I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb/aɪ mˌaɪt æz wˈɛl biː hˈæŋd fɚɹə ʃˈiːp æz ɐ lˈæm/sentence
used to imply that if the punishment for two offenses is the same, one might as well commit the more serious offense if the potential rewards justify the consequences, leading individuals to take greater risks
"If you are already in trouble, you may as well go further — I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb."
"Since he was already facing a penalty, he decided to take the bigger risk, thinking I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb."
kill the chicken to scare the monkey/kˈɪl ðə tʃˈɪkɪn tə skˈɛɹ ðə mˈʌnki/sentence
used to convey the idea of making an example of someone to deter others from misbehaving
"Punish one to warn many — kill the chicken to scare the monkey."
"The visible disciplinary action was intended to deter others — kill the chicken to scare the monkey."
necessity (knows|has) no [law]/nəsˈɛsɪɾi nˈoʊz ɔːɹ hɐz nˈoʊ lˈɔː/sentence
used to imply that in a situation of extreme need or urgency, people may be compelled to take actions that would normally be considered illegal or immoral
"When you desperately need something, rules do not apply — necessity knows no law."
"With no food left for days, the survivors ate whatever they could find, proving that necessity knows no law."
rules are made to be broken/ɹˈuːlz ɑːɹ mˌeɪd təbi bɹˈoʊkən/sentence
used to suggest that some rules or laws are not meant to be followed strictly and can be disregarded or broken under certain circumstances
"Rules exist to be challenged — rules are made to be broken."
"She questioned every process she encountered — rules are made to be broken."
the more laws the more offenders/ðə mˈoːɹ lˈɔːz ðə mˈoːɹ əfˈɛndɚz/sentence
used to imply that as the number of laws and regulations increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to enforce them, which in turn creates more opportunities for people to unintentionally or intentionally violate them
"More laws create more criminals — the more laws the more offenders."
"The proliferation of minor regulations had criminalised ordinary behaviour — the more laws the more offenders."
laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through/lˈɔːz ɑːɹ lˈaɪk kˈɑːbwɛbz wˌɪtʃ mˈeɪ kˈætʃ smˈɔːl flˈaɪz bˌʌt lˈɛt wˈɑːsps ænd hˈoːɹnɪts bɹˈeɪk θɹˈuː/sentence
used to suggest that the legal system may not always provide equal protection or accountability for all individuals, and may instead favor those with higher social status or resources
"Laws only stop the weak — laws are like cobwebs which may catch small flies but let wasps and hornets break through."
"The regulation was easily bypassed by well-resourced organisations — laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies but let wasps and hornets break through."
law and order are the medicine of the body politic/lˈɔː ænd ˈɔːɹdɚɹ ɑːɹ ðə mˈɛdəsən ʌvðə bˈɑːdi pˈɑːlətˌɪk/sentence
used to imply that laws and regulations are necessary for the proper functioning and well-being of a society
"Law and order are essential to society — law and order are the medicine of the body politic."
"Without enforcement, the community fell into disorder — law and order are the medicine of the body politic."
laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law/lˈɔːz ɡɹˈaɪnd ðə pˈʊɹ ænd ɹˈɪtʃ mˈɛn ɹˈuːl ðə lˈɔː/sentence
used to imply that the legal system is often biased against the poor and disadvantaged, while the rich and powerful are able to use their wealth and influence to manipulate the law to their advantage
"Laws often serve the rich — laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law."
"The legal system consistently disadvantaged those without resources — laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law."
Learn all 8 words in this list with spaced repetition