Get away with murder

Get away with murder is an English idiom, used to describe escaping the consequences of an action. While literally it refers to someone committing a murder and not being punished, it can be used figuratively of someone who is seen not to suffer the consequences of their actions: "I hate to see a mother who lets her children get away with murder".[1][2][3][4]

It's unknown where and when the idiom originated from exactly, but is theorized to be from the United Kingdom sometime between 1200 and 1500.[5]

References

  1. ^ Spitzack, Carole (5 July 1990). Confessing Excess: Women and the Politics of Body Reduction. SUNY Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-7914-0272-6.
  2. ^ Ammer, Christine (2013). The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms: American English Idiomatic Expressions & Phrases (Second ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-547-67658-6.
  3. ^ Brown, Deaver (2018). 1500 American Idioms, Phrases & Slang: Best Test Prep. Simply Media. ISBN 978-1-61496-465-0.
  4. ^ Manser, Martin H. (2006). Dictionary of Idioms. Wordsworth Editions. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-84022-491-7.
  5. ^ "GET AWAY WITH MURDER (phrase) American English definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary". www.macmillandictionary.com. Retrieved 2021-09-27.


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