kings have long arms
kings have long arms
proverb The controlling sovereign or government of a given nation has broad, far-reaching power and influence that it can use to control or punish people. You do realize that the government is able to track just about every move you make, right? Remember—kings have long arms. The brigands thought they would be safe hiding out in this small provincial town, but kings have long arms, and they were eventually caught and hanged.
See also: arm, have, king, long
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
Kings have long arms.
and Governments have long arms.Prov. Those who are in power can always catch and punish people who have opposed them, no matter how far away those opponents may go. After his attempt to assassinate the king, the prince sailed to a distant country, although his wife warned him it would be to no avail. "Kings have long arms," she reminded him.
See also: arm, have, King, long
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- teach a man to fish
- it takes a village
- village
- best-laid plans go astray, the
- the best-laid plans
- the best-laid plans go astray
- the best-laid plans of mice and men
- for want of a nail
- For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse ...
- tomorrow never comes