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set a thief to catch a thief. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
set a thief to catch a thief, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
set a thief to catch a thief in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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set a thief to catch a thief, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Verb
set a thief to catch a thief (third-person singular simple present sets a thief to catch a thief, present participle setting a thief to catch a thief, simple past and past participle set a thief to catch a thief)
- To employ an unscrupulous person in order to catch another unscrupulous person.
1866, Norman Macleod, editor, Good Words, page 415:The morality of setting a thief to catch a thief passes muster in the English force; but they do these things better in America. Pinkerton's system for the detective police in America is vastly superior to the British system.
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