By Hook or by Crook: Meaning, Origin, and How to Use This Idiom

You have probably heard someone say they will get something done “by hook or by crook” — and wondered what hooks and crooks have to do with determination. The answer stretches back over 600 years, through medieval forests, Irish geography, and royal courtrooms. This guide covers the by hook or by crook meaning, its origin and etymology, how to use it correctly, and what it really tells us about the English language.

What Does “By Hook or by Crook” Mean?

Quick Answer 

“By hook or by crook” is an English idiom that means achieving a goal by any means necessary — fair or unfair, legal or not. It describes a person who is deeply determined to succeed no matter what obstacles stand in their way. The phrase carries a tone of strong resolve, and sometimes a hint of rule-bending.

The phrase sits somewhere between persistence and cunning. When someone says they will finish the project by hook or by crook, they are not just saying they will try hard. They are saying they will find a way — even if that way is unconventional.

Is “By Hook or by Crook” Positive or Negative?

It depends on context. In most everyday use, the phrase signals admirable determination and resourcefulness — qualities most people respect. However, in other contexts, it can imply willingness to bend the rules, which gives it a slightly shadowy edge. Think of it as neutral-to-positive in tone, but coloured by the situation.

How to Pronounce “By Hook or by Crook”

The phrase breaks down simply: by (/baɪ/) — hook (/hʊk/) — or (/ɔːr/) — by (/baɪ/) — crook (/krʊk/). The stress falls on hook and crook, which rhyme with each other and with the word “book.” That rhyming quality is actually part of why the phrase survived for centuries — more on that shortly.

Origin and Etymology: Where Does “By Hook or by Crook” Come From?

This is where things get genuinely fascinating — and honestly, a little contentious. The etymology (the study of where words and phrases come from) of this idiom is one of the most debated in the English language. Scholars at Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of Toronto have all weighed in.

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the phrase to at least 1380, making it one of the oldest surviving English idioms still in common use today.

The Earliest Recorded Uses (1380–1390)

The phrase first appears in Lollard tracts — religious pamphlets written by followers of the 14th-century reformer John Wycliffe. The Lollards criticised the Church for selling positions and spiritual rights, and they used the phrase to describe how corrupt clergy forced people to pay for everything — “with hook or with crook”.

Just a decade later, the English poet John Gower used a near-identical expression in his 1390 work Confessio Amantis — one of the great works of Middle English literature. He wrote that Covetousness used its two allies, False Witness and Perjury, to make their master win “what with hepe and what with croke” — “hepe” being the medieval name for a curved billhook (a cutting tool with a hooked blade).

Theory 1: The Medieval Firewood Custom (Most Probable)

The leading explanation — and the one most historians find credible — connects the phrase to a feudal custom in medieval England. Kings owned the forests. Common people needed firewood to survive. The law allowed them to enter royal forests and collect deadwood, but only using two specific tools: a reaper’s billhook (the “hook”) to cut branches, and a shepherd’s crook (a long staff with a curved top, used to catch sheep) to pull down dead limbs. They could take whatever they could reach — by hook or by crook.

A petition from the town of Bodmin in Cornwall to King Henry VIII, dated between 1529 and 1539, actually uses the exact phrase “with hook and crook” to describe this very right. This makes the firewood theory the most grounded in documented evidence.

William Cobbett, the early 19th-century English rural campaigner, also recorded this custom in his writings, confirming it survived long into the post-medieval period.

Theory 2: Oliver Cromwell and the Villages of Hook and Crooke

A popular — but probably wrong — theory links the phrase to Oliver Cromwell during his siege of Waterford, Ireland in 1649–50. The story goes that Cromwell declared he would take the city “by Hook or by Crooke,” referring to the village of Hook Head in Wexford and the village of Crooke in Waterford, which sit on opposite sides of the Waterford Estuary.

The problem? John Wycliffe used the phrase more than 260 years before Cromwell was born. This theory is geographically clever but chronologically impossible.

Theory 3: Sir George Croke and the Ship Money Dispute

A third theory centres on Sir George Croke, a judge under King Charles I. Croke famously refused to declare Ship Money — a controversial tax the King imposed without Parliament’s consent — to be legal. People said the money could be obtained “by Hook [by force] but not by Crook [not by Croke’s ruling].”

Again, this post-dates the first recorded uses by nearly 250 years, so while it is a colourful story, it cannot be the phrase’s true origin.

Folk Etymologies: The Legends That Do Not Hold Up

Over the centuries, people have invented creative but unsupported explanations. One claims that two judges named Hooke and Crooke settled disputes and every litigant was sure to have one of them on their side. Another traces the phrase to King Henry II’s landing in Ireland in 1172 — at a spot called Crook, near a tower called Hook.

These stories are what linguists call folk etymologies — explanations that feel satisfying but lack any documentary evidence. Entertaining? Yes. Accurate? Almost certainly not.

Verdict: Which Origin Theory Is Most Credible?

The medieval firewood custom wins. It is the only theory supported by actual legal documents predating or contemporary with the earliest uses of the phrase. The Oxford University Press blog, citing the work of Minnesota linguistics professor Anatoly Liberman, notes that the phrase likely began as a tautological binomial — a legal formula where two words that mean roughly the same thing get paired for emphasis and memorability. “Hook” and “crook” were probably both types of curved tools, joined by rhyme to make the phrase easier to remember. Laws before literacy relied on rhyme the way we rely on writing.

“By Hook or by Crook” Through the Centuries: A Literary Timeline

The phrase did not just survive — it thrived. Here is how it moved through English literature:

Philip Stubbes gave us the phrase in its clearest modern form in 1583: “Either by hooke or crooke, by night or day.” From that point, the phrase entered mainstream English and never left.

How to Use “By Hook or by Crook” Correctly

Example Sentences in Everyday Contexts

Good usage shows determination to achieve a specific goal. Here are real-world examples across different registers:

• Work: “We will ship this product on time, by hook or by crook — the client is counting on us.”
• Personal: “She was going to get tickets to that concert by hook or by crook.”
• Sport: “The team fought back and won the championship, by hook or by crook.”
• Politics: “Opponents accused him of trying to pass the bill by hook or by crook, regardless of due process.”
• Everyday: “The car broke down, but I’ll get to that meeting by hook or by crook.”

Register: Formal vs. Informal Usage

The phrase works in both formal writing and casual conversation, though it leans slightly informal. In professional writing, pair it with serious context — it adds colour without sounding sloppy. In speech, it sounds natural and emphatic. Avoid using it in highly formal legal or academic documents where plain language is expected.

British vs. American English: Is It Still Common?

British English uses this phrase more frequently than American English, where “by any means necessary” or “no matter what” are more common equivalents. In the UK, it appears regularly in newspapers, political speeches, and everyday conversation. In the US, it reads as slightly old-fashioned but is still understood.

Synonyms and Related Phrases

These phrases carry similar meanings — use them to vary your writing or speech:

• By any means necessary — the most direct modern equivalent
• By fair means or foul — emphasises the moral ambiguity more sharply — [see our guide on by fair means or foul at grammardock.com]
• Whatever it takes — more casual and contemporary
• At all costs — implies sacrifice as well as determination
• No matter what — the simplest everyday alternative
• Come hell or high water — adds dramatic intensity
• Hook, line and sinker — a related hook idiom with a very different meaning — [explore hook, line and sinker on grammardock.com]

Global Equivalents: How Other Languages Say “By Any Means Necessary”

Every language captures unstoppable determination differently. French speakers say “par tous les moyens” (by all possible means). Spanish uses “a como dé lugar” (however it has to happen). German offers “mit allen Mitteln” (with all available means). In Arabic: “بأي وسيلة كانت”, and in Urdu: “ہر حال میں” — in every circumstance.

None of these carry the same vivid physical imagery as the English original. Hooks and crooks are tangible tools — and that concreteness is exactly why the phrase has lasted 600 years.

FAQs About “By Hook or by Crook”

What does “crook” mean in this phrase?

In this phrase, “crook” refers to a shepherd’s crook — a long wooden staff with a curved top that shepherds used to catch and guide sheep. It has nothing to do with “crook” meaning a criminal, though that meaning of the word developed later and shares the same root idea of something curved or bent.

What does “hook” mean in this phrase?

“Hook” refers to a reaper’s billhook — a curved cutting tool used by farm workers and foresters to cut branches and deadwood. Think of it as a short-handled blade with a hooked tip.

Is “by hook or by crook” still used today?

Yes, very much so. It appears regularly in British newspapers, political commentary, and everyday speech. It is less common in American English but still widely understood. Writers use it when they want to convey fierce determination with a touch of historical character.

Is “by hook or by crook” an idiom or a proverb?

It is an idiom — a fixed expression whose meaning you cannot guess from the individual words. A proverb is a short saying that offers general life advice, like “a stitch in time saves nine.” By hook or by crook describes an attitude or method, not a life lesson, which makes it an idiom.

Who first said “by hook or by crook”?

No single person invented it. The phrase emerged from Lollard religious writing around 1380 and appears in John Gower’s poetry by 1390. It was a common expression in Middle English long before any named author put it in print.

What is the difference between “by hook or by crook” and “by fair means or foul”?

These phrases are close synonyms, but “by fair means or foul” is slightly more explicit about the moral trade-off — it spells out that fair play is optional. “By hook or by crook” focuses more on the method and the tools of determination, and carries a more neutral tone overall. Both work in the same contexts. — [Read our full comparison on grammardock.com]

Is the Cromwell theory true?

Almost certainly not. Oliver Cromwell was born in 1599, and the phrase already existed in writing by 1380 — more than two centuries before Cromwell’s time. The Hook Head / Crooke story is geographically interesting but historically impossible as an origin.

Can “by hook or by crook” have a negative meaning?

It can, depending on context. When politicians or opponents use it to describe someone else’s actions, it often implies manipulation or dishonesty. When someone uses it about themselves, it usually just signals strong resolve. The phrase is context-dependent, not inherently negative.

Conclusion

“By hook or by crook” is one of the most durable idioms in the English language — surviving six centuries, four major literary eras, and the shift from Middle English to modern speech. It means achieving a goal by any means necessary, with an undercurrent of determination that can tip into rule-bending. The most credible origin points to medieval England’s firewood-gathering customs, where common people could take what they could reach with a hook or a crook — and no more. The phrase moved from legal formula to literary device to everyday speech, and it shows no sign of fading.

Use it when you want to signal resolve. Understand it when you encounter it in literature or news. And remember — the hooks and crooks were real tools long before they became a metaphor for getting things done.