# by hook or by crook

> English word · Prep_phrase · IPA /baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/

## Definitions
1. By any means possible; one way or another.

## Etymology
From earlier by howke or crooke, by hoke ne by croke, etc., from Middle English wiþ hok or crok, wiþ hook or wiþ crok; further origin unknown. One suggestion is that the term is derived from the common of estovers, an ancient right in English law for tenants of land to gather dead wood on common land using blunt tools such as hooks and shepherd’s crooks.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/by-hook-or-by-crook