In the Middle Ages villagers were granted the right to gather firewood from their landlord's woods on the understanding that they only cut timber from trees which could be reached by a shepherd's crook and cut down with a bill-hook. That original meaning has been replaced by a sense of absolute necessity that one way or another a task will be accomplished or an objective reached. It is interesting to note that whereas the original meaning implied that this was a lawful activity, "by hook or by crook" today implies that almost any means, right or wrong, will be employed to do what is necessary. This is from the book " Lock, Stock & Barrel familiar Sayings and Their Meanings.
By hook or by crook, I'm determined to get into Harvard medical school.
That crook stole my wallet
Derives from an Old English word meaning 'dishonest trick', From the 19th Century, American English uses the word to denote a swindler
book crook
Crook (as in criminal) = Farbrecher (פאַרברעכער)
Hook A Crook was created in 1955.
Essentially it means "by any means necessary."
By hook or by crook, I'm determined to get into Harvard medical school.
Hook or Crook - 1926 was released on: USA: 6 December 1926
Hook a Crook - 1955 was released on: USA: 24 November 1955
The cast of Hook or Crook - 1926 includes: Dorothy Gulliver Charles Puffy
One who is ever eager to prove his sexual prowess by hook or by crook. One who is ever eager to prove his sexual prowess by hook or by crook.
The cast of By Hook or Crook - 2010 includes: Nathan Lusk Dusty Probert as Sheriff Joey Probert as Will
crook took lookLuck, stuck, muck, struck, hook, duck, book, rookbrookchookcrookkooklooknookrookshooksookspook/took/
The cast of By Hook or Crook - 1925 includes: Rex Beach as Himself - Author Fred Stone as Himself - Actor
hook and crook
Means Doing Something in A Honest Way OR Doing It In A Dishonest Way !