Dictionary

thin end of the wedge en · NOUN

(idiomatic) Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.
- This is known as the 'thin end of the wedge' argument raised by people who don't want to lose the protection of restrictive covenants. The 'thin end of the wedge' means that when you drive a wedge into something, you use the thin end first because it's easier than using the thick end. 2018 August 14, April Stroud, Making Sense of Land Law, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:
- The MP told parliament that legalising cannabis would be the thin end of the wedge.

Spelling	Labels	Source
thin edge of the wedge	alternative	lexicographic
small end of the wedge	alternative	lexicographic
the thin end of the wedge	canonical	lexicographic