Meaning & use
by hook and crook
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
By any method you can find, even a dishonest or unfair one, in order to get what you want.
Grammar: Used as an adverb phrase after a verb: get it by hook or by crook. It never takes an object directly.
Patterns
- get something by hook or by crook
- do something by hook or by crook
- by hook or by crook, someone does something
She was determined to get those concert tickets by hook or by crook.
He swore he would finish the report by hook or by crook before Friday.
By hook or by crook, the team found a way to pay for the trip.
phraseidiominformal
Used to say that a result will be achieved somehow, however difficult the situation looks.
Grammar: Often placed at the start of a sentence as a comment on the whole statement that follows.
Patterns
- by hook or by crook, something will happen
- something happens by hook or by crook
By hook or by crook, we will be at the airport by six.
The money will be raised by hook or by crook, the organizers promised.
Common combinations
- get something by hook or by crook
- They got the permit by hook or by crook in the end.
- by hook or by crook, we'll manage
- By hook or by crook, we'll manage to move house this month.
- determined to succeed by hook or by crook
- She was determined to succeed by hook or by crook.
- win by hook or by crook
- Some coaches will win by hook or by crook if the rules allow it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- by any means
- Neutral and a little more formal; it does not suggest trickery as strongly as this phrase does.
- somehow or other
- Focuses on the unknown method rather than on a willingness to bend the rules.
- by fair means or foul
- Very close in meaning, but it spells out the contrast between honest and dishonest methods.
Opposites
Commonly confused: by hook and crook or by crook?
by hook and crook vs by crook
This is not a fixed phrase on its own; the full idiom needs both 'hook' and 'crook' joined by 'or by' (or, informally, 'and').
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means using any method, including a dishonest one, so 'even copying answers' fits. Option 0 is grammatical but contradicts the idea of doing anything necessary, and option 3 reverses the fixed word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “by hook and crook”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.