The Slang Dictionary > hook or by crook


"hook or by crook" Definition

  1. by fair means or foul—in allusion to the hook with which footpads used to steal from open windows, &c., and from which HOOK, to take or steal, has been derived. Mentioned in _Hudibras_ as a cant term.

More About hook or by crook

Position in the dictionary: 1685 of 4022 slang words.
Next words in the dictionary: hook um snivey, hookey walker!, hooks, hop, hop merchant, hop o’ my thumb, hop the twig, hopping giles, hoppo, hornswoggle
Previous words in the dictionary: hook it, hook, honour bright, honey blobs, honest shilling, hondey, homo, holy land, holy joe, hollow

The Slang Dictionary's Entry for hook or by crook

Read The Slang Dictionary's historical definition of the slang word "hook or by crook" on this page. Also learn other useful information about "hook or by crook", including the position in the dictionary and the next and previous terms to be discovered.