poacher turned gamekeeper en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
The figurative sense is by self-evident metaphor from the literal sense. The thought of poachers turned gamekeepers goes back centuries; for example, William Tinsley said in his memoirs that "There is an old saying that the most expert poachers make the best gamekeepers. I do not think the saying is true as a rule […]".
Meanings
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(figuratively, idiomatic) A person now charged with protecting what they formerly preyed upon.
When President Roosevelt appointed Kennedy to the Securities Exchange Commission, he was acting on the "poacher turned gamekeeper" principle.
1938, The Strand Magazine, volume 95, page 373:Ah! poacher turned gamekeeper! That be settin' thief to catch thief!
1877, Mayne Reid, Gwen Wynn: A Romance of the Wye, volume III, Tinsley Brothers, page 71:
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see poacher, turned, gamekeeper.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| poachers turned gamekeepers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
set a thief to catch a thief · fox guarding the henhouse · it takes one to know one · the lunatics have taken over the asylum · wolf guarding the sheep · fox in the henhouse