be released) from blame or annoying obligation, as in He was out of town during the robbery so he was off the book, or I don't know how the muggers got off the hook, or Once they found the real culprit, they let Mary off the hook. This idiom alludes to the fish that manages to free itself from the angler's hook and get away. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off the hook

None of that is to say the Newsoms are off the hook in a federal investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

Tuttle doesn’t want to let his audience off the hook when the credits roll, nor should he.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

"You know, the regulator's off the hook, the operator's off the hook, the manufacturer's off the hook. And that's why you have to push back against it so hard."

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

But the belated potential dumping of Mr. Khan shouldn’t let the ICC off the hook.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

He was only interested in the results of the sale, knowing that his previous nineteen thousand, nine hundred fifty boxes had been sold and he was off the hook.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

Related Words

• able
• at large
• clear
• easy
• independent
• loose
• open
• unfettered
• unrestricted