rob Peter to pay Paul

To harm one person in order to do good to another; by extension, to use money or resources set aside for one purpose for a different one.

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Idioms and Phrases

Take from one to give to another, shift resources. For example, They took out a second mortgage on their house so they could buy a condo in Florida—they're robbing Peter to pay Paul. Although legend has it that this expression alludes to appropriating the estates of St. Peter's Church, in Westminster, London, to pay for the repairs of St. Paul's Cathedral in the 1800s, the saying first appeared in a work by John Wycliffe about 1382.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But the administration’s decision to dismantle COVID-era programs — which were finally beginning to deliver real infrastructure for behavioral health — means they are choosing to rob Peter to pay Paul.

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I took care of the kids, worked at least part-time when child care permitted, prepared homemade meals and baked goods, did all the laundry for our large family and managed our finances, which was more of a “rob Peter to pay Paul” enterprise.

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It would be strange for a public agency to have to pay out such penalties and attorney fees from taxpayer-funds, as “the result would simply rob Peter to pay Paul,” the ruling said.

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“It’s called rob Peter to pay Paul,” says Jackie, “and I’m robbing Peter so much that Peter’s just standing there.”

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She also used warm hubs, but found she still had "to rob Peter to pay Paul during some months" in order to cover rent and other household bills.

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robot pilot Rob Roy

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