Meaning:
If someone says they will do something by hook or by crook, they are determined
to do it, even if they have to make a great effort or use dishonest means.
Background:
A widely held theory is that it comes from the custom of allowing commoners to
take as much wood from royal forests as they could reach with a shepherd's crook
and cut down with a billhook.
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While billhook has stayed a weapon and pruning tool, Shepherd's crook seems to
have found applications other than looking after sheep.
